2020-06-21 GWTW: All That Glitters
All That Glitters
Storyteller: Nate
Location: Elysian Park
Date and Time: June 21 2020
Summary: Investigating sparkles in the umbra
Since the 1910s, Elysian Heights, along with a few neighbouring areas has been home to many of the counter-culture, political radicals, artists, writers, architects and filmmakers in Los Angeles. Thus while there is a bit of money here, this is a far cry from the fancy mansions of the truly rich. There's an air of creativity, chaos and freedom of expression; graffiti isn't uncommon even if it's usually of the political or artistic bent rather than gang signs
Adjacent to the neighbourhood is the green sprawl of Elysian Park, almost as big as the neighbourhood it shares a name with. As it is late, there are lights illuminating the pathways through the park, supplemented with the occasional jogger-worn headlamp or bright phone screen from late night walkers.
Lenore is leading David back to where she found the body and caws to him, <<It was here. Right down in that bush with the gleaming coming out of it. Shall we enter the umbra here then?>>
David flies along, clicking right back in response. <<Alright. That's good. So let's start circling up here, and do our best to peek into the umbra up here. Just circle overhead, get a little more altitude in fact, and look to see if we step, we're stepping into a death trap."
Lenore offers a nod of her head before she caws back, <<Can do.>> She begins to circle up above the tree and bushes where she found that poor man with the bioluminscent skin and attempts to peek into the umbra.
David fails, and watches to see if Lenore succeeds, when she doesn't, he flaps and croaks loudly. "Let's regather ourselves, refocus, and try again." He then spends the next hour, well, not gossiping, but spreading the news, and listening in return from her.
Lenore would be pouting mindly if she weren't in her bird form, she offers a nod in agreeance to David. She also spends the next hour looking around for other clues on this side of the realm and returns soon after to him. She caws, <<Ready to try again now?>>
The umbral reflection of Elysian Park is surprisingly quiet. Seeing as you are quite deep into the green space, you can see a few basic naturae here and there; a large tree, a thick copse of brambles, and so forth. The area isn't entirely empty of banes of course, one or two corrupted animae skitter around, and some banes of addiction and vice can be half-seen between the shadows.
Of perhaps greater note is a cluster of small glowing lights floating around where the dead body is in the realm, spiralling and swirling in some unfelt wind. The lights are predominantly blue-green, with the occasional one a different hue.
David takes a good long while to look, as he drifts in the sky, circling without seeing where he's flying. Then when done, he pulls himself back into reality, and flaps hard. "Alright. What do you say we wing across the gauntlet to get a better look at those lights?"
Lenore tilts her head slightly as she looks while drifting in the sky. She pulls herself back into reality and flaps hard as was. She looks to him and offers a nod, <>
David gets across into the umbra, and circles around, waiting for Lenore to come across. Fortunately it's short, so he croaks "Okay, follow me. Keep your eyes open, don't go too low, but let's start circling over those lights."
Lenore crosses not long after David and easily begins to fly after him, following him closely. She makes sure to not go too low. She begins to circle over those lights though, studying them very carefully.
It appears that the two corax are the only thing in the air this high up; above them, a zephyr streaks across the sky going who-knows-where, but no other spirits show an interest in altitude so far.
Below, the bobbing blue-green lights continue to float, serene and ignorant of their observers it would seem.
David starts gradually descending. Trying to keep out of reach or anything, but keeping his eyes open and trying to observe these lights carefully. "I'm switching off my target computer. Cover me." he says in English.
Lenore nods at David's words, making sure to indeed cover David, looking around to make sure nothing sneaks up and surprises them.
The eddies in the air created by flapping wings are enough to disturb the slow drifting of these lights; they are carried this way and that, apparently completely dependent on the air for their movement rather than having any kind of self-propulsion. A closer look reveals that at the centre of each ping-pong ball sized light is a tiny sand-grain sized mass.
Lenore looks worried as she caws out, <<These might look similar to Grey masses but they don't normally glow David.>> Her eyes echo that mild worry that her birdy face can't portray right now.
David slows down, and stares. <<Whoa. Yeah. Wouldn't that explain the person you found? Wow that's scary. Keep your distance. Don't let any of them touch you.>> He stares though, down where the body was. "What is that light down on the ground?"
Lenore caws out to David, <<They look like mushroom-like spores. But why would they be here in the umbra looking like that?>>
David croaks again, and pulls up. Hard. Zooming back into the air. "<<Yeah. This is bad. This is really bad. This is something LIKE gray mass. We need to warn EVERYONE to stay away from this. This stuff is bad news. Let's get out of here, you think?"
David dives through the guantlet back, and circles around making sure Lenore is okay. He then croaks <<Why don't you report this to Sandy and the crew? Can you do that? You should get more of a chance to meet iwth them to. I'll make sure word gets out as well.>>
Lenore eventually pops out of the gauntlet, it took a bit longer than she meant. She offers a nod before she caws out to him, <>
David croaks. <<Just make sure the Skid Row Garou are covered. They need to know this. Urgently.>>
