Dinner @ Dagwoods ((Attn: Anyone))

When Ollie gets to Dagwoods the smell of food assaults his senses and his stomach reminds him that he hasn't eaten since Taco Bell the night before. He looks around, not seeing Ankh immediately, and walks up to the counter where he orders a large grill-pressed Cuban with a Mountain Dew. After a few minutes his order comes up and he takes a seat in a place where he and Ankh could talk without being eavesdropped on.

He keeps an eye on the door for Ankh.

Ollie was really hungry and he managed to wolf down most of his sandwich by the time Ankh gets there, orders her food, and sits down. He wipes his mouth before he begins to speak.

"Really bad. Ghoster is dead. Along with Logos, an Arrow fresh into town; and Guy, a freshly Awakened who I was supposed to be showing the ropes. They're dead too. The park is a bad scene, at least at night. It's a long story and it's hard for me to tell, so bear with me."

He sits back in his seat and takes a deep breath.

"Logos, Zero, and I had gone out to the park at about sunset to do some investigating. We didn't find anything weird then, but we met Guy and Logos there. Guy was the one I called you about. The one who felt 'blank,' remember? Turns out he was just Awakened and didn't know it. So we took him to Tyria. Anyway, long story short, Tyria told me to teach Guy about magic and also to teach this other newly Awakened girl, Valkyrie. I owed Tyria, or rather she had me under a geas, so I agreed. Anyway we all split up. I took Guy and Valkyrie back to my apartment to talk."

"I told Ghoster to wait for me, but I guess he got impatient. I dunno... I never talked to him again. Anyway I got a text message from Ghoster talking about zombies in the park, basically. I told Guy and Val to stay behind but they didn't listen, and I guess I wasn't firm enough. I tried to call you on the drive to the park."

"When we got there we found Ghoster and Logos in the skatepark surrounded by zombies. The zombies has pushed a set of bleachers in front of the gate, and as soon as we got there it started raining making it super-tough to stay on our feet. We tried to get through the bleachers to help them, but we were too late. Logos was dead before any of us could reach him, and Ghoster got tore up real bad. I managed to kill one of the things, grab Ghoster, and haul him up the bleachers. I looked away from Guy for one second and they were all over him. It happened so fast and he was gone. I didn't realize it then, but his death broke Tyria's geas, making me practically useless."

He pauses a moment to sip his soda, and get his words together. This part was the hardest to say. He'd considered editing a bit out, but if the Provost found out he'd lied to try to make himself look better he'd look even worse than before. Honesty was probably the best policy here.

"So Ghoster's useless and bleeding, falling all over himself. Val is barely managing to stay on her feet with the storm. Everything I try to do is cursed by Fate in the worst of ways. We're all stuck at the top of these bleachers with zombies coming at us from both sides. I ran. It was all I could do. When I looked back I saw them tear Ghoster's throat out, and the horde of them were right on Val's heels. I watched her slip, and I knew she was a goner. I turned and ran away."

He sighs. "Turns out I was wrong, though. Tough chick. She made it out of there. No thanks to me, though. I went there to save people and ended up getting people killed."

He shakes his head. "Point is, though, is that the park is fucked. It killed my friend Randall and now it's killed three others."

He finishes the story, waiting on her response.

Falx walks into the bar with his bro. The drive for food had led them here.

The smell of the sandwich shop was intoxicating to Tug. He certainly didn't miss the strict diet he kept to when he was playing. He studied the menu until he found something greasy that came with bacon. He ordered and turned to Falx, asking "What do you want, man? My treat."

Then he looked around at the other people in the restaurant. Interesting crowd. He nodded slightly toward the table with the young woman and the guy with the skateboard. They looked about the right age to know what was going on.

"Burger and fries. The military stuff isn't nearly as good tasting as the civ stuff." He leans back and smiles. Giving the impression hes drooling inside. His eyes wandering the place, habit was a bitch sometimes.

After getting their food, Tug leads Falx to a spot at the bar next to the intense, artistic lookin' guy, where they'd have a good angle to watch for a good time to talk with the couple he had indicated to Falx previously. In the mean time, he turns to the guy Tug had decided was an artist, and asks "Hey, how's it goin, man? You a painter or somethin?" He takes an enormous bite of his sandwich and chews noisily while he waits for an answer.

Falx just smiles at his brothers loud eating but doesn't do much better on his burger. He leans back to address the person who brother is talking too. "What sort of dance?"

An Asian man walks in, orders a Philly cheesesteak, and takes a seat in a corner booth.

Falx shrugs. "Just trying to work on my people skills. They got rusty."

Tug notices another customer walk in, but doesn't pay him any special notice. He turns back to the person he and his brother had apparently offended.

"Didn't mean to offend you," Tug manages between mouthfuls. "But, yeah, usually the first couple minutes of talking with a stranger involves asking them who they are and what they do. It's called being polite," he says, his mouth full, without a trace of irony. "What do you ask people you don't know?"

Tug wipes his greasy hand on his shorts and offers it to the stranger.

"I'm Tug."

Falx wipes off his right hand on a napkin and extends it after Tug offers his own. "I'm Falx"

Tug looks at his brother and shrugs. Maybe he's a germaphobe or somethin.'

"So, Viktor...you from Sacramento?"

(( Let's hold up, we're rushing ahead of two people. ))

Ollie shrivels beneath Ankh's cold, reproachful gaze. He had expected it, but it was hard for him nonetheless. Once she's finished speaking Ollie just stares off for a moment, a look of blank guilt on his face. Then he sighs, and rubs his face with his hands, before looking back up into Ankh's eyes.

"Nothing you can say will ever be more intense than the guilt I already feel. I can fight. I'm an adept of Life, myself. I was going to beat the undead away and heal Ghoster, but then Tyria's geas broke and I got so scared... I've never dedicated myself to anything besides sticking a landing or grinding a rail. Honestly, after last night, I just wanted to go home and shut myself in. Shun everything and everyone."

He shakes his head. "That's not going to happen though. I'm going to go back into that park and find whatever it is that killed Guy, Logos, Ghoster, my friend Randall... I'm going to kill it, or banish it, or whatever's necessary or I'm going to die trying to avenge them. That's my conviction. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I don't imagine anyone in the city will be willing to work with me after they hear about last night, but I'm going to need help."

She was going to help him, after all. It was almost overwhelming. He wouldn't have to do this alone. Ollie returns Ankh's small smile, beginning to feel a glimmer of hope had just appeared.

"You don't have to apologize, Ankh. I can't thank you enough for still being willing to help me."

He takes his hand back and enthusiastically launches into some ideas as to what's necessary.

"I think what we really need to do next is figure out exactly what we're dealing with, you know what I mean? After all the times I've been to the park and all the people who've died I'm still basically at square zero when it comes to knowing what exactly we're dealing with. Ghoster and Logos went in there looking for one, maybe two individuals, and they ran into a horde of zombies. No intel, ya know what I mean? Get some people out there who can pick up on resonance real good, ya know? Bring in a Moros to find out what the deal with all the zombies is, maybe. Doc Roberts also had some luck talking to some local spirits, back before he left town, we could try that again. Also we need to have some heavy hitters ready to go in there and tamp down any more bad situations in there, ya know? Some Arrows, or something, who are on call 24/7 so we don't hit up on another situation where I don't know who to call, right?"

His rant finished, Ollie takes a big sip of his soda. Talking was thirsty work.

"I'm just talkin out my ass, here. What do you think?"

Falx looks around the dinner. Not wanting to provoke anyone he just looks to see if anything weird is happening, though if you asked him what weird meant he wouldn't know.

Falx chuckles and nudges his bro.

Tug turns to see the break in conversation between the skateboarder and young woman he was waiting for.

"Excuse me a moment, Viktor." Tug turns away from Viktor, places a firm hand on his brother's shoulder and looks at him with him his eyes stretched open, one of the secret spy signals they invented as kids- Stay put, keep an eye out.

He approaches the young couple. "Hey, you mind if I chat with you two a minute? My name is Tug, My brother and I do some philanthropic work through a local company called Arrow Consulting. Are either of you familiar?"

Falx nods and takes a drink from his soda.

Ollie looks up, the man's impromptu introduction coming as a surprise to him. He raises his eyebrow at the mention of Arrow Consulting. Honestly, Ollie doesn't know what he's talking about but it's not a big stretch to imagine that he's alluding to the order of a similar name.

Who the heck is this guy?

He nods to the guy, looking him over. "I'm Ollie. Why do you ask?"

Spoiler:

~~Narration~~

Ollie examines the man's Resonance, noting his unique pattern and the fact that he is Awakened. He also notices two spells held on his pattern.

Tug, on the other hand, notices this guy staring at him intently for almost ten seconds.

Tug returns Ollie's stare.

Spoiler:

"Hey, Ollie. Mind if I sit?"

~~Narration~~

Tug notices that the youth named Ollie has two spells on his pattern, as well as his personal resonance.

(( Further Scrutiny required for more information ))

Ollie doesn't answer Tug. He just looks to Ankh, as if waiting for her to make the call on this guy.

Falx smiles at Viktor question. "Ya he does that's just him. He's always been the one who likes to talk with random people."

"Thanks," he says to Ankh, then takes a seat next to Ollie. "So I assume you checked me out, like I checked you out just now, and you know I'm legit. My brother," Tug nods toward Falx, "and I moved to Sacramento a few weeks ago. Ever since, I've been hearing about these voodoo murders and kids goin' missing, and I says to Falx, 'We gotta see how we can help.' Like I said, we work with Arrow, and we got nothin' better to do. We stopped in here to get a bite, but then I saw your skateboard, figured you must know some kids, and you're in The Know, so you might know somethin'. Fate's funny sometimes, y'know." Tug grins widely. "I'm Tug, by the way."

"Welcome to the discussion, Tug. We were just talking about how I saw three of my buddies ripped to pieces by zombies last night."

The words come out kind of snappishly. Why am I being such a dick? This guy wants to help, and he seems legit. Doesn't really seem like the devious conspiring sort, at least. He takes a deep breath before continuing, this time he doesn't sound like such a prick.

"You are right, though, Tug. Fate is funny. I should know. We were just talking about how we would need help and you walk up and offer your help. What are you good at? You or your brother wouldn't happen to be Necromancers would you?"

"Fuck, man. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine." Tug's words are heavy, much like the man himself.

"Falx probably could, though" he says quietly. "He was in Iraq. I don't ask him much about it, but I know his unit saw action." Tug looks over at his brother with a mixture of pity and admiration, then looks back to Ollie. "He's one of the Mighty. And I used to play for the Raiders, before I found the Wilds." Tug lets that accomplishment speak for itself.

"Neither of us knows any Death, but I know I speak for both of us when I say, we're in. Anything crazy enough to raise zombies needs to be put down, simple as that."

The Asian man finishes his cheesesteak and leaves.

Ollie finishes his soda and pushes his chair away from the table.

"Awesome. Now we're getting somewhere. Well, I've got about four hours of sleep since all the shit went down, and if I don't want to pass out on my skateboard then I need to go home and get some rest. After you talk to West and your Arrow buddies give me a call and let me know where to meet up and I'll be there. You can count on it."

He stands up, extending a hand to Tug to shake. "Sorry for being a prick earlier, man. I'm really happy to have people willing to help. It's good knowing you."

Falx feels his phone start to ring and leans back to answer it. He starts talking into the phone.

Falx hangs up his phone and puts some money on the table for his and his brother's food. He makes sure to leave a decent tip. With that he walks over to the table where Tug is sitting talking with some people making sure to stop a few feet away from the table.

"Hey Tug." He waits to be acknowledged

"It's cool, man. I'll see you soon, then." Tug shakes Ollie's hand.

Tug speaks to Ankh while he writes on a napkin. "My brother and I haven't officially checked in with the Arrow yet, so we're going to head over to the Circle now. Here's my number, definitely give me a call. It was nice meeting you." He smiles brightly at her then stands up and looks at Falx.

"What's up, man?"

"Time to meet the people in charge. At least in charge of us." He looks to the others. "I'm Falx by the way."

"Sorry, man, I forgot to introduce you...this is my brother, Falx. Falx, this is Ankh," he says, nodding towards her, "and this is Ollie. We're going to help them with something after we check in." Tug raises his eyebrow conspiratorially.

Ollie doesn't leave just yet. He holds a hand out to Falx.

"Pleasure to meet you, Falx. We appeciate the help."