Haunted Roads

Dorian Narrative Save spot!

When: Late Night
Where: Hotel
Who: Nikolaos, Dorian, Mikkos, Guards
What: Demons - Mikkos' Point of View - Narrative

Such hatred. So strong that it could be felt easily through the walls of the hotel they both still lived in, and even simply within the city. Mikkos spent little time within the city however. Most days were spent in trying to clean up a mess not his own, though surely he too had some dirt on his hands. No, he'd not take all the blame, not for his father's treachery. All the talk of family, all the talk of loyalty, and in the end? It was Haimon who proved the traitor. In the end it was Haimon to sell his own blood, to hand them not to their known enemy, but to another.

The enemy, Mikkos had learned, was now Haimon's ally. The old man had been busy. All he needed was Mikkos and Nik to be gone for an extended amount of time to complete his treachery. Mikkos had learned much, though not enough. He knew no amount of evidence would convince Nik that it was not Mikkos' doing, not even Mikkos' choices on the surface, that had swayed Haimon in his treason, but something deeper and darker that belonged to Haimon alone.

And to his enemy. Yes, Haimon's enemy turned ally.

Mikkos hadn't at first believed it. Even now he had trouble in accepting it, but it was true, he knew. The enemy he had known always to hate, the enemy Haimon had spent a lifetime fighting against... Haimon now had joined forces with. And both men, he learned, were doing a bit of house cleaning. The truth had been hard to swallow, especially since it had come not from his own men, but from the enemies. In fact, it was one of the Kreskas' that first told him. But not before Mikkos and he had a vicious fight. Followed of course, by another.

None of it made sense, and in fact, the Kreskas had very little to offer in the way of evidence or rational conviction, but what little he did offer, coupled with what little Mikkos knew on his own family's side... he knew it was likely all too true. Which meant as bad as it now was, it was only going to get worse.

Of course, he had no idea just how bad it really would get.

That did not mean however, that his guard was down. A message from Nik, from his own guard, the same guard that had watched the boy from his childhood. There was no trust in him, no rust now in any of the guard. No trust in anyone. In fact, if Mikkos were a wiser man, he'd have no trust in his son. Logically, rationally, he knew he should have none, but he knew also, that if he could not trust Nik, ill-placed as that might be, then he had in fact, truly lost everything. The truth of the matter though, was he didn't know how much, if any of Haimon's plot, involved Nik, or if the boy truly was as much a pawn in this game as everyone else now seemed to be.

His eyes swept 'round the room. first Nik, then Dorian, then the guards, and then back on Nik expectantly. He had called this meeting after all, there must have been a reason. Wait. Something was off... some guard that did not belong. Too late. A warning, and then the lights came on. Brilliant, enough to cripple the shadow creatures. A shot, Nik's gun bringing one down, and Mikkos quickly became a part of the shadows, fighting within them. The battle waged on, his own guard, all new, hand picked, and made up one hundred percent of old friends, surface demons... better known back in the day, as pirates.

No epic music played, and the battle was anti-climactic, valiantly fought, but unexpected. As much by the the guards who turned on them as by Mikkos and Nikoloas and Dorian. The mutinous guards, acting on higher orders, had not expected any fight. "Retreat" had been sounded more than once, but Mikkos refused. Not without his son. And not without his sister's son. This now was his family. He knew, beyond all doubt, that this now was his only family. And as the order was given, and Mikkos too, fought as Nik did, and Dorian too, the shadows darkened, all went black, and when he came to he was no longer in the basement, no longer in the hotel, or even in the city, but in the stronghold of his friend. The battle had waged on without him. But not long he was told, as when he fell, the others did retreat, dragging his sorry unconscious ass with them. But not before killing as many of the others as they could, and at least attempting to take his son and nephew.

They'd expected his rage however, and when it came, they simply took up another battle. This was as much fun as the salty old pirates had had in all the centuries since their mate had left them.

Week Thirteen
Dates: Monday April 28th through Sunday May 4th
Season: Late April – Early May 2008

Announcements:
Monday: Lucifer's Lounge is a monthly night thrown at the Mercury Club in Seattle featuring Jazz, Lounge, Vegas, Crooners, and Swing starting at 9pm, Cover is $4 at the door, and there are drink specials. Dress to impress and spend the first part of the night listening to classics from the 20's -40's at a volume you can talk to. We know its a Monday, and we all have to work in the morning, but stay until midnight for the Coconut Monkey's Toast and see something you won't see at any other club in Seattle. Club participation isn’t mandatory, but you won’t want to miss out on the fun. Heavy Swing after the Monkey toast for you late nighters. We stay open until we close, or the hosts get too tired to play.

Tuesday: A joint Internet prostitution sting using the popular site Craigslist landed eight hookers behind bars, including one who is listed as a missing sexually exploited child. "Prostitution is going from the streets to the Internet. It's going from the asphalt highway to the information highway," said Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. The FBI, Pierce County Sheriff's Office and Lakewood Police conducted two operations Thursday night to catch prostitutes.

The underage girls will be reunited with their families. The older women will be charged with prostitution. This is the third Craigslist bust for Pierce County. So far, three pimps and seven underage girls have been arrested. Pierce County plans more stings, including ones designed to catch customers. Two years ago, Seattle Police conducted a similar sting, arresting more than 100 men for soliciting prostitutes on Craigslist.

Thursday: Today is Beltaine. Beltaine is an anglicization of the Irish "Bealtaine" or the Scottish "Bealtuinn." While "tene" clearly means "fire," nobody really knows whether Bel refers to Belenus, a pastoral god of the Gauls, or is from "bel," simply meaning "brilliant." It might even derive from "bil tene" or "lucky fire" because to jump between two Beltane fires was sure to bring good fortune, health to your livestock, and prosperity.

Come celebrate at Golden Gardens Park tonight at 7:30pm at the waters edge. A local group of pagans will be performing a Grounding, Casting of the circle, Purifying of the circle, Calling of the directions, Portrayal of the rescue of the May Queen and the victory of Summer over Winter, Spiral Dance of Victory, Bidding farewell to the directions and an opening of the circle. Afterwards there will be a potluck, cakes, and ales. All are invited that wish to partake or simply watch. This is a family-friendly event. Please bring warm clothes, altar items and food or drink to share.

Friday: Benefit for Noel House Programs at the Capitol Hill Arts Center with array of desserts from Seattle's most prominent chefs, Gypsy-swing and French-jazz from the Zazou Trio, photo exhibit featuring the women Noel House serves. Arrive at 7pm to have time to enjoy the arts or show later to sample the desserts.

Saturday: Belltown Billiards will be having a competition staring at noon today and going till 7pm or the competition is over. Competitors had until 7pm on Wednesday to sign up to play and teams had until 7pm on Tuesday to get their paperwork in. Anyone wanting to watch can show up at any time and enjoy the half priced beers that will be accompanying the competition. Linger for awhile after the games have completed and sample some local beers. The beer tasting will start about 9pm. There will be a twenty dollar cover for the tasting and it is limited to 30 patrons.

Sunday: The Seattle Cheese Festival is conducting a recipe search for the best grilled cheese sandwich in the city. The winner of the contest will appear during the Seattle Cheese Festival, which takes place May 16-18, 2008, to give a live demo on the chef’s stage. The winning sandwich will be featured at the DeLaurenti café during the festival. The top 10 finalists will have their recipes featured online at the Seattle Cheese Festival site.

Weather:
Monday April 28th: Overcast (High: 62°F Low: 45°F)
Tuesday April 29th: Mostly cloudy (High: 57°F Low: 39°F)
Wednesday April 30th: Light rain through the morning (High: 64°F Low: 47°F)
Thursday May 1st: Cloudy morning with clearing in the afternoon (High: 67°F Low: 50°F)
Friday May 2nd: Clear through the day (High: 65°F Low: 49°F)
Saturday May 3rd: Clouds begin to return late tonight. (High: 65°F Low: 47°F)
Sunday May 4th: Light rain through the day. (High: 63°F Low: 48°F)