#bergen_county

Dirk looks around for Symon "Hey,wrigggler? Where are ya?" thump stomp peek

"Maybe he's painting more of those little lead voodoo dolls"

they're called minatures but hey

"Whaaaaaat." He hisses, looking up from his book. Dirk can't be blamed for missing him, curled up reading a book in the corner - in the dark.

"Geez o freakin pete" He hates when his adoptobro does that, "Get off your ass. I need your help"

"What's up?" He drops the book - catching it with his long nimble toes, and tucking it away under the chair with a foot. That way, he knows where it is, but it won't be 'tidied' away.

"I think maybe I got a ravager but I ain't sure so I need your sneakiness"

"A ravager? In Bergen? Dumbass. Don't they know the Mountain is a Liam?" He shakes his head at the idiocy.

"Ainn't like the lodge is on lock down.. but one of the dreamers seems dangerously tapped and if there's a kith doing it I can't find em... so sneaky stuff . Come on"

He stretches and pops his spine in a few interesting ways. "I'm coming. Where at?"

"the mall... bring you ear muffs"

He winces - it's too out of place in the summer - and grabs a set of ear plugs, the cheap foam kind, shoving them in as he walks.

The crowds at the mall are not quite at peak level, but still too intense for Symon to feel comfortable, "The dreamer what got roughed is over here" Dirk grunts as he leads Symon to the custom T shirt artist. Symon doesnn

n't come here often, so this might be of a new discovery to him. A lot of the shirts on sale have a 'Heavy metal albulm cover' kind of vibe, but some are witty, with things like a city in ashes and a barbararian sneering 'If you're really Goth, where were you when we sacked Rome?'

The guy working it seems a bit greasy looking, but then who are sluagh and redcaps to judge? His works scream Dreamer, but his eyes are looking listless

Symon slides over, and pretends to be interested in the Goth shirt. "Hey. How much for this?"

"Ah, 30 dollars, which may sound like a lot but it's custom and I use quality" the man says "Or you can get two for twenty each.. if you want another. I also sell cloth masks but less demand for them" There are masks. One has a Rictor Mortis grin painted on it. "Oh hey, Dirk"

"Hey Drake" Dirk answers

"Do you make the designs yourself? I thought I saw one like this online on one of those shitty $10 shirt websites."

Drake seems lethargic and.... Symon notices his latest attempt at a shirt is..well, boring. It doesn't compare to the stuff older in stock

"Shitty is right man," Drake shrugs "I use material that won't disintergrate in 3 washes or 6 months which ever comes first"

"Do you sell a lot to one person? Or have someone who hangs around a lot? I swear I saw this design online. Maybe someone's stealing your work."

He says.. looking around for any signs of anything... out of place or interesting.

Drake stiffens "Man, I don't know .. only got a hanndful of folks I see more than once a season. Dirk's one of them . "

And that's when Symon's keen eyes notice it. Despite being not enchanted, Drake has a chimerical wound on the back of his neck. Under a mane of greasy hair

it's like a hole or a ... mosquito bite

"Dirk is barely smart enough to turn on his computer, much less sell online." He says with a smirk. "Do you wear your own goods? That's the true test of whether you sell quality."

He parts his jack to show the shrit he's wearing which shows a depiction of a crowd all in leather jackets and torn denim all raising their fists and the slogan 'I'm a rebel, just like all of my friends!'

Touch of irony in the dross of the shirt

"Yeah, can I see the tag? Just checking." He makes a point of checking the tags on two shirts he's set aside - brand, fabric content. "Don't gotta take it off, just on the collar there."

"You're pissingg me off man, I pour my heart into my work and half the morons aound here..."

It's Dirk who plays peace keeper "easy drake. I know your're the best. Justt my brother , well, it's not you, he's an asshole to everyone"

"Fine" Drake lowers so it can be see

Symon takes the opportunity to get a closer look at the guy's neck. Kenning, and examining, even taking a discrete sniff to see if there are any details he can pick up.

It wasn't a kithain ravager, this was some chimera.. a glamour leecher

He pulls away. "Yeah, checks out. I'll take those two shirts." He slides a 20 to Drake.

"Tell me, I ain't come to the mall in a while, with Covid and shit. Anything else good around from indie sellers? Like hand made jewelry for my ma or anything like that?"

Drake ponders "Was one jewelry seller who was on her ggame.. but she's lately been slacking.. not sure what up with her on nthat"

"Maybe she'll sell her stuff cheap if she's burned out. Dirk, wanna check? Ma's birthday is coming up."

"Yeah sure.." Dirk frowns and moves on with Symon "Dude... what was that?" He mutterrs "Like you were tryingg to piss Drake off"

"Wasn't no ravager. It was some sort of bug. Bit him on the neck, drained him." Symon rubs the back of his own neck self consciously, then tugs his hood up a bit more. "I wanna see if it hit anyone else around here."

"Anotherr bug? Shit.. I don't have a halberd thingee"

"I think it's a little one. Gotta be to make a tiny bite like that. Keep an eye out. Dunno if it can feed on us, but I don't especially wanna find out."

Looking for the jewelry vendor.

They find her.. she has the look of one who just doesnn' give a shit "You want something?" A letheric sales pitch

"Hey, looking to get some jewelry." Is she wearing any necklace of her own?

She is... a silver weave pattern with a single pearl. Siv would love it

"You got another one like that, the one you're wearing?" He slides around behind her, peering as though to get a closer look at it. "Does it have one of those snap clasps or the little clips? My gram's fingers don't work so good now that she's older. Fingers stiff from arthritis, you know."

Checking her neck as well.

And there's another hole "I have one like it, but it doesnn't have the clasp you want for an arthretic"

"How much?"

She names a price in a dull tone, almost as if she doesn't care if she makes the sale or not. Clearly the job and craft aren't fun for her anymore