Jun 09 21:08:50 109 PA - The Museum, But Not Much Help

From Chronicles

Jun 09 21:08:50 109 PA.

KINGSDALE CITY MUSEUM (LIBRARY)

Rasputin sits behind a stack of books, his small body hidden of course behind said books. His small Russian mutterings coming out every now and then.

Gabriel enters the library with obvious purpose, and dressed properly for his new business. A smart uniform, indeed. Though he stops at one of the docents to ask where the large-scale cartographic section is, he can't help but hear the Russian mutterings, and take note of the man. After getting directions to where he was originally going, he turns toward the dwarf, his boots silent on the marble floor.

Rasputin mutters to himself, a bit of Russian and Dragonese coming out from his lips. He pushes back the books and then looks at his stack of note books and then shakes his head. He tugs his beard.

Only vaguely being able to remember the Russian language after having had it knocked from his brain during time travel, and being completely oblivious to whatever the other language is, Gabriel chooses English. Not American, he doesn't know that. Real, Kentucky drawl English. "Evening, Rasputin. Seems like I haven't see you forever. Been tucked up in the living room pouring over books?" With that, he looks for a comfortable seat in the vicinity.

Rasputin looks up, his brow crinkled, he tugs his beard. He thinks a moment, "Da, da. Workink hards, all day in da shop, muchink of da night in the library." He shakes his head, and the eyes you more closely, "Da, do are lookink sharps. Nice suits."

"Thank you," Gabriel offers with a soft smile and nod of his head. "You have your business, I have mine. Your uniform is a chef's apron, mine is... somewhat more martial in nature. Still studying the same spell?" He shifts a little so the flashlight stops poking his side.

Rasputin shakes his head, "Net, net. Mink on to anothers now, one of mink own creations." He smiles, "Dis one of da few offensive spellinks, dis a dery custom spell." He grins, "Spikey type spellink." He grins, "Dhwat dis your new job? Err buisness?"

Gabriel's head tilts. "Spikey? You'll have to explain that one to me. The business is modeled after what to me was only about two years ago, an intelligence agency. Almost all of our work is in the city or between Kingsdale and Laramy. Security in general. Escort, bodyguard, observation, planning, observation..." He allows it to trail off before making a hard point, "I opened it with very high standards. Where I was two years ago, was not a mercenary organization, and neither is it now having been reborn."

Rasputin closes his notebooks, and leans back, "Da, dhough escorts and da like? Protection and da like." He chukles a bit, "Soundink like a growth buisness da." He grins a bit, "As for da spikey, if mink get it workink mink will show it to you." He chuckles a bit, "How muchink would you be chargink for 4 peoples as mink huntink parties?" He tugs his beard, "Sayink for a weeks work?"

Gabriel's eyes widen a bit. "Four men for a week's work? Considering that I have six employees, and one of them is my receptionist, that ties up a lot of manpower, and for a long time. Plus, at the moment I myself am very, very busy on another project - one I'd like to talk about - so if you wanted me along, I'm afraid I'm unavailable for... well, possibly until next month. What kind of hunting party do you need? That would help me try to portion out a price." He chuckles a little, adding, "Young Tek seems to believe that a week's work should be free, with a reward at the end depending on how well the client thought things went. I suppose being a mechanic is very different when it comes to that kind of thing."

Rasputin chuckles a bit, "Da, da." He tugs his beard, "Da, dwell, mink never knowink when mink will be able to do mink little trip." He smiles, "Dis would be a huntink trips for Dino's, mink always lookink for a groups dwhich is mbetters dan a random groups of singles." He shakes his head, "Da, so anyways, dhat dis it you are wantink to be speakink to mink about?"

"How far, and how many others would be there?" Gabriel asks, remaining on that topic for now. "I assume you'd need something heavy to bring them down? Dead or alive?"

Rasputin grins, "Da details can beink worked out laters, mink last trips dwas good. But randoms peoples are net reliable." He shrugs, "Dwat was your ideas?"

Gabriel shrugs off the hunt for now, save to add, "Yes, it's usually better with people trained to do such things." He then points off to the cartography section, distant though it may be. "I'm very familiar with North America. In fact, I'm pretty well acquainted with just about every spot on the planet a man could set foot. Unfortunately? My knowledge is limited to what was for me, two years ago. For you, centuries ago. What can you tell me about Free Quebec, and that whole region? That is, if you have anything."

Rasputin looks at you and tugs his beard. He shrugs a bit, "Net. Mink know dery littles. Be askink me about Germany or mother Russia, da. But Free Queebec, nets. Dey are CS like, da? Have Glitter babies. And net are likink CS right nows." He thinks a few moments, "Perhaps, ties to Triax and NGRs? But beyonds dis, mink knows net." Rasputin adds, "Mink people net traveled drough dhat land comink heres, so net knowink."

There's a soft sigh, but Gabriel nods in complete understanding. "The world isn't a safe place to travel these days, I suppose. From what I've been able to ascertain, they are very much like the Coalition, even now, while they're battling them. Don't like magic. Don't like psychics. Perhaps not the entire human superiority cliché, but some. And yes, Glitter Boys. Apparently they're fighting someone very much like them, only because they don't want to be ruled by someone else, they want self-rule." The man grins, tacking on, "Which in my mind is a perfectly reasonable reason to go to war. There aren't many good reasons for killing... but trying to get out from under a tyrant is one of them. See if you can't find some ancient text on my American Revolution one of these days when you've got some downtime."

Rasputin grins, "Da, da. Mink dill do dhat." He thinks a few minutes, "Why are you askink abouts Free Queebec? Dis a good distance away from heres."

"Because I might be traveling there, and I hoped to know what I might be getting into." Gabriel hesitates, and shrugs in a 'that is that' motion. "Can you explain to me how the nexuses and ley line network functions? The knowledge would be... useful, if you have it."

Rasputin coughs a moment, "Da, buttink net knewink you knewink dhat dey were," He grins a bit, "Dhat are you lookink to know abouts dhem? Dhey are likink electrical cables. Dhich are completely exposed, nexuses are likink, da sub stations." He smiles, "Anythink specifics?"

Gabriel considers. "People like you can gain power by being near a nexus, correct? Is there a way to hide this from someone? Is there any way that someone could shut it down and track down a mage that was trying to... power up?"

Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, mink could pull magikal energies from one. Likink pluggink into electric sockets. And likink a socket, da someones could beink noticink. If one has psychics, psi-stalkers mainlies, and some magiks." He thinks few moments, "Shuttink dhem down," He thinks a bit and goes silent, "Net sures."

"Are they as much like a telephone network as an electrical network? With wires and routing stations?" Gabriel lifts his palms slightly to ask the question, "If someone is using a nexus, can others along the ley line network track it and locate it? Consider doing it over both short and long distances."

Rasputin shakes his head, "Net knowink, perhaps. Net know muchink about telephone networks." He thinks a few moments, "Net know about trackink muchink, buttink possible perhapsink." He thinks a few minutes, "Dhough, perhapsink a Ley Line Walker could be shuttink down a line, or nexus." He tugs his beard, "Buttink, dis powerfuls magiks."

Gabriel nods again, a slight frowning quirk crossing his lips. "Let's just do a thought experiment. There are nexuses at Kingsdale, Laramy, Whykin and St. Louis, with a network of ley lines connecting them. If I went out to one of the other locations and started drawing power, you... might possibly be able to trace where I am, but at the moment, your knowledge doesn't quite extend into that area. Is that correct?" His palms are rubbed together slowly as he speaks.

Rasputin shakes his head, "Net mink. Mink lackink da magik knowledge. Net my area of expertise." He tugs his beard, "Dough, somes mink be able toos, dough it would havink to be large drain, as Kingsdales draws great power from da ones in Kingsdale."

"I'm talking about a large drain," Gabriel confirms. "But, I suppose I should ask around. Not poking my nose into every hole... people don't need to know about my questions right now unless I need them to know them." He starts to stand, wiping off the couch where he'd been sitting and making sure that everything is still in its place. Not that he travels as a one-man band of equipment. "It's been good seeing you again, Rasputin. We should talk about your dinosaur hunt, as far as a contract would go. I'll have to think on it, that's probably the biggest thing that anyone's ever asked of the company yet." Eyebrows get wiggled, and a smile is born.

Rasputin grins and nods, "Da, da. Dhough a large drain would havink to beink dery large, buttink larger da drain, the more likely an 'event' could be happenink. Ley Line storm or some such. And if drain at Nexus, dis could beink dery bads." He smiles, "Da, da. I'll be writtink somethink up for yous, and sendink dit your ways. Da?" He stands up, and starts to put things into orderly piles and packs up his note books, "Dhough, mink done here for da time beink."

Once more, the older human nods. "I see. I guess I might be able to do some tracking. But knowing that using it is like a great big flag, that's a very useful piece of information. Thanks, Rasputin." He watches as the dwarf gathers his things. "Can I follow you home for some good food?" Gabriel might have forgotten the language, but not the culture.

Rasputin chuckles, "Da, da. Of course." He leads you out of the library, and into the night.