Apr 29 22:22:06 108 PA - Asking an Undead Expert

From Chronicles

Apr 29 22:22:06 108 PA.

YAKOV'S DELI

Rasputin is up, working over a pile of notes at one of the corner tables. The Deli is open, but no one is here at this hour. He is writing a few lines in a note books, and keeps flipping back and forth between a few others.

Gabriel steps in from the slightly drizzling weather, a happy look on his face, with a few drops of condensed water on his jacket. As there's no one in the deli to bother, he just calls out, "Hello, Rasputin! I know why I'm up, what are you doing up at this hour?" Instead of walking to the counter, he heads for the dwarf.

Rasputin looks up from his work and grins, "Workinks on research still." He has a scowl on his face, "Been fightink me dis one has, da." He closes the book after setting down the pen, "Da, what brings you?"

The older man - not so old in this case - stops at a polite distance. "Well, I'm full tonight, Rasputin, so I don't need food. But I'm hoping to poke around in that brain of yours. I can't imagine how hard something might be if it's fighting you," Gabriel says with a grin.

Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, da. Please takink a seat. Ask your questions, mink answer as mink am ables." He smiles and stands up, "Would you care for something to drink while we chat?" He walks over to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Gabriel takes a seat right nearby, settling his pistol so that he doesn't end up uncomfortably sitting on it. "How about some Russian sweet coffee? I could go for some of that. How's the business going? I caught wind around town that you might have been out hunting dinosaurs? With Taz, the poor bastard?" His Kentucky drawl is a little thick this night.

Rasputin pours a cup of Russian sweet coffee, and then puts it frong of you as he sets down his own mug. He sits down, "Da, da. Mink was doink a small trip a month or two ago." He tugs his beard and lifts a brow, "Taz, da. It was poor of him to undergo that conversion, but he seemks OK with it." Rasputin says softly.

The Kentuckian looks at Rasputin a little questioningly. "You haven't heard? Not on the street, haven't seen the news? Taz is dead. A burster in the 'Dregs turned him to ash." Gabriel shrugs sadly. "I was there, saw it with my own two eyes." He mocks a little poke with two split fingers to indicate what he's discussing. Obviously unnecessarily.

Rasputin looks at you with a glaze over his eyes. He blinks and tugs his beard, "Net, net. Mink didn't know." He shakes his head and tugs his beard fairly difficulty, "Net, dis net goodink. He was a good enough persons, but sad to hear da." He sighs, "Dhank you for tellink me, mink didn't know."

"I'm sorry to have to deliver bad news," Gabriel says sorrowfully. "He was.. misguided. I didn't care for him, but no man should have to die when he's trying to do something good. I don't know why the burster was doing what he was doing. But he's dead now. Took a number of us to do it, but it's done. Lotta poor folk in the 'Dregs lost their houses. Erica got a lot of 'em to safety." He sighs. "I hate it here, because these things happen every day."

Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, dhank you." He sighs softly, "Dis a harsh world, and harsh city." He shakes his head he frowns and tugs his beard, "Mink heard about da fires. Manies here were effected, mink was lucky mink wasn't. But I had net heard abouts Taz dyink." He shakes his head, "Sories.

"Yes, very sad." Gabriel moves on. It's a horrible place to live, but twenty years of various military forces rather harden a person to that type of thing. Of course, not completely, or you'd be a monster. He continues. "You've been around a lot longer than I have, Rasputin. I haven't really had much of a reason to know about this, but due to some rather... extremely unusual circumstances, I hope you can help. Are you familiar with the undead? Specifically vampires?"

Rasputin nods slowly, and folds his hands, "Da, da. Mink knows about undead, and dhampires."

Gabriel nods in return. "Well, I'm at a dilemma. I really *need* to know how to kill a vampire. I understand that staking one in the heart with a piece of wood will like.. put it to sleep. That'd be great if I thought I could get close enough to do that without being torn to pieces!" He stops at that morbidly amusing statement to sip at his coffee, declaring, "Nice coffee. Just like I used to get back home." The... young... man clears his threat and continues. "So this leads me to silver. Silver that I can shoot and keep my distance, or at least try."

Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, stake just puts dhem to sleep. Silver, does goodink damage. Running waters."

"I don't think that I'd have the opportunity for running water, Rasputin," Gabriel says with a hard nod. He then pulls his two pistols and sets them on the table. One is an old-style weapon that he'd be very familiar with. The other is a modern type. He points to each in turn. "I know this one. I can shoot a man, and depending on where I decide to put the bullet, he'll live or he'll die. But this one -" he taps the modern weapon "- if I shoot a man with this, he'll blow apart like mortar round landed in his lap. But I hear that this silver is really bad for vampires. Thus my question." Perhaps a slightly dramatic pause. "If I had silver rounds for each of these, would it make a difference in how it hurt 'em? Or do they do the same thing, just because... they're silver. Which I don't get."

Rasputin nods slowly, "Silver would da do damage, otherwise dis," his fingers point to the hunks of steal, "would do nothing," He smiles a nasty grin, "Silver, has metaphysical properties, da. Dis pure, perhapsink holy?" He pauses and tugs his beard, "Dhus why silver harms manies of da supernatural evils and others undeads. And evens many of da animated dead." He smiles, "Net discountink water, as it a squirtink gun will do harmink to Dhampires."

Gabriel grins at that. "Yeah, I understand that these techno-wizard weapons, which I *don't* understand, and not even sure that I could use them if I wanted to, do a good job. Otherwise I need to pack my own water balloons." He chuckles and tastes his coffee again. "So if both of these were firing silver rounds, would it make a difference if I shot one with the 'man-wounder' or the 'man-destroyer?' I just.. my vampires were Bella Lugosi in black-and-white with fake fangs, and one book by Brahm Stoker that every school kid thought was funny to spell 'Stroker.' Big weapon or little weapon make a difference?" He goes back to sip at his coffee again.

Rasputin nods, "More silver, more damage. Dis simple dhat way. Dhough, if you are havink a small knife madink of silver it will cut. A larger sword, more damage. Just as with da normal weapons." He tugs his beard, "Techno-wizards items are dery goodink, buttink does takink special ones and right users." He thinks a moment, "Dhough, beyond harmink one must be protectink ones self against ones self. Dhey can beink harmink you mentally, as dell as physically." He ponders, "And if you downink one, hit dhem harder stills. Stake, cut head, burn. Or drop fullies in runnink waters. Or sunlight."

"Thanks. I guess I'll load 'em both up. Safer that way, right?" Gabriel nods, as if confirming his own idea. "I haven't heard anything about.. what, is it psychic stuff? I usually try to keep my distance - all the time, undead, mercenaries whatever. One of the things that came through with me. Or whatever you call it. It's a long-range rifle. Does damage like this one." He taps what a more military man might recognize as a Desert Eagle. "Maybe if I can stay away from them so that they aren't close enough to hurt my brain, others who are stronger than me up close can put 'em to sleep? Or would that be useless? Do they even notice when you shoot them, or only when they're put to sleep?" He sips again and smiles, blushing a tad. "I'm sorry to keep you with these questions. But... I'm in a very unique situation right now."

Rasputin tugs his beard, "I would be dery carefuls, dhey can be lookink into your eyes and pull out your mind." He looks at you and stares into your eyes, his own eyes having a fairly dark tone to them, "Dhey can still be doink thinks to you beyonds if dhey can't see your eyes." He laughs softly to break the mood, "range dis good. If you are shootink dhem with silver, dhey notice. Dhey will most likely scream and attack." He grings, "So be readies. Other weapons, piss dhem off, but dhats about it." He tugs his beard, "Dhen they are asleep? Staked? Or else wise?"

Gabriel slips the two pistols back into their holsters and finishes up his beverage. "I have some ways to keep my distance, unless they can attack me in the air. Can hit a quarter with that old rifle of mine from a mile away," he says with some pride. "Thanks for your time, Rasputin. I need to be going, though. I took a job at a construction site tomorrow. Can't do anything other than carry bags of cement, bricks and such, but it's good honest work that pays the bills that I have." He begins to stand. "Thanks again. You sleep too. Get back to that spell tomorrow. It helps."

Rasputin adds, "Be dery careful with da Dhampires, dhey are trickies and dery dangerious." He says softly, "And dhey are often in numbers, dhis makinks dhem even worse." He adds last, "If you are needink help, please askink me. Mink enjoy a goodink Dhampire hunt."

Gabriel chuckles. "I don't plan any hunt, but I'll let you know. I'm only worried because..." he considers. "Like I said, I'm in a unique situation that leads me to be in very close contact with one. One that seems nice enough - but you never know. Take care, my friend. Do svidanya." He's then out the door and into the night.