Monday, June 29th

 

Ava’s busking, her phone is ringing. It’s AER’s HR rep, Pam. She is calling to schedule Ava’s orientation and all that. They decide that today will work and Ava gets the address to head over that way.

 

Persephone is looking for Leo - so she heads to his and Ava’s apartment. He’s reading. Persephone has questions about the True Fae, and Leo agrees to help her with what he can. She’s mostly curious about their weaknesses, and lists what she knows, asking if there’s any emotion they CAN’T inspire. He answers ‘Broadly, no’ and that it comes down to a case by case basis for the Gentry. True Love won’t save you here.  

 

So Persephone asks about the Duke in particular. Leo says the Duke is good about inspiring desires in particular with people. “Selfless love?” Persephone asks, still going for that trope, and while Leo answers that it’s not his particular area he knows of no particular bans the Duke has. He does mention that the Duke has some weaknesses: Hemlock, cardamon, and old religious symbols associated with Apollo.

 

At the clinic, Jesse (remember Jesse?) is there with his dog Molly who is there for her checkup. Rowan likes Molly, who is very well behaved and gets cheese whiz as a reward. One imagines Molly likes Rowan as well.

 

Rowan, while grooming Molly, hears a knock in the kennel room. They go to unlock the door. Morgan apparently got himself locked in the kennel room? Without pants. He does have boxers.

 

He was drinking with “Mr Remington” and “Mr Ganymede” and woke up without pants. In the kennel room. The fic writes itself.

 

Deciding that Dan Remington is higher on their personal shitlist than Ganymede, they decide to call Ganymede to see what the fuck happened.

 

Ganymede denies knowledge of what happened - specifying that the losing pants happened after Dan and Morgan went off on their own. Rowan, disgusted, calls Dan to ask if he has Morgan’s pants. Dan is disoriented but he says he does. Rowan says “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”and Dan insists that he does. Rowan eventually asks if she is from Canada, and her name is Alberta? Dan, abashed, admits “...So you’ve heard that one.”

 

Jesse, the bro that he is, gets the spare pants from the trunk of his car for Morgan so he’s not pantsless.

 

Rowan asks for further explanation, Dan says he remembers jello shots, Morgan betting how many hot dogs he could fit in his mouth, there was a pizza man? and he remembered asking ‘who let the dogs out’ to the sound of dogs barking…

 

Rowan ultimately hangs up and tells Morgan that his pants are at Dan’s. They also have to call back to get Dan’s address for Morgan to find Dan’s place.

 

> Morgan level up

> Morgan has obtained "PANTS" and "BUS DIRECTIONS”.

 

After sending him off and finishing with Molly, Rowan goes to check out the kennel to try and figure out how they got in. They can’t find out, but they do notice that the kennel room smells like sex. Fanfic. Writing itself.

 

Rowan goes to wake Jacob up and tells him to have a real breakfast and clean the kennel room since Mi-Ok is not around to do so.

 

Morgan comes back in asking if Rowan owns an escalade.

 

As it turns out, government agent put a bomb under Jesse’s car. Jesse works on getting the bomb off while Rowan meneces the government agent. When Jesse successfully disarms the bomb, the government agent goes running. Running faster when Rowan scares him.

 

Using fae abilities, Rowan intimidates him into stopping long enough to reach out and grab him by the shoulder.

 

He reveals he works for the FBI. He put a device under Jesse’s car to weaken him because he’s a threat to national security. Because he’s not human.

 

Jesse agrees to meet with the FBI when he’s just asked to.

 

Rowan reaches out and takes the FBI’s bluetooth earpiece where someone is shouting for him to get him out of there because they’re all gonna eat him. Rowan takes the ear piece but the FBI contact hangs up after Rowan tells them not to misgender them.

 

Jesse takes the bomb with him to go with the FBI but leaves Molly in Rowan’s care. The Therapy Dog is very interested in Morgan as she senses distress. Rowan explains how therapy dogs work, and teaches Morgan how to pet a dog and gets him some hangover helpers (Gatorade, sprite, and crackers)

 

Ava is able to take a Hedge shortcut to AER, checking in and waiting in the lobby for Pam. She’s a LITTLE weirded out that she’s gotten no distress texts so far from the group. A heavyset blonde woman comes out to fetch Ava. She has to fill out a little paperwork and has to watch an anti-harassment video and do some light role playing with a dolphin hand puppet.

 

Pam calls Benji and he arrives and takes Ava away while Pam goes for a thermos that almost definitely full of alcohol. Ava gets a talisman that is supposed to assist in being around Panya without going crazy, a zip pull for her badge which she instantly plays with, and a gun with a holster that she attaches to the back of her belt. Going down the elevator they arrive at a bunker where there are some people she recognizes from the SWAT team, Ava says hi to those she knows and gets the tour.

 

She also gets a library card arranged as well as a full set of IDs and a bank account. She gets told that most people here are either human or human-plus, though not as far away from human as Ava.

 

Persephone lets the others knew via texts about the Duke’s weakness, looking for apollo talismans, herself.

 

For Jesse, he’s driving in an SUV with two federal agent dudes when the car swerves because the driver just lost the top of his head. Men in dark suits approach the SUV and they shoot the remaining FBI agent. Jesse takes his gun and demands to know what their problem is.

 

The agents identify themselves as Homeland Security. Jesse does not believe them.

 

They go to a coffee shop to get off the street and Jesse gets a latte. They ask if he has seen ‘this man’, showing him a picture of Morgan on their tablet. He says Morgan is currently wearing his pants.

 

They want to work with Jesse to have him provide information for them about Morgan. Jesse tells them no. And what are they going to do, kill him?

 

In Russian the agent replies no, but that he does have family.

 

Jesse warns them about what happened to the last person who threatened their family, but he’d be willing to think about it.

 

He returns to the vet clinic after the meeting and asks about who the Homeland Security guys were. Rowan explains they’re angels. Jesse says that complicates things. Rowan explains that they’re robots too. Jesse says that un-complicates things.

 

Morgan is sleeping with Molly on top of him, so Rowan wakes Morgan and Molly returns to Jesse.

 

After explaining what happened, Morgan says he knew it was too good to be true and he will turn himself over for termination. Needless to say everyone protests this.

 

Ava gets a car from AER. It’s a sedan. She stops by Pike Place on the way back to get cardamon and hemlock and see if she can get cold iron shavings and some easy to shatter glass jars to make Anti-Duke grenades.

 

Persephone gets a call from Ganymede who asks if Dmitri is alive because he’s in a house with a bunch of dead werewolves in Duvall. He knows they’re tribes of the moon but that’s about it. Some of them don’t have faces.

 

She ends the convo and calls Dmitri to check in with him. She gets his voice mail and leaves a text for him, proceeding to look around for him because this is the absolute worst time to go AWOL man.

 

While Jesse is in the clinic, this redneck guy comes sneaking in via the Twilight. Jesse says “Hi”.

 

The guy freezes. This is awkward. The guy tries to say he likes dogs.

 

He says he’s Billy, Jesse introduces himself as well. Rowan is Unsure about having someone here they can’t see but Billy says he’s already dead. Ultimately he is there to make sure Morgan is okay and “his nephew” sent him. His nephew who is Dan Remington. Billy was not aware that Dan had banged Morgan.

 

Rowan takes Morgan to Dan’s, emphasizing that he doesn’t need to turn himself in to his bosses.

 

Ava and Persephone return to the clinic at the same time, having arts and crafts to make anti-Duke bombs. Persephone makes a Jareth comment and Ava says “Who is Jareth?” and Persephone makes them watch Labyrinth. Jacob and Leo are roped into this too so that Ava doesn’t have to deal with this alone.

 

Persephone’s phone rings while they’re watching and while it says Dmitri’s name, it is clearly not Dmitri on the other line. He says he’s investigating when Persephone asks who this is. He says he has no name and he is simply empty. Persephone says she’ll call him Dick.

 

Persephone mouths to Ava to use the find my phone app, and it shows the U district, four blocks away. Ava points to her gun, herself, and the door, and heads out to find him. Persephone stays on the phone but follows. It’s a cellphone, yay. Jacob tags along too.

 

The empty man says he was asked to question Dmitri. That “much time has passed since his father died, we wished to know what became of his children”

 

They get there pretty fast, to a two story pink house that someone stole an “Open 24 Hours” sign on it. As soon as they open the door it smells of rot.

There’s a dead body inside blocking the door, so Persephone has to force it.

 

Jesse meanwhile goes to visit his husband and give him the rundown of what happened, ending with “We may need to find another vet.”

 

Husband offers to destroy the NSA. Jesse says to just protect their kid and he’ll take care of himself.

 

Rowan gets to Dan’s house with Morgan. It’s a very nice condo.  Morgan doesn’t understand why Dan would want to see him or be worried about him. Rowan has to explain that Morgan and Dan likely had sex last night. Morgan is very alarmed by that.

 

Rowan suggests that Morgan ask Dan out for coffee WITHOUT ALCOHOL and to get to know Dan better. And that Morgan should call if he needs a ride back. Rowan, proud parent of 27.

 

Rowan gets a text, though from Diego not from Morgan. The text says “We have a problem”.

 

Rowan asks what.

 

Diego replies “ ‘YOU’ ARE HERE.”

 

Rowan drives back as fast as legally possible.

 

MEANWHILE… Jacob figures out that the dead body has been dead for about a week. Squishy.

 

There’s twenty or so bodies in there. Red solo cups, empty beer bottles. There’s the sound of someone talking upstairs. Jacob examines the bodies and find they died of blunt force trauma although not superhuman. There’s empty skin sacks as well. Gross. Ava and Persephone sneak upstairs.

 

GUN is +2 (Dex+Firearms+Gun)

 

Dmitri is nailed to the wall, literally. There is one middle aged man in the room talking on the phone. Ava shoots him twice in quick succession, and he hits Ava with a baseball bat. Persephone stabs him very very well and he deflates. She then takes Dmitri off the wall and we make a quick exit from the house to return to the clinic, making a call to the authorities to report the House on the way.

 

Jesse calls Rowan and asks if they need backup, Rowan says MAYBE…? and it’s decided that Husband (Doctor Rick Ritter) will meet Rowan at the clinic in the event there needs to be smashing.

 

Persephone and Ava arrive back first along with Jacob, with Jacob and Persephone taking Dmitri back into the Hollow while Ava waits in the lobby with Fetch!Rowan and Diego. Ava gets Fetch!Rowan coffee and proceeds to ask a bunch of questions but only gets that F!Rowan is here to speak with the owner, and was just told to go there by “someone”.

 

Rowan returns, and rattles off all of their deadname information to get Fetch!Rowan to believe they’re the same person, and gets them into a back room to talk in private. Rowan explains what they are and what happened - taken by fairies and how.

 

Rowan says it a lot nicer - that Fetch!Rowan is a person in their own right who has made their own life. Thankfully Rowan was told stories of fairies when younger and Changelings, so it’s pretty easy for Fetch!Rowan to parse.

 

Fetch!Rowan explains that they just got a plane ticket from their home to Seattle, and Rowan determines that it came from the Muffin Man. Ultimately Rowan offers to introduce Fetch!Rowan to other Fetches, but Fetch!Rowan is not sure about it. So Rowan is gonna put Fetch!Rowan up in a hotel for a week so they can decide. Numbers are exchanged. Rowan gets that Fetch!Rowan goes by Rowan O’Malley now (O’Malley being the original birth surname) and identifies as male. Fetch!Rowan gets introduced to the group. Rowan makes hotel reservations for O’Malley and asks if Dmitri is okay, so Ava proceeds to launch into way too much info about what happened and scares poor Fetch!Rowan off by accident. Ava calls him not-Boss to differentiate between him and Rowan, who is obviously Boss.

 

Rowan goes to take care of Dmitri, ultimately finding a spiritual aura of rot around him that is keeping him from healing on his own. Rowan calls Geoffrey since he’s one of the only people we know that knows spirit bullshit as well as werewolf bullshit.

 

He says he’s willing to try as soon as they shake their tail.

 

Meanwhile Rick shows up, who is very serious, so it’s hard to tell he’s angry. Ava asks if he’s “Rick the silver fox who is Jesse’s husband.” He says yes he is Rick.

 

Ava tell him the situation has been handled, but Rick says they threatened his family and Ava says “Shit man you gotta fuck them up then.” which makes Rick like her instantly. She gives him info on the Robot Angels since he seems to be an ally and they did threaten his family and she understands the fucking with people who fuck with your crew. A beautiful understanding is formed.

 

Rick is able to help Dmitri a little, and with everyone doing what they can Rowan is able to use a last ditch healing to get him better enough to be awake.

 

Rowan has also microchipped Dmitri. Once he’s awake, we ask what happened. He says he smelled rot and went to investigate and, well, “got dogpiled”. We tell him he doesn’t get to go anywhere alone anymore.

 

Persephone and Rowan ask about what the Hollow Man was questioning him on, about his ‘father’ who ‘died a long time ago’, Dmitri said he didn’t understand the questions to be honest.

 

He does say that mythologically speaking there is the “Father wolf” figure…? and explains some werewolf lore.

 

Rowan calls up Ganymede now that they have the info to warn him that Hollow Men might be afoot, or the thing they serve. Seeing as they like him and all. Theeeey get the info they can about Sag’suga Isim

 

Out front, the door opens and the pack comes in. Joanna picks Rachel up and says “We brought an offering!” which Ava and Joanna laugh about. Ava explains that Rowan really doesn’t find that funny but since no one’s gotten hurt it’s pretty funny, right? Right. She calls back to wave them in. Persephone leads them in. Joanna picks up Rachel in small wolf form and presents her as an offering to Rowan...singing the circle of life song.

 

Rowan tells her it isn’t culturally appropriate.

 

Johanna laughs and tells Rachel she can change back now.

 

They get an explanation about what Dmitri went through. They also sense that Dmitri is under some miasma of rot that will go away on its own if left alone. There’s not really anything to do except wait.

Joanna congratulates Dmitri on getting kicked out faster than anyone else.

 

Morgan returns and says he’s got his pants back - and asks if a prostate massage is normal.

 

Ava and Persephone instantly yell “TMI!”

 

Morgan is able to return the spare pants to Rick, who is relieved that there’s such a normal explanation for why Morgan had Jesse’s pants. Apparently that isn’t normal.

 

Rowan reviews the footage and finds that 1) Dan picked the lock of the clinic and 2) left with Morgan’s pants as a victory trophy.  Mystery solved.