Forsaken of Federal Hill

It's a Wednesday afternoon, July 7th, 2016. In a few hours Luna's face will be a waxing crescent moon. But not before things get interesting in Federal Hill.
Today seems like business as usual, a nice relaxed day after the festivities of America's birthday.
Depending on where you are at the time, you can see as little or as much as you like. Across the street from the Outreach Center you'll be able to see a young girl, no more than twenty, clearly strung out on something wandering the street. She rubs against passersby trying to grope and feel them. Some people walk quicker some stop and speak with her. But eventually, she pulls out the knife. She attacks several people, seemingly at random until she's restrained (by a packmember if you choose). Police and Paramedics arrive on scene minutes later.
Werewolves will notice a spirit unfetter itself from the girl and take off quickly now that the girl it was riding is no longer resonant (you can find a scent, but for now it eludes you). The girl, now free of the spirit seems sober, and not to recall anything that just happened. She begins screaming and crying as she realizes the reason she's covered in blood and headed for the back of a police car.
Anyone in the Hisil or peeking across the gauntlet will notice a cat spirit watching intently the entire scene. It won't be the first time they've noticed a cat spirit watching the physical realm's drama, before slinking away. The cat can be chased down.

Rose sat next to Price in his car on their lunch break. They'd been non stop questioning the relatives, friends and coworkers of a recently dead man. His case had been assigned to them. Rose had insisted on Chinese for lunch and Price had relented, demanding to choose next time. But next time is next time, Rose thought, contentedly munching her way through a box of shrimp fried rice. Rose looked up, something in the air had changed. She peered outside to find the source of this disturbance and saw a woman holding a knife. She was swinging it at anyone who got too close to her and she'd clearly already managed to slice a few people. Rose threw her food into the dashboard, ignoring the fact that it tipped and spilled out. Price cursed at her for making a mess but she cut him off. Color=PaleVioletRed]"Lunch break's over."[/color] Rose snapped and jumped out of the car. She took off after the woman and approached her warily. Rose eyed the knife and the swaying motion of the woman. No, now that she was close enough, she realized she was quite young. Girl might be more accurate. A passerby moved quickly in the girl's peripheral vision and she was distracted for a split second, but long enough. Rose sprang at her, one hand clamping around the wrist holding the knife. Rose squeezed viciously, her grip tightening until she finally dropped it. Rose spun her around, pulling her hands behind her back, holding them with one hand as she pulled out her cuffs. Price caught up and surveyed the scene as Rose finished cuffing her. She briskly rattled off her rights and asked if she understood them. No response. Rose shrugged at Price and then the welcome sight of flashing lights, ambulance and police alike, arrived on the scene. Rose handed her over to the first cop to approach, asking him to put her in the back of his car. That seemed to snap her out of it, as she stared down at herself in confusion. Rose watched as a spirit flew off the girl and left. She sighed. Great, more shit from them. Rose headed in the direction of the paramedics to see how the victims were faring. She listened to the girl shrieking and crying from the back of the cop car and felt a twist of pity.

Price was enjoying being out of the office despite the circumstances, but at least they weren’t out poking a dead body this time. Questioning wasn’t the worst tasks they’ve done and O’Keefe really had a knack for getting people to talk, that woman sure could scare a gangbanger like no other. They had relaxed into what could potentially be a well oiled machine someday, sure it had some rough spots but they’d only been working together a few months and he enjoyed working with her more than some of the other partners he’d had in the past. Sometimes she had attendance problems but she made up for it by going above and beyond what was required of their job, putting in a lot of unpaid overtime and night hours.

“Look.. I’m just saying if the Pope didn’t call for the assassination of Lincoln then who.. O’Keefe?” Price looked up from his fortune cookie, she had that look in her eyes she got before she would run off and do something foolish. Would it be wrong to buy a leash for this woman? ”Ah.. shit…” he cursed as shrimp and rice flew everywhere.

Price jumped out of the car to follow his sprinting partner, damn that woman was fast. O’Keefe had the suspect in custody before he had even crossed the street leaving him wondering if he needed to hit the gym a little more often, maybe her boxer friend could give him some tips. Glancing at the girl being detained by his partner, he swore something just was a little off on this one like something more was going on than a crazed teen on drugs. He worked crowd control until the beat cops showed up then went to meet up with his partner by the ambulance.

”You sure have one hell of a grip on you, O’Keefe, I’m going to tell Alicia to start calling you when she needs a jar opened,” he laughed, tossing her a fortune cookie. ”It’s bad luck not to read your fortune. Let's see, mine says Tackle your beast head on and you will find happiness, well that makes no sense.” He shrugged popping the cookie in his mouth. ”What do you think about that little girl over there? Something just doesn’t sit right with this, did she have I.D. on her?”

The couch in Rashid’s office was pretty comfortable, at least better than what he had slept on the night before. Luke lay there half awake with his cowboy hat draped over his face, keeping his friend company while he worked on some of the fundraiser budgets before classes started in a few hours. After his change, Luke had found he was a lot more edgy when he wasn’t around at least one of his packmates or at the very least one of their wolfbloods but he assumed that was all part of being a werewolf. When they were together it just felt right, so whenever given the chance he always hung around one of them if he could. Which is why it was much more relaxing for him to nap in the office, closer to Rashid and Rory than it was to go back upstairs to his cozy bed.

”Next time I fall asleep on the kitchen floor in Urhan, do me a favor and either wake me or haul me to my bed.” he mumbled, regretting the half a bottle of Jack on a weeknight. It had been a long day, his agent had told him they’d gone with another actor for the part he’d tried out for. He thought he didn’t care, his life here was getting pretty good here but the man had called out of the blue with this role and gotten his hopes up. For some reason, he hadn’t even told the pack yet that he hadn’t gotten the part, instead just spent the evening on the roof with a bottle of whiskey.

His road back to self pity was interrupted by the sound of police sirens out front. Luke shot up, making eye contract with Rashid who was already standing and looking at him but no words needed to be said as they started making their way downstairs. Luke kept an eye out for Rory or Helen in case they hadn’t heard the sirens yet, but assumed if they had they would be heading out front too.

Cho was minding his own damn business, blastin' beats in his new Dr. Dre headphones. Things were killer. Couldn't hear himself talk if he didn't want to. He was across the street from the center, grabbin' some grub when all of a sudden his forearm exploded into pain and blood and he screamed.
He couldn't hear his own scream and spun around to see what was going on. To his surprise, some girl was swinging a knife at random. Bitch was high as fuck! And crazy! What the hell?
He panicked a little and backed away from her, clutching the bloody gash on his arm. But she didn't seem interested in him. Or anyone. Cho pushed himself up against a wall and slid down it as the scene unfolded.
Rose came in, took the bitch down, and waited for her partner. Cho didn't do anything to get her attention, she was busy doin' cop shit. But he was going to need an ambulance. Which, considering what went down, should be on it's way. He just had to not pass out.

Damn these numbers! Rashid's head was swimming trying to balance this that and the other. Sure, the outreach was doing great thanks to some great work by the others, but repairs kept cropping up everywhere. Even managing his our tour wasn't this convoluted. Tax form x, triplicate document z, the paperwork was stupid and frustrating. And to top it off, Luke went off on a solo bender the night before, which worried the boxer. Normally the kid wanted a party, or at least some friends to drink with. He made sure that Luke wasn't going to wake up alone and practically drug a semi conscious wolf across tile.

I'm just glad you were'nt Urhan. Your snores can wake the dead... Rashid froze fast, sirens were distant, but they were there, coming closer over the dull roar of the rest of the city. Which just a look, both of them knew they were going to check it out. Rashid grabbed a water bottle from his mini-fridge and tossed it at Luke before starting out the door.

Rory was pretty stoked. It wasn't just that he'd had call backs, but the interviews had gone well, or at least he thought they had. It's not like they say "great you start tomorrow" at these places. Hopefully he'd hear something in the next few days. he turned the corner whistling some Brahms (poorly). The erratic movements of another pedestrian caught his eye to the right. Then the screaming started. A flash as a blade caught the light, and a scream as someone was cut. Where are the police when you need them? Rory thought, and as if summoning a genie from a bottle Rose charged onto the scene, taking the crazy down.
Of interest to Rory was the spirit that exited the frey. We can't be having that now can we, Rory thought. However he wasn't about to run through a new crime scene to chase it down. Peering through the gauntlet several other minor spirits flitted though the area. Another more powerful spirit was watching from the shadows though. Rory had seen it there before but disregarded it. Looking again, he recognized it from the party where their first hunt had started. Cutting across the street Rory crept up on the thing but it turned to leave. Rory started in pursuit.

Cat Who Stalks Secrets stopped to peer across the gauntlet. This place often had the smaller humans called children, and their secrets spilled forth with much more ease than the larger humans. It began to work it's influence when it noticed the man staring at it. It looked around to see if perhaps the man was looking elsewhere. Then it realized this was no man, but one of the pack of Uratha. Were it capable of feeling ice-cold terror, Cat Who Stalks Secrets would. Still, it did feel fear, just not the same way a real cat would. It began to call for it's brood. Who knew if this particular Uratha needed a locus to reach.

They exited the front door other community center just about the time ambulances could be seen pulling up to help assist with the injured people. Luke was just about to corner a cop to ask what had happened when he saw a familiar head of red hair heading towards the crowd of people waiting for medical aid. He nudged Rashid to get his attention and point her out. ”Looks like our lucky day, let’s go ask Rose what the hell happened,” he said leading the way over to where their pack mate stood.

Helen followed Rashid and Luke until they broke off to speak with Rose. Someone else had caught her attention. She walked up to him, the smell of blood strong, and knelt down beside him.
"Cho? Honey you're hurt, lemme see." he looked up at her and slowly, carefully, showed her the gash on his left arm.
"I-I uh... I can't... that is I sh-shouldn't have any pain killers. C-Can't be trusted to uhm... ya know... be trusted." the tears in his eyes weren't from the obvious pain he was in and Helen felt dreadful. She helped her packmate to his feet.
"Don't worry hun, I'll let the paramedics know that, and I'll sit with you while they stitch this up, sound good?" she asked. He looked up at her and nodded, clearly touched by such a simple gesture. Her other packmates seemed to ignore their wolf-blooded members. She was going to have to remind them; Sih sehe mak; Mak ns sih applied to the whole pack, not just the Uratha.

The spirit was staring at him. Well so much for a tail. Still he recognized the spirit. He kept on walking towards it like it was just a coincidence it happened to be there to get its scent, and then kept on walking by. Maybe it would follow him, maybe it wouldn't. Rory went around the block and stopped in corner store and picked up a drink and a magazine.
"Lets see" Rory thought, but then almost immediately rejected the idea of choosing. There wasn't anything interesting anyway, so he grabbed something randomly for appearances sake, and then took the long way around back to the outreach.

Rose caught the cookie and stared down at it as if in a trance. She realized Price was still talking and mumbled a nonsensical reply, her thoughts still distracted by the girl and the spirit. That whole situation felt wrong, she thought. Completely and utterly wrong. But Price doesn't know about any of it, not yet anyway. She wondered how long she'd have to wait before he officially became a wolfblooded and she could clue him into her life. Hopefully not too much longer, it made things much more difficult, keeping secrets of this magnitude from someone with whom she spent large portions of her days.

Rose shook her head and opened her cookie and read it aloud. "Be cautious of the beast within, some wrongs can never be righted." "The hell? I can't even...". Price was giving her a curious look and hurried to answer his other question before he asked why a silly fortune would bother her that much. "Um, no. No wallet or ID. Nothing on her but a knife she was using to slash her way through anyone near her." Rose shrugged. "Hopefully she'll be able to answer some questions, she seems to have sobered up pretty quickly." She spotted two of her pack mates headed their way and decided to head them off. "Hey, Price. Hold down the fort for me. Thanks." She started off toward Rashid and Luke, wondering how to explain what she'd seen.

Rashid nudged his partner and started towards Rose. Walking directly for them, he assumed that she was playing appearances for everyone.

Detective O'Keefe, heard the sirens outside the Outreach, anything we can help with? They closed the distance with each other, and when he was relatively certain the rest of the park wouldn't overhear everything, he lowered his volume.

Didn't see much from our side, just the results of a...stabbing spree? Is everyone ok? Rashid looked genuinely worried, things like this just outside the place he put up to help people? Maybe they didn't clean everything up as well as he had hoped. cameras haven't been put up out here yet, city keeps putting it off, otherwise, if you see anything you don't have the ability to follow up on on your end, let us know.

Helen knew she was running late, Rashid had wanted everyone together as soon as Rose got back but she couldn't just leave Cho in the hospital. She filled out the paperwork for him, since he wasn't going to be writing very fast with his arm all bandaged up.
"Th-Thanks Helen I uh... I know you had shit to do and such so I mean uhm... thanks for helping." he said somberly. Helen mussed his hair affectionately.
"Hey, it's no big deal honey. Everyone else had their own leads to chase. I keep us whole. And what better use of my time than making sure you're in top form for this hunt?" she passed him the forms and pointed where he needed to sign.
"You... uh, you think they'll call a h-hunt?" he asked, clearly excited by the prospect. She shrugged.
"I don't have the details yet, but they said the girl was ridden. It ran away before any of us were close enough to chase it. But Rory followed some cat spirit that saw the whole thing, think we're going into the Hisil to track it down. And then Rose searched the girl's belongings and found a bag she's pretty sure had drugs in it. You know how Rashid feels about drugs. So I won't be surprised if it points towards dealers causing this that he'll push for Siskur-dah." and she'd jump at the chance to chase down worthy prey with her new pack. Cho nodded thoughtfully before handing the signed papers to her. Helen took them to the nurse and insisted on following them to get a wheelchair so Cho could leave.
Once they were in the car she barely obeyed the law to get them home. She didn't want to miss any of this meeting.

Meanwhile at the outreach…

This is the second time we’ve had ridden in our territory in just a couple of weeks. Sure we blew off the one that was riding Jenna when we discovered a bigger problem. Regardless of the reason though, this is becoming a re-occurring trend, and I don’t want these spirits, or any others to get the idea that this side of the gauntlet is their playground. I’m all for calling a hunt on all the ridden and purging the area. We sweep the area and pick them off as we find them. Rip them to shreds and send a message to any would be spirits to go elsewhere.

Rory, but what about the spirit you followed...

Rory cut Echo off That was a separate creature all together, sure we’ve seen it show up by each one, and maybe it is connected, but it is just as likely it was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We could spend the time running it down to find that it is either uncooperative, or just doesn’t know anything. I see it more as a target of opportunity rather than any sort of main target.

Still Asal, this may be a path that bares fruit. There is no such thing as coincidence after all.

Rose nodded in understanding at Rory's words. He was pissed off and wanted action. She didn't blame him, she wanted the problem solved too. If there was a problem, which they hadn't determined yet. Two incidents didn't mean it was an epidemic. "I get where you're coming from but maybe we shouldn't slap our six shooters on our hips, jump on the horses and run around killing them all." Rose paused and then, in an attempt to mollify her brother, added, "At least not without thinking it through." She turned to Echo then, smiling at the gentle woman. "The spirit who was watching might know something, but even if it doesn't, I don't think looking for it will hurt."

Luke watched the twins going back and forth for a minute, every once and awhile glancing at the door and wondering if Helen was back from the hospital with Cho yet. He was a little distracted but trying to follow what the two were saying anyway.

”I’m actually with Rory on sweeping the area for more ridden to send a clear message to the rest of the spirits in our territory, but I also agree with Rose that we should follow up on this cat,” he interjected after standing to look out the window to see if any cars were pulling up. “He’s in our territory and he might have seen something of value, and even though you think it might be a waste of time you’re the best with spirits Rory. We need to know where the girl got her drugs from, maybe Rose can figure that out at work. I think we need to know how far spread this thing is before we call a hunt, so I guess I might have to hit the scene again.” Luke grinned a little, he’d been avoiding going out and partying ever since Helen had joined the pack, using a variety of excuses as reasons why he wasn’t out doing the town every weekend but no one seemed to be complaining.

Rory looked around the group and shrugged
Ok, if you are all bent on getting the cat, if one of you come with me I'm sure we can track and corner it in short order and find out what it knows about the ridden in the area, if there are any bigger players involved, or if this is just random spirits.

Just promise me you'll ask nicely Rory

Of course I'll ask nicely... He smiled wolfishly at Echo and if it doesn't answer nicely I can always feed it to something in the bay.

Echo worred about Rory sometimes. He was always so...detached. From himself, from the people around him. She tried to be his friend, but he kept on pushing her away it seemed. Sure he would show up at odd hours of the night to borrow some occult book from her library, well borrow it was wrong, he'd just plop himself down and read it there, bu aside from study. It was like the only thing he ever got excited outside about was the idea of hunting down the spirits around him. He was missing so much beauty in the world and the hisil around him it saddened her.

.

Rashid walked down the stairs and entered the main common where everyone was gathered. He managed to hear the more heated moments and had a good idea of where they stood, but he wasn't really sure himself. This was all so new to take care of, and the problems never really go away.

"So..." he started soft so noone was too startled when he came in, things felt tense already. "We have a curious cat that should be followed in time, and a new ridden problem this close after the belishu problem. I'll be honest, the cat will know something, but I don't really care about it at the moment. The beshilu hurt our land, and that's where I think this new problem is stemming from. What we need to do is find the problem, eliminate is, and then find a way to mend the Gauntlet."

He turned to Rory and Echo, "I know you have different opinions on priorities, but bear with it. We will find that cat again, it seems to live here somewhere, but it doesn't want to be found. I think that chasing it while we have an immediate problem isn't the best action."

Addressing the group again, he looked at everyone individually to make sure they at least understood what he wanted. "Any other concerns we should address before research starts?"