The Snuggly Duckling

[Kajin]

The Paranet. Co-founded roughly a year ago by the Wizard Harry Dresden and a Minor Talent by the name of Elaine Mallory, the Paranet is an extranormal information network created to facilitate the organization and defense of those members of the magical community who are not strong enough to adequately protect themselves. Under the common banner of survival, hedge wizards and kitchen witches the world over have been banding together in order to create a means through which useful information can be spread, where requests for aid can be sent, training can be provided, and shelter from hostile creatures can be found. Spreading across the continental United States like wild fire, the modest talents of the Supernatural world are coming together for the express purpose of mutual support with new branches being founded all the time.

Enter the Snuggly Duckling. Jokingly referred to as "Mission Hub" by some of its nerdier patrons, it was founded by the leaders of the local branch of the Paranet as a place where the community of magic can congregate and hold meetings. Or just hang out. You know, one of the two. It's a cozy sort of place. The front area is a pub with a wood burning stove and plenty of bottled drinks to sate your thirst. A doorway in the back leads you into a tiny reading area with plenty of board games and bookshelves for those seeking idle entertainment. A stairwell off to the side leads up into the second floor and down into the basement areas. The second floor contains a number of guest rooms where travelling members of the Paranet can rest their weary heads. The decor is compartmentalized and somewhat eclectic, with different aesthetic sensibilities seemingly at war with each other. Different rooms can have as many as five different design schemes each, with each area standing out starkly against the surrounding ones. This is to help alleviate and disperse the ambient energies that so often accompany those that practice magic. No one wants the bad vibes of a grumpy Wizard ruining their day by accidentally causing one of the multitude of ceiling fans to explode, right?

The Snuggly Duckling's dining area is the largest and most popular room, owing this fact to the homemade food and great tasting beverages handcrafted by co-owner Jack. Currently bustling with activity, Jack can be seen behind the counter working furiously to prepare the meals that have been ordered. Fellow co-owners Suzette and Robin tend to the counter while an unfamiliar new girl of Asian ancestry washes dishes behind them.

It's late in the evening and business is booming. More so than usual, unfortunately. A spate of recent killings has been flooding the news as of late. Most of the bodies were completely ripped apart. All of them were found with a disturbing lack of blood on the scene. A lot of the members of the local magical community are frightened and have recently taken to congregating at the Snuggly Duckling, Neutral Territory by the laws of the Unseelie Accords, for the sense of safety being there provides.

[CCC]

It is war. Merciless, total war. War that has been abstracted to the point where it no longer looks like war, but war nonetheless. The two sides are almost exactly evenly matched; losses have been heavy on both sides, and it could go either way.

The commander of the ebony army considers his position calmly. It is a dire pisition, indeed; both armies are down to a mere fraction of their strength. He is thin, and to the practiced eye his nonhuman heritage is evident in his pointed ears, and in the fact that his apparently brown hair has purple roots.

He reaches out to the field of battle, and makes a slight adjustment to the position, leading a desperate cavalry charge directly against the enemy monarch.

"Check." he announces, as his long, thin fingers release the knight.

[Ruan]

Meanwhile, the commander of the white army laces his fingers together, pondering his next move. He's a rather thin, intent looking young man, with a short, tousled cap of raven black hair. He's impeccably dressed with ironed black slacks and a black polo shirt, with a nice tie - really nice tie, really catches the eye - and looks stylish to the point that no one would dare call him goth or emo - he makes black look good. Good enough through the course of the match he's had to shoo off more than one flirtatious young woman... and at least one not so young.

Right not, he's frowning, as the black knight has forced him to re-evaluate his plans. He now either has to capture the black knight, or move his king. He weighs his options for a moment, then scowls as he moves a bishop to take the knight. For now, his king is safe... but he's almost certain to lose the bishop in the next trade. Still, moving his king would have implied weakness, and he hates doing that.

[balthazar]

The door to the Snuggly Duckling opens and a young man walks in. And he is young, appearing to only be seventeen or eighteen. His clothes are simple and unremarkable, well worn but well looked after as well. His sand colored hair is cropped short. He wears an old canvas duffel bag as a backpack, stuffed full. He seems to radiate an aura of peace and tranquility, and his grey eyes seem to smile as he takes in the interior of the Duckling. He calmly strides over to the counter and the two ladies. He pulls a few rumpled bills from his pocket, and in voice that sounds like sandpaper smothered in honey asks "Coca-Cola please."

[Kajin]

Suzette scowls over the rims of her glasses at the rumpled quality of the bills, smoothing them out as best she can before placing them in the register, one of those old-fashioned numbers. She quickly retrieves the change and hands it to the young man.

"Robin? You heard him, get the man some soda," Suzette says, turning her head to speak to the red haired young woman standing next to her. The task finished, Suzette promptly dismisses the existence of the young man before turning her eyes to the next person in line.

The place is busy so it takes a few minutes before Robin is able to give the young man his drink. The young girl shows a bubbly, caffeinated smile as she hands the drink over. "Please forgive Suzette. She's a little OCD. Are you new in town? You look like you've been traveling. My name is Robin, by the way. What's yours?" Suzette reaches her hand over and gives Robin a hard chop to the forehead at the OCD comment, but she just laughs it off.

[balthazar]

The young man smiles at Robin as he accepts the soda. "As a matter of fact, I just got here an hour ago. Name's Brecon, Brecon Sagar. Pleased to meet you Robin, Suzette." He inclines a nod at Suzette.

[Kajin]

"Well if you're looking for a place to stay, we have a few guest rooms available upstairs," Robin nods, folding her arms and closing her eyes as she nods up and down in what appears to be an attempt at a mature-looking gesture. This is somewhat marred by the fact that the action is much too fast to be anything but silly looking.

Suzette doesn't appear to have noticed being addressed, as she is still ignoring Brecon. It appears that the young man won't be getting a response from her unless he's willing to buy something.

[CCC]

Bishop takes bishop. The position is deteriorating...

"Why not move the King? If you'd moved to e5 you wouldn't have to worry about your rook now." The rook is perfectly safe, as far as Charles can see, but he'd be willing to bet that now his opponent will worry about it nonetheless - more so when he can't see any reason to worry.

[balthazar]

"That's mighty kind of you miss. How much does a room go for?"

The young man takes a sip of his coke.

[Ruan]

Oz raises an eyebrow and surveys the field, noting the position of his rook and his opponent's pieces, before giving his opponent a flat look. "Sometimes, you have to make certain... sacrifices." He moves his own remaining knight into position to threaten the black king. "Check."

[CCC]

"Indeed."

The King takes a single diagonal step towards the knight. Threatening, not retreating. A toothless threat, as the knight is protected by the rook. The position is beginning to worry Charles - he's losing control of the game, and white is better positioned. Worse yet, white still has one of his rooks... at least the queens are both off the board...

[Kajin]

"Thirty-five dollars a night," Robin replies. "They aren't much. Barely more than a closet with a single twin, but you get breakfast for free in the morning so long as you're staying."

[Ruan]

With a satisfied look on his face, Oz moves a lone pawn, fully onto his opponent's side of the board. "How like life..." He smiles wryly. "Even the smallest of pawns..." He picks up the pawn and replaces it with a queen. "Can have their uses."

From the new white queen's position, she threatens the black king. A quick glance finds that, no matter where the black king goes, there's no escape. The knight is guarded by the rook, a lowly pawn threatens the king from the other side, and the queen behind now cuts off any retreat.

"Checkmate."

Oz picks up the queen - re-risen from the grave, so to speak - and muses aloud, "Did you ever find it odd, that the queen seems to be the most free piece on the board? She can move back, or forward, side to side, diagonal as she chooses. Yet the king himself is locked into his role - he may only move a bare space at best. In my personal experience, it's quite the other way around. It is those who are king who have the greatest power. In truth, the queen has the least freedom. Though she may have the freedom to move as she wills, even so it is only at the bidding of the king that she may take action. For a queen that ignores her husband's bidding... well." He sits the queen back down on her former position and, with a flick of his finger, knocks her over.

[Stan Cold]

Neil Hewlett descends the stairs from the guest rooms. And by descend, I mean back flips. "Good...!" He checks his watch, "Evening, everyone! It's another beautiful night in... This Town!" His voice carries a distinct British accent. He's dressed in a Gorillaz t-shirt and plaid shorts. He takes a seat at the bar next to Brecon. "Bailey's on the rocks, would you kindly?" he asks Robin, "and anything my friend wants, as long as it's alcoholic." He looks over at Brecon. "The name's Neil. You can call me Neil. Neil is my preferred title."

[balthazar]

Brecon watches as Neil decends the stairs, a smile hovering about his lips.

"I'm not sure I can legaly take you up on your offer Neil, but I appreciate the offer none the less. Most folk call me Brecon."

He takes another sip of coke.

"Oh and Robin? I will be renting a room, thank you."

Brecon pulls out a few more rumpled bills from his pocket, before carefully straightening them out after casting a sideways glance at Suzette.