2020-07-02 GWTW: Talking on Corners

Talking on Corners

Participants: Clint, Jason, Lavender

Storyteller: Nate

Location: Elysian Heights

Date and Time: July 2nd, 2020

Summary: Conversations and revelations

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, and there are a good few hipster-ish cafes around as well.

The blazing hot sun hasn't stopped people going about their daily routines, with people milling around between cafes and businesses and homes. The intersection that Jason had mentioned does indeed have a doomsday preacher on it; medium tall and of Hispanic complexion, wearing a black button-down shirt and black trousers, a white piece of cardboard tucked into his collar. He's currently talking to a passer-by, seeming calm, if driven.

The brilliant white Tesla Model X SUV with suicide doors makes their way through the neighborhood, parking in a garage a few blocks away on the second floor. As usual, he parks it within line of sight of a camera and behind a ceiling pillar, away from the visibility of the street. Having picked up the pair, and handed them bottles of water, as well as fruity hand sanitizer because it smells good, he clilmbs out of the car and zips up his windbreaker, followed by sliding on a pair of mirrored shades.

"Here we are." He says as he pockets his keyfob. "So, how do you want to do this? Lav, you already have some type of established rapport with him, right? Do you want to talk to him while Clint gives him a sniff check off to the side? What type of room do you need to work with?"

Lavender has done her level best to touch as little as possible in the fancy car. She looks distinctly uncomfortable, in fact. She sits there, elbows in, knees together, in her ratty clothes, her multitude of braids and their capping beeds tied together with a bandana. And smelling fruity.

She hops out as soon as she can. "Sure, yeah. His name is Father Juan Lopez. We did speak a bit, it seemed to go well. Just, someone be ready to yank me back if he makes to hurl water on me, I don't trust the baptism thing."

Clint wriggles. Twisting and bending himself as much as needed for the massive man to work himself out of the car. He accepts the sanitizer and sniffs it. Mmm. Then licks it making a face and a noise before spitting a few times and rubbing his tongue on his sleeve then hands it back. It's gross. He shrugs at Jason. "Close. Be sure smell him. Not others." He shrugs and digs into his fanny pack to pull out a little plastic Fireball bottle and hand it to Lavender with a grin. "Water him back."

The preacher lifts his bottle of water, trickling just a little over the head of the person he's speaking with, seemingly with their consent since they're smiling, laughing even. Then he bids them goodbye and opens his bible once more, looking up and down and across the street to see who he might speak to next.

As they make their way down the street, Jason slips his phone out and taps along his thumbs, launching several applications with pictureless icons. He gives a glance upwards for a moment to the street lights, then around the are as he holds his phone up to snap a few pictures. He's a tourist. It seems he is here to trust the pair of Gnawers to do their thing. He'll just run support.

Lavender watches Clint and the hand sanitizer with some amusement, reaching out - and up - to pat his back comfortingly. "Not for drinking," she explains. Then, when handed a bottle of strong cinnamony drink, she laughs, and slips it into her pocket. "That would probably ruin the rapport, but I'll keep this just in case. Worst case? We'll drink it later, big guy." She already likes him, it seems.

Then, with a curious glance at Jason and his phone, the little gnawer kin heads off, moving just a little apart from the others. Lifting a hand as she draws closer, she calls out, "Hi again, Padre. How's the day treatin' ya?"

Clint shrugs at Lavender with a nods and follows along with her, digging in his fanny pack. He's taking a while, either can't find it or is using it as a cover. He looks up a few times while he does, staring and sniffing at the air. At one point, he stops rummaging, hand still in the fanny pack and he stand up straight. Brows pushed together and he turns his head slowly to sniff at the air. Finally, the preacher gets his full attention and the large mans stares with his head canted to the side. "Much odd."

"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these," Father Lopez greets Lavender with a warm smile.

He glances to the big guy with her, seeming mildly alarmed, shifting back into his usual mode of speech. A rambling recitation from Revelations, which ends with; "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring - those who keep Gods commands."

As he slows to a stop, Jason jerks his head over towards the Preacher quickly, then doubletakes. "Clint." He says as he reaches out to tug on his arm as he steps in closer. "Did.. did you just hear that?" He asks, then taps along his phone to hold the screen up to him.

Lavender kind of blinks at the preacher, and appears genuinely taken off her guard by the address. She grins a little bit, not too brightly, but it seems genuine. Probably. "Hey. Thanks, Padre. I think that's the sweetest bible verse anyone's ever quoted at me." She shoves her hands in her pockets, then looks between Clint and the preacher.

"Oh. This is my friend," she adds. Like that explains everything, when it in fact explains nothing at all. It's not even clear which of her disparate companions she means. "Having a profitable day in the baptism arena?"

Clint nods at Jason "Yes." then points at the phone with on of his thick fingers. "Not understand that." He nudges Lavender with an elbow, trying to be gentle but just as likely not succeeding in it. He takes a knee so he's more or less at eye level with the man and smiles warmly. A smile that shows of his mouthfull of snaggleteeth. "Please. Tell more. Tell of their story." He taps at an ear with his finger and nods. "Want hear more."

The preacher smiles again at Lavender and comments, "Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold."

His eyes then widen a little as Clint kneels so as to be less imposing, and expresses an interest in his words. He glances to Jason, but doesn't address him.

"The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority," he voices quietly, continuing the tale of the end times without needing to pause or check the words in his holy book.

There is a narrowing of Jason's eyes as he watches the Preacher, then glances at Clint as he says he can't read. He pockets his phone, giving a low mutter in Russian under his breath as he rubs a hand along his face. He ambles away a few feet, looking for a beast to sink down into.

Lavender winces as Clint gets her with an elbow, right in the ribs. "Ow," she mutters, but then grins wanly at the big guy, not actually showing any anger. "Remember that I'm half your size, there, big fella," she gently notes, then turns back to the preacher. There is a glance cast at Jason, but the phone is gone too fast for her to see it.

Instead, she turns back to Father Lopez, and grins just a touch more. "I'm not worth all that much, Padre. Just another homeless chick. Anyway, I thought my friend here would be interested in meeting you." She pats at Clint's shoulder, more clearly indicating him, this time. "So. What's the deal with the whole baptism thing? I'm afraid none of my foster parents ever did take me to church, and once I was on the streets, well. That was that. Y'know?"

Jason shifts his phone about in his hands as he rapidly taps along the glass a few times. He tilts it just right after a moment, tapping the record button as he gives it an angle casually in his hands. He looks like he is slouching, but he is aiming at the trio.

Clint glances at Jason as he moves away then shrugs at Lavender with a sheepish smile. But the preacher is listened to with rapt attention. Listening carefully to every syllable. Watching the man's mouth while he talks. Nodding with the story. "I see. Can tell more?" He points at the book. "From book? Or someone tell story?"

"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'. 'Yes,' says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.'," Father Lopez tells Lavender, trying perhaps to explain why he's looking to baptise out in the wild.

To Clint, he lifts his Bible and pats it gently. "The truth," he murmurs, indicating perhaps the writings within. "May I baptise you in the name of our Lord?" he then asks the big guy.

Another look is cast Jason's way, though the preacher doesn't seem to mind being observed, or even recorded.

Lavender's pocket goes *Ding*! This... startles the hell out of Lavender. "What the.... what was that?" Look. She's not used to having a device someone sends her messages on. She starts to reach for her pocket, then the preacher speaks, and her eyes snap up. And then go wide. "...what did you just say?" she asks, clearly stunned. She does, however, eventually find a pocket with the ipod in it, pulls it out and stares at it. A bit helplessly. Reading it, but not responding. In truth, she doesn't know how.

Poor Jason.

As he sits on the bench, Jason sends a message to 'The King'. 'Hey, u there? in Elysian hgts w/Clint and Lav. Found preacher. He is speaking Revelations. Swapping out the word dragon for worm. I'm only 1 that noticed it. Lav and clint did not blink.' There is a pause in the typing before he glances down at the ping again. '10-4 Affirm'.

Then, as his thumbs keep tapping, he sends a message to the iPod Touch in Lavender's pocket. 'Spoke w/Liam. U and Clint do /not/ touch him. Can you hear him? he is swapping out dragons for wyrm. Am I only one that hears it?'

He keeps the phone angled as he records the interaction, in 1080p 120FPS. It's going to come out crystal clear.

Clint tilts his head to the side while listening. Brows pushing together the entire time he does. The ding is either unnoticed or ignored along with Lavender checking the device. He's staring so thoroughly at the man that he might be looking through. He points at the book. "Truth in there?" Then he waves an arm in a grand motion to encompass everything. "Truth out here?" He smiles and nods his head at the offer. His own curiosity overpowering any sense of danger. "Yes. Make clean." He pauses. "That baptize, right? Make clean?"

Ignoring the dings and the texting, Father Lopez cocks his head slightly at Lavender. He doesn't repeat himself, merely seeming confused by her shock. Clint takes up more of his attention though, since he seems like he might be up for being saved.

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire," he tells Clint, another Bible quote to be sure. He lifts his bottle of water, though doesn't try to pour it over the big guy until he confirms it is what he wants.

"Uhh, Clint? Maybe... maybe don't?" Lavender reaches out, grabbing his sleeve and giving a tug on it. Her gaze shifts to Jason for a long moment, helpless to convey something, but clearly wanting to.

She turns back to the preacher, though. "I thought you were all about Jesus," she says, looking a little bit rattled, still. "Not Gaia. Isn't the bible about Jesus? But you said... Gaia."

There's a slow blink from Jason's eyes as he watches the drama unfold in front of him. He keeps the camera angled at them, his throat clearing. "Hey Clint, just spoke to King Liam. He said to make sure we don't get dirty since we're coming home for dinner. We still have that pizza to pick up. We don't want to taint the pepperoni with dirty, wet fingers."

"Will be fine." Clint assured Lavender when she tugs and says he shouldn't. "Is clean man." He points at the preacher and starts to give a big thumbs up when the preacher stops to make sure he's committed. Of everything that's said, one thing from Jason is what get's his attention and he turns away from the preacher to stand up. "Liam bring pizza?" He pats at his stomach and licks his lips. "Is meaty pizza? With the cheese edge?" He holds his hands up like a circle then uses one to point at where the crust would be on a piza that's the size of his hands. "If he bringing soda? I want the green one. With the mountains on it."

"Did I?" Father Lopez looks faintly bewildered at Lavender's accusation, but then as Clint stands instead of accepting the baptism, he exhales in a soft sigh. One less person saved. Turning away from the trio, he walks a few steps and begins to talk to someone stood outside one of the cafes enjoying a cigarette.

Lavender looks between Clint and Jason. Just like that... it's over. The girl breathes out, still clutching to Clint's sleeve, though now she's reaching up to do it. "Right. Course. All the Mountain Dew is yours, big guy."

She looks askance at Jason, and jerks her head. "Why don't we go.... find that pizza?" Hope Jason has cash on him to buy pizza, or there's going to be a Sadfas Clint on their hands. "Uh. Will just... talk to you later, Padre."

Pushing himself upwards, Jason is looking 'anxious' as he squeezes his phone tightly in his hands once he taps the record button off. He spins it around and around in his hands, then gives a firm jerk of his chin towards the garage. "Yeah, definitely. Meat lovers and Dew. We gotta jet." He says as he starts down the sidewalk, giving a glance over to Lavender.

"Be safe, Father Padre." Says Clint to the preacher with a wave. Because Padre must be his name. He pulls a chunk of soft red chalk from his fanny pack and crushes it in his palm with a thumb as he walks and lets it drop as they head for the garage. "He is good man. Or something." He jabs a thumb over his shoulder to show he's talking about the preacher.

Turning a curious glance to Clint and his chalk for a moment, Lavender nods and keeps on going. She says _nothing_ until they get to the car. Until the doors are closed and the windows up. Then she leans forward, between the front seats. Because Clint gets the front. Lookit his legs, then look at hers. One pair is _way_ shorter, and she's got 'em. "So. That was fucked up. Jason, I never heard him talk about the Wyrm. I heard him talk about Gaia. He was baptising in Gaia's name."

Clint waits for Lavender to get in the back before he wedges himself back into the car. Bent, turned twisted as needed to fit inside. Poor car. "Yes. Said dragon, woman and gaia." He twists his head to look at Jason then at Lavender. Pausing before saying the next part louder to get the importance across. "Gaia said in High Tongue." He points at himself with his brows raised. "Spoke garou language." He nods at them then continues. "He speak of us. Of Apocalypse." He lets out a big breath and wriggles a bit to get more comfortable. "He is..." He stops for a moment to think. "Hard explain. Like he cleans world." He rubs at his face. "Clean world by being there."

Lavender nods slowly at Clint. "Yeah," she says. "Yeah. I'm starting to think that this is something... else. Not the mushrooms. I don't think this dude is Wyrm-infested. He might be an agent of the Wyld, or... Gaia. But I don't think he /knows/ that he is. Honestly, I hope I'm right, I'm sort of starting to like him."

Once they sit in the car, Jason taps the button on the dash to turn the electric engine on. "I didn't hear him say a word about Gaia. But I know Revelations. I know it by heart. At one point, he swapped out the word dragons for the Wyrm." He says as he squints, then takes his phone and plugs it into his car. He taps play and listens to the replay of the sermon, watching it on the large LED display in front of them. Not once does the Preacher say Wyrm or Gaia. It sounds just like the lines straight out of the bible.

He gives a lick of his lips, then leans back in the chair. He has a distressed look upon his face before giving a glance over to Lavender and Clint. "Liam thinks he may have gifts that he is utilizing. But this .. doesn't get us any closer to the fungus situation."

"High tongue hard for human." CLint points a thick finger at Jasons throat. "Not built right." The he lifts the finger with a smirk. "Or is fungus make speak different." Says the large man with a shrug. Sort of. "Need find where live. Need some fungus for study. Need look umbra by him. Need backup for that." He lifts fingers as he tosses out a list of things. "Man might be just man."

Lavender shrugs. "No, but. Liam has the names of the dealers selling the mushrooms. I gave them to him as soon as I could find him the other day, so it's not like we don't have any leads on that. I'm just not going to go talk to them alone. I mean... fuck nows I'm /good/. But I'm not stupid."

She pauses, then adds, "So. Like. The way he was talking about dragons? It sounded like the bad guy. So you heard him talking about the Wyrm as the bad guy. /I/ heard him talk about Gaia like a... redeemer. Like the good guy. Doesn't that confirm it? He's warning people about the Wyrm and cleansing in Gaia's name. For all intents and purposes."

She nods, glancing at Clint. "Hm. You think maybe the fungus isn't bad? Interesting. Anyway. Let's go get pizza, and let Liam know about this." She sits back, buckling her seat belt, once more keeping her elbows in, trying not to smudge the nice car as Jason drives them back to the Sept (and hopefully by a pizza joint).