Soaking wet and... happy (Jim) - Frogman's Lilypad

Shauna got home that night about 2 hours before dawn.  She had spent a lot of time with Guppie so she was tired in that not physically tired way.  Mentally she was a mess.

Three miles under the water could do that to a person...

Jim had gotten home not long before and was sitting in the den reading up on some engine books. He recently had gotten a repair contract on an older F1 racer and its engine was something he never expected to see... which meant reading up on the damn things...

She placed the dive meter in front of him with the marker on the depth where it had read when she was in Guppies lair. She then turned and went to her room to put away the already cleaned up gear.

He looked at it and whistled. "you all right?"

"Yeah." She replied. "He always takes care of me." She answered as she walked back into the room with Jim. "And... that wonderful creature. He might not be natural." And with that she sounded very likely to cry.

Jim looked at his lady and saw the red tears begin to form as she spoke.

Closing the book, he set it aside and held out his arms to her. Words were not necessary.... not for this.

She turned and sat in his lap burying her head into his shoulder. "There are others, all big like him... no babies. No babies has me thinking they were made. That's so not fair Jim. That's just not fair. Magic doesn't make lasting good wonderful things...It doesn't." Yep Shauna always equivocated Magic to weapons of mass destruction. After her history with such... who wouldn't. And that thought process just lead her to tears.

He stroked her hair quietly. "Shhhh..." Jim said quietly. "I know babe, I know..."


He held her and let her cry... cause sometimes words simply weren't right. This was one of those times.


A minute or so later, after some of her tears had stopped, he spoke. "Not everything of magic is evil or good, we've talked about this..." Stroking her hair, he continued. "For the bulk of it, its all in how its used... Remember the gargoyle I spoke of to you? He's a product of it and I consider him pretty damn nice....


He reached over and grabbed a towel off the pile of laundry he had done and folded earlier. "Here..." He said. "I want you to know after you told me about guppy, I went and did some research and what you fear... I'm afraid is probably true."

She took the dark colored towel to her eyes. "Why?" She asked more to the air then to him. "He's a living thing not like a Kindred Gargoyle...he's alive. He's a gigantic sweetie not some... evil monster." She waved her hands the towel flopping around. "I mean like Kracken stories not your Gargoyle friend."

"To the old Vikings and the Norse in general, he was a monster of the sea..." Jim replied. "and if you lived on an island, they make great defense... I suspect they were octopus at one time untill the master fleshcrafters obtained them."

A pause. "Have you mentioned them to Grace? If they were natural creatures, I think the Elder of the Gangrel would know...

She nodded. "She's asked to meet him. "I'm gonna take her out but...now I'm worried. He's too smart to be all natural Jim. I... I just don't want someone to take him apart." Jim knew Shauna's huge weakness for someone doing torture to anything but especially an animal...

"If they are smart, thats a learned response..." Jim replied to her. "Someone took the time to teach them, much like Cinder was taught and even some of the early gargoyles were- at least those who their handlers felt could learn any thing." Yes, the Tremere was being honest on that subject. he'd skirted around it before with her but with this subject, he needed to be sure she understood.


"Given where you found them, I am willing to bet they serve a similar function to what a guard dog does for them..." He continued. "If tehy are monsters, they are monsters to those who they are told to be that to... at least for now. Lady Grace will know... and I have no doubt she knows what is what. I doubt she'd lie to you- no reason to and she's gangrel. Its almost inherent in their blood to be honest for when dealing with the Fuzzies when they have to.

She seemed comforted by his words. In Magic he'd know. In natural elements she'd be better off. She snuggled into him for comfort. "Thanks" She whispered through sniffles. "I just like him. So many things I like get ripped up. I just don't want that again."

"I know baby... I know..." Jim said as he hugged her close.

He suspected they were manipulated creatures of the Tzimisce when she told him. Given what he'd learned over the past few weeks of reading, he was sure of it. Especially based on what she described how they looked.


Someone had a wicked sense of humor on that island.

She accepted his comforting presence. "Jim?" She hesitated to even ask. "If they are magically made. What then?"

"Then...." He said with a pause. "Then.... a discussion will be had on what to do. Given they are in the ocean and not in domain, not much to say or do really... but I imagine the discussion will be interesting. If there is one."

The Tremere was quiet for a few seconds. "If someone wants something done, it will involve either the Tzimisce on the island or someone from Tremere- likely Griselda or possibly even Callisto- she's visiting and has experience with created creatures. As far as I know, there isn't any Assamite Sorcerors within domian otherwise they'd be contacted too or in lieu of Tremere, given Jamie's love of us."

A pause. "If he even gets involved. It would be Grace's call as it is on the borders and not in."

"That doesn't inspire confidence...exactly." Shauna said looking rather miserable. "I wonder if the Island was raised and now they are sleeping or something. If I made watch dogs like Guppie I'd sleep good."

Anything by sea wold have to go past them," Jim replied. "Therefore, they are excellent... As to how the island was raised, I know how it could be done..."

He wiggled a hand where she could see it as if casting a spell.

She sighed. "There are times I really wonder just what magic is supposed to be. There are times it just seems to be this catch all for weird shit."

"Sweetheart..." Jim replied. "sometimes I wonder too..."

She eyed him up to see if he was mocking her in fun. The look said it all. "That's not comforting coming from a Tremere."

Shauna, for all I know, I know there is plenty I don't..." He replied. "And some of it is pretty inane. There is more than a few talents and tricks out there that remind me of stuff from a Dungeons and Dragons spell list... or were made because someone was incredibly lazy and really didn't want to spend the effort to fetch the kindred equivalent of a beer from the fridge.

Then there is events that could be rooted in the use of magics but could be natural too," Jim commented. "Earth Energies shift all the time and life is affected by them as much as by our magics. And by our I mean us supernaturals... Not just kindred.

She looked at him. "Huh?" She said having no background in what he was talking about.

"Not everything weird that happens in the world is the fault of magic," He said. "Magic is a convenient way of explaining it away though... like water flowing backward. Not magic though it can be done with it.

In the case of guppie... it isn't magic that formed them I think though it might have played a part. The island... was done through a form of magic I know about but don't have in my repertoire."

"Hmmm. Maybe I can get Guppie to explain his part in that." Shauna said more to herself than Jim.