#rutgers

And the phone rings

((They actually have a landline? 😉 ))

Sylvi answers. "Hello?"

(I'm oooollld 😉 also mostly I figured whoever answered, it was on their phone 😛 )

"Sylvi? It's Vali. I know you prefer texts, who doesn't? But I needed to be on the hush hush. You in a safe place to talk?"

"Yeah, I'm in the apartment. What's wrong? Everybody okay?" He can hear her go on alert.

Brow?

Dag is doing math homework, Sylvi's phone call is clearly more interesting.

Sylvi looks over to Dagmar. "It's Mountain Vali."

"There's trouble possibly heading your way. If it's just you, Dagmar and or Simon, go ahead and put me on speaker and I'll fill you in"

She sits up straighter, alert.

"Hang on...Okay, you're on speaker. Dagmar's here."

"Okay. wish I were calling with happy news, but there's this group called the Menagerie Exotica which collects Chimera, the odder the better. And to display them, it cages them. Like an old time zoo where you had bald eagles chained down or elephants in too small pens, only with Chimerical creatures. They're not in Bergen proper, but we think they maybe near Rutgers or heading in that general direction"

"Like Mama Fortuna?"

"...is Snow safe? Are the skywolves?"

Sylvi frowns with disgust. "That's awful. Okay...any clue what kind of, like, special treasures or anything they have to catch them and hold them?"

"Yeah, like Mama fortuna, exactly.. " Vali responds "And Snow is missing. I don't know if she's just not around or is hiding, or if they got her. My tattle tale attempt failed. I don't want to worry you but it IS a chance." Then he goes on to answer Sylvi "Back when I tangled with them, there was a key ring of gold. It unlocked any of their cages. They also had some treasures to command the chimera....." A beat "One of them is a whip. If it hits you, you remember a loved one who died, or a friend you lost."

Her eyes narrow, a quiet kind of anger burning low in their amber depths.

A pause as her expression turns grim. "Walk around with some oranges. If Snow's around, she'll come to you. If not...it's a problem." Then she mutters, "...key chain...whip...I'm guessing you don't just remember a loved one? I mean, if that was it, people would want to be hit."

"But that was then, a long time ago.... and you remember them, particularly the worst things you said, or never got to say, before they died or left. It makes the lash of regret. Like i said though, they may not have those treasures anymore, or they may and more" A beat "Good idea about the oranges. I'll try it . skywolves are all accounted for."

A wince. "Okay, yeah. Bad whip. And possibly different treasures. Got it. Who've we got to keep an eye out for?"

"Is there a ringleader?"

"Yes. But I think it has to be someone new. The Chief is checking with the Spymaster right now, hoping to find out more. They'll havee muscle. They always do. They're not above working with Thallian either, but they've learned those aren't protected so they'll also have kithain who don't see Chimera as anything but profit makers. In some areas, what they do isn't against the law, not in that way. "

Grunt. Knuckle-crack.

"And I'm guessing they can get away with it here?"

"In Rutgers, I mean?"

"They think they can. But the Escheat still applies.. who gets to judge it there is the problem. You girls think you can work against this sort of thing?"

"Us, plus maybe some friends, yeah."

"Arguably, we're under... what, a baron somewhere? A count?"

"Arguably there's a kind of netural zone to keep some counts and barons from squabling. You'd have to go right to the Duke of Gardens for a sure fire authority. Rutgers is kind of like Firnost, but fewer trods, more sanity"

Sylvi frowns, then shakes her head. "We can do it without nobles. We've got this."

"Right makes might."

"And stopping a bunch of chimerical captors seems pretty darn right."

"Okay. Okay" A chuckle "I'll call back later with more intell if we get it, but i leave it in your capable hands. " He tries to hide anyworry in his voice

A nod to Dagmar.

"Thanks, Mountain. We'll keep you posted."

"Tell our folks we'll be okay."

A glance at a closed door, then a frown and a determined look.

"I will. Thanks , take care and all that"

Sylvi disconnects.

And it's just them

She notes Dagmar's glance. "Yeah, I know. But..." A pause. "We've gotta let him do his thing. We'll be okay."

"I know. Just... he's usually the brains."

"I'm the muscle."

"And I'm the looks? Well, we'll make do. We need to do a patrol, see if we see anything."

"No, I didn't mean that..."

"You're great, absolutely. You're still totally the face, for sure. Charisma-class."

"Oh, hey, I'm not offended. I can use it to charm my way in to see stuff, maybe behind the scenes."

She nods.

An encouraging look. "And hey...if they've got Snow? Maybe it'll be like Ransom of Red Chief. She'll make them so crazy they can't wait to get rid of her."