893/Let Me Go ft. Wuyin and Inga

Let Me Go ft. Wuyin and Inga
Date of Scene:	01 November 2014
Location:	Dresden's Apartment
Synopsis:	Harry and Inga fight off the Filth infection with the help of Wuyin and his drugs from the res.
Cast of Characters:	206, Wuyin Tsai, Inga

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Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    If you're looking for an up and attem Harry Dresden, you might be out of luck. Mr. Dresden looks wiped out, as he sits on the couch and sips on coffee this morning. The Tribune is still going on about the destruction of the Cloud Gate and is now talking about 'who did it' as opposed to the city line of 'gas main explosion'.
    Harry's set of necklace charms rest heavy on his chest today, the Thor-hammer especially so. Maybe the coffee will fix those bags under his eyes.

Inga has posed:
Inga is up and has been for some time. She's down in the basement currently, quite possibly talking to Bob as she uses Harry's work room. Quite handy, having his set up. He had many of the things she's been lacking to prepare potions and charms...currently, she is working with a bit of the dragon bone she'd taken as spoils for their help on The Farm. The other parts she'd taken, including the heart, have been properly stored and preserved. As soon as she'd realized the dragon was dead she'd begun to think of the sorts of things she could do with its parts, and number one on her mind had been an even stronger talisman for Harry against the filth.

Thus, she is carving the bone into another hammer like shape. Thor seemed the correct deity to invoke here--as this particular talisman is meant to fight against the Filth, something from Outside. Thor of course, is most known for his battle against the destructive giants from the Utgard. "You know, you'd be even more useful with a pair of hands," she informs Bob, struggling with a small saw.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    "Don't forget the part where I'm a spirit and putting something like me into... ah, things is usually a bad idea." Bob's eyelights flicker. "That said, I have thought about it on occasion but part of my deal with wizards in generl is to be simply an advisor. More than that and you get issues." Cheery words from the skull.

    Harry blinks, hearing the voices in the basement, and sighs. He grumps and stuggles out of the couch, padding bare feet over to to the hatch. "You two okay down there?"

Inga has posed:
Inga's thoughtful for a moment, thinking about why putting spirits into things is a bad idea..."You are already in a thing, do you mean a thing that would allow you mobility?" she asks.

Inga starts when she hears Harry yell down. "Yes, we're fine! I could do with a bit of muscle however!" she calls back. He's a wizard, she could trust him not to foul up a talisman.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    "Well, techincally this is a rather large talisman of sorts. All nice and cosy and comfortable for a spirit of knowledge. I rather like it, really. I've lived in worse places. But yes, if I happen to get caught unprotected out after the sun rises, I'm pretty much done for." Bob's eyes looks down at Inga's handywork. "Don't forget to get all the points sanded off. You don't want to accidentally let energy off of an errant vertex."
    Harry yells back. "Alright, gimme a sec, I'm bringing down the coffee pot." And he walks back over to the stove, getting the pot off the still warm burner, and shuffles back to carry it down the ladder.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
Right when it's most inconvenient, there is not quite a knock at the door. It sounds more like someone's banging something against a wall or the landing outside. This may be because of the presence of an ornery wizard or his wards, depending on your perspective on the matter.

Wuyin takes a step back, waiting patiently outside. He picks up the stuff he set down to wield a rock (probably a chunk of the road) as a knocker, taking a quiet look around the place. Of course, he's already done the once-over of the perimeter, but it doesn't hurt to take it in from a resident's point of view.

He's still not one hundred percent sure why someone like Dresden would live here of all places.

Inga has posed:
Inga winces slightly. "That would happen? That is something that is good to know," she says, thinking if something ever happened to the house (because lets face it, Harry is a trouble magnet, especially where property damage is concerned) she might need to know how to take care of Bob.

That last part gets a blink. "Yes...right," she says, pretending she knows what that means. She knows the points need to sanded down because otherwise, it will be pokey. Same thing, right?

Harry brings the coffee pot down. She's about to speak, but doesn't, her expression instead going blank for a moment. "Wuyin's here," she says.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Ah hell. Harry sighs. "Someone's at the door, be right back."

    And then he's back to the front door. Sunlight, which means whoever's out there is more than likely not full on spooky thing. "Hold on, hold on." Several deadbolts are opened and the heavy door opens up.
    "Oh, hey. Wuyin. You found the place... uh, come on in." Harry's eyes are still sullen and dark, but he's trying to look chipper. "No tacos, just coffee and leftover Halloween candy."

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
"Dresden." He nods by way of greetings. His glasses are currently present and accounted for, the colored lenses pretty handily obscuring his eyes. "I wasn't sure what I expected, but this is not quite it." Wuyin steps inside and takes a quick glance around. "I have candy accounted for, though. Do you have anywhere I can put these?"

He has fast food bags. White and red. There's a cheerful looking girl's face on the front.

Blasphemy?!

Inga has posed:
Inga sighs, shaking her head. The talisman isn't done, but she supposes it will have to wait. She also supposes she needs to get out of the basement. "I'll finish this later," she tells Bob, then begins climbing out of the basement with great effort.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry's face falls back into a grumpy resting state, before he shuffles over to th trapdoor to hold out an arm for Inga. "Table's fine. Just... hn. Wasn't expecting to see you here today."

    That hammer talisman gets warm, and Harry's eyes flicker slightly at the presence of the Dragon.

Inga has posed:
Inga accepts the offered hand gratefully. Suddenly, an Inga rises from the floor! "Hello Wuyin," she greets a little awkwardly, smoothing her dress. She sniffs, then looks toward the bags. Ooh food. She's suddenly discovered she's hungry. "Oh, you've brought food," she remarks, smiling. There's plenty of candy but...Inga doesn't actually like most of it.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
Wu goes and deposits the bags on the table. They're laden with stacks of stuff off the value menu, of course. It looks like he either found a place that serves lunch early or persuaded them to do so. "Inga." He doesn't seem to notice the awkwardness, or at least doesn't mention it. He briefly looks between the two of them. "How're you feeling? After the other night," he adds.

Inga has posed:
Inga moves over to the table taking a seat as she looks at all the wrapped food. She picks something, and begins unwrapping it to see what it is. Sandwich of some kind? The people of this world sure are fond of putting meat between bread, she's observed.

As Wuyin brings up the other night, Inga shivers slightly, and looks aside. She hadn't actually brought that up yet... "Yes, I'm fine," she informs him.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry laughs and slumps to the couch after snagging two slightly cooling burgers. "Hnnng. Went to Boston, got hit by a mega-whammy and got to experience my own funeral. No one came. Well, except for the witch that put the whammy on me. Saved her though and I didn't get my brain eaten. A good night but I'm wiped out."
    Harry takes a bite of the burger and winces a bit. A hand moves to adjust Inga's amulet.

Inga has posed:
Inga glances toward Harry, eyebrows rising. He did /what/!? Apparently they both need to update each other on certain events...

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
"Caffeinate and have something to eat, you'll feel better," Wuyin advises Harry. He gives Inga a sidelong look that is managed despite the glasses. It might be a 'you should probably talk to each other' on, but he doesn't actually /say/ it. It's not his place to meddle.

(it's totally his place to meddle)

"I can feel the joy radiating in this room," he says.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry snorts at Wuyin. "Joy's not something I've had in a long while. Hell, yesterday was my birthday. Happy birthday to me. 32 and look what's come of it." He sighs, and stuffs another bite of burger in his mouth. He tugs at his shirt again, and swallows.
    "Hnngf. Cripes. But it's getting better, really. I've got a paying gig this weekend. Get to go help Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf figure out how to secure their twon from the Multiverse."

Inga has posed:
Inga observes Harry reaching to touch the talisman, a deep frown of concern appearing. "It's struggling against it, isn't it?" she asks quietly. "I'm working on a stronger one--" she says, cutting off as she catches Wuyin's look. Whaaat!? She'd been thinking on it! How do you tell a person you died!? Doesn't naturally come up in conversation.

Then, the comment about joy. Inga chokes slightly.

Damn it Wuyin.

Inga does reach over to put her hand on Harry's shoulder though, using the other to grab the pot and pour him more coffee. "What's this about your own funeral? What happened?" she asks.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
"You are alive," Wuyin says, ignoring the discomfort, having a seat and fishing out a chicken sandwich, "you are apparently happily involved, and you are presumably both gainfully employed and have a way to exercise your talents for the good of whoever it is you're working for at the time." He unwraps it, taking his sweet time about it.

"You're long-lived, aren't you? Wizards in this world, I mean." He gestures vaguely towards a window. "What's thirty-two years old but young to you?"

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry sighs and leans back in his chair. "When I don't sleep it gets worse. Spend a lot of energy and it fights. It knows it's got a hook and it really... it offers." He snorts and closes his eyes, letting to coffee cup rest in his hands, warming his palms.

    "The Witch is different than you. In Madoka's world, a Witch happens when a little girl makes a wish. They get their wish, but ow they have to fight evil things... and if they fall all the way to despair... they turn into the Witches they fight. Last night a Witch, a large one, hit Boston. She... made me see visions. Of my funeral Alone, no one there. No one to see me pass. Just myself and a pastor I didn't know."

    But he grins over at Wuyin, something less than cheerful. "Between all the stuff that wants my guts, you look at things in the short term."

Inga has posed:
Inga's cheeks flush with embarrassment. Involved. Is that the official term? She hasn't known what to say so she just...hasn't actually told anyone.

Subject chaaaange!

Too bad its depressing. Inga frowns deeply. "That isn't how it would be," she tells him. Not at all. She can't even think about it.

But since he explained what he'd been through, Inga supposes she must as well. So. "I died," she throws out.

A heavy sigh, then Inga squares her shoulders a bit. "Right, now that several issues have been settled both here and in Kingsmouth, it is time we try to do something about the Filth. Again. The talisman I am making will be stronger, thanks to that dragon, however...I'd like to see it gone completely."

Inga looks to Wuyin. "I hope you have advice," she says, convinced he knows more about what is happening than anyone else she's met.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Died. Harry grumbles at that, before shuffling over to sit next to Inga, still eating his burger. "Hnn. How bad was it? I mean, I know you... you and Riva and assumadely Wuyin have the same sort of... system. I can't admit to having been dead and coming back before."

    He adjusts the amulet again and murmurs. "And I'll be fine, mostly. Just have to... you know, keep an eye on myself and not get eaten by a damn outsider."

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
It's too early for Inga to have hoofed it over here, considering the distance and her disability. She seemed kind of awkward when he showed up, and though she has a vague disapproval of him in general, it isn't enough to warrant that kind of reaction. Thus, relationship things.

"She was killed by a story manifesting in the spirit world, and trying to raise a spectral army of sorts," Wuyin kinda sorta explains. He looks to Inga, then to Dresden, his expression turning thoughtful. He wonders if he really /can/ handle it. It'd be interesting to see...

Wuyin eats his chicken sandwich in thoughtful, possibly-infuriating silence.

Inga has posed:
Inga closes her eyes for a moment, trying to decide if she wants to pretend it is no big deal or reveal that it was fairly traumatizing. She inhales slowly through her nose, shaking her head. "I had a difficult time believing...what we are...until it happened. It was...very bizarre," she answers. "I saw it happening, before it came...I don't often glimpse my own fate," she adds quietly.

Inga reaches over to touch the hammer shaped amulet, frowning. "Something needs to be done Harry," she says, tired of watching his tortured sleep. Seeing how the inner fight wears on him. She tried to project an air of confidence, but she's scared for him.

Thus, she turns and pins Wuyin with her gaze. "Wuyin. Do you know of a way to get rid of the Filth?" she asks directly.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry sighs and rubs at Inga's shoulder, before looking over to both as the explanation comes. "That's... uh, I've had a few spooks like that. Ghosts and Things using people's belief in fairy stories to back up their power."

    The touch to the amulet though gets him to wince, but he just adjusts it again. "I'm sure if there even was a way... He wouldn't be wasting it on someone who got themselves infected by being stupid."

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
Wuyin takes his time eating. It's difficult to tell if he's looking at Inga while she makes her rather direct inquiry. He is quite contently having some of the food he paid for, turning the problem over in his head. Is there a way? Certainly. Does he know of a way? Well, that's a more complicated question.

Eventually, he speaks: "The Filth was in India when I was. A black stream in a jungle, turning it into... something else." He pulls a napkin out of the bag and wipes his fingers off. "A few of the people I was working with got too close; they insisted they go in, despite the danger."

"I know of several potential ways to remove it," Wuyin says. "Only one has ever worked every time. You will not like hearing it."

Inga has posed:
Inga wacks Harry lightly in the arm. "It wasn't stupid. I was going to do something similar--and you may have been goaded on a bit," she comments, not taking her eyes off of Wuyin.

Her frown grows deeper as he explains. "I imagine not, but tell it anyway please," she responds.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    "I don't like a lot of the shit I do."
    Harry eats his burger.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
Wuyin reaches into the bag again, fishing something out. He cradles it in his hands; it's an awkward pull.

"A quick and painless death is ideal," he says simply. "Destroy the body. Fire is favored. Any purifying element or invocation would work."

Wuyin eats a french fry.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Another bite of burger. "I'm not you or Inga and if I die bad shit happens. Besides Filth. Next option."
    Harry fidgets a bit. Fuck.

Inga has posed:
Inga narrows her eyes slightly. "That is not an option," she replies tersley, letting the momentary anger drain. Wuyin is quite likely telling the truth. That doesn't mean she's going to give up however. She leans closer to Harry unsconsciously.

"What are the things that have sometimes worked, then?" she asks. Even if they haven't found a way yet...she would. Something had been done for Staren. Something could be done for Harry.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
"They weren't, either." Oh.

Wuyin turns his head fractionally towards Inga, silent. He eats a couple more fries. "We tried mundane countermeasures -- antibiotics and the like, somewhat more exotic methods, but it is no normal disease. We tried Anima-based healing abilities; they became inured, then twisted them against us. We tried bloodletting when that wouldn't work. Someone even tried to tend to a bite like it was from a snake. It went poorly."

He spreads his hands. "I have no sure-fire ways to remove the Filth. I am certain it is the contagion we were empowered to fight. If it were so easy to get rid of, we would not be here. /You/," he says, focusing on Inga, "would not be here."

Wuyin reaches into his pocket. He withdraws a small rawhide pouch, tied with a cord adorned with some kind of charm not unlike Inga's. He tosses it to her. "The Wabanaki send their thanks," Wu nods at the bag, "for our aid in banishing Jack for another year. Their medicine man thinks that might help. Burn the contents and inhale the smoke."

"He also told me it will cause terrible visions, and that it would be a fight, but..." He smiles, fractionally. "...it's nothing Dresden can't handle, I'm sure."

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    "I like this plan much better." Harry finishes off the second burger as he watches the explanation. He also takes a big swig of coffee, and closes his eyes. Visions. He's had his fill of those this last month or so but...
    "You want me contained again? I've got a warding circle built into the floor of my lab." He rolls his neck as he shuffles out of the couch, tossing the greasy wrappers of his food into the potstove.

    "Come on, can't keep The Filth waiting, now can I?"

Inga has posed:
Inga actually catches the bag. He reflexes are not terrible. She looks at the little medicine bag as Wuyin explains. "Ah...the shaman of the native peoples. I would like to meet this person," she comments, examining the bag while she tries to deal with the knowledge that Harry may be doomed. She refuses to accept that.

Inga nods to Wuyin, cleching her teeth. So, this was what they were made for. "If this is what we are Chosen for, the we are meant to figure out how to combat it," she comments.

She blanches then, looking over to Harry. "You want to do it /now/?" she asks. She worries he may not be well rested enough...but then, doing it may help him rest better. Eeeeh....

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    "Yeah, now. I'm tired, it already wants to get out and if we get it out we can deal with it. Besides." Harry smiles at Inga and looks at Wuyin. "If I was doing anything at all with a clear head I wouldn't have gotten into this mess. Can't start now, that would be unbecoming."

    He starts down the ladder into the basement.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
The bag seems to be full of some kind of powder. The things on the cord are covered in tiny markings that look vaguely like the runes Inga is used to. Weird.

"He would like to meet us as well," he asides. Such a mundane thing, having people meet. Weird to think about given the circumstances. "No rush, apparently. I suppose the fog makes things easier in a sense, being cooped up."

He looks at Dresden, and then at Inga. He doesn't make any move to get up, reaching for another burger instead.

Inga has posed:
Inga sighs heavily. "Fine, but if I can go with you..."

Inga looks down at the bag again, brow furrowing. "I know these runes..." she says, perplexed for a moment. Then, she remembers what they found in the casket of the Illuminati priest. They had exchanged knowledge...had it been passed down since then?

Inga gets up to follow Harry, looking back toward Wuyin. "Are you coming?" she asks.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry is already downstairs, holding up his arms to ease Inga down with her limp. Once that's done, he tugs one of the cushions off the couch and tosses it in the very center of the warding circle. "Besides. Having you guys here means that if we fuck up... Well, then Wuyin or you can use option 1. Promise to not a Death Curse on you even."
    A grump, and he sits on the cushion, looking over at the ladder.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
"I don't have any desire to have terrible visions," Wuyin explains, working on his burger. "It is entirely likely that you'll see what he sees if you're exposed at all, given your own predilection for prophecy, but since I'm neither infected nor a seer..." He shrugs.

Inga has posed:
Inga leans into his arms, trusting him to lower her down the remainer of the way.

At his words, she pales. "That will not happen," she assures him solidly. Can't think about it. Just NOT going to happen.

Also, death curse? What?

Inga sighs to Wuyin. "Very well," she replies. Indeed, haven taken trips before like this...she may make a good companion.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry snorts up at Wuyin. "The door will lock itself on the way out if you're leaving, otherwise stay up there and... uh, come down if you don't hear anything, I guess."

    And with that Harry plucks an athame from a nearby shelf, pricks his thumb, and then settles back in, activating the ring with a breath of energy. Those eyes look right at Inga, and he murmurs. "Got the stuff?"

Inga has posed:
Inga is still holding the bag of dust in her hand, so she nods the affirmative. "Yes. I can get this started," she says, knowing just what to do here. It isn't her first drug-induced trance. Generally, she didn't need assistance when going into trance. Not anymore. She had learned it all the same. "Have you done this before? Gone into a trance that is?" she asks, giving the bag a small sniff, wondering if she would recognize any of the plants used. How old had she been when she had first learned? Ten? She remembers it vividly still.

Inga pulls out a bit of charcoal and lights it, letting it heat before she puts the herbs to burn.

Inga turns toward Harry then, reaching up to place her hands on either side of his face. "Before we do this...you are coming back, as you. We are going to be victorious. Thor's protection and Odin's wisdom and cunning are with you," she says. "I don't want to hear anything about Option 1," she adds, her eyes easily communicating that she can't even think of that as an option. She wouldn't be able to do it. It will NOT come to that.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry smiles. "Only on my own. If you see a fellow who looks like me but better dressed that's my Evil Twin, don't worry, he shouldn't be a problem."

    And then the smoke hits them both.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    This is a mostly empty room. The wet stench of mildew is thick in the air as Inga comes too. A lone wodden table sits in the middle of the room under a bare bulb, with a set of chairs around the table. In one chair is Harry Dresden. In another chair is Harry Dresden who doesn't look like a hobo.

    In another chair is a extremely well dressed man with no face. That's not to say that he hasn't got one, really, but looking right at the face is an effort in futility as any attempt to discern what It looks like just makes your brain hurt.

    Hobo Dresden looks very tired indeed, eyes sunken and body slumped against the wood back of the chair. It looks like the man hasn't slept for a month, and is barely concious.
    Evil Harry is sipping on water and looking idly over at Inga with a leering grin.

    No-Face is implaccable and still.

Inga has posed:
"Your wha--" she begins, but the smoke from the herbs has wafted to her and she breathes it in....

A familiar feeling of detachment, drifting away from awareness of the body...

Then, she is Elsewhere.

Quickly, she takes in the situation. Evil twin? A figment of his unconscious? Not an actual twin, a manifestation, perhaps of the qualities and thoughts he represses. The leering look gets a blink, embarrassment rising even as she moves over to stand by scruffy Harry. She stands behind his chair, letting his head rest against her. She's a much better pillow.

Now, Inga looks to No-Face, repressing a shiver. "Hello," she says to No-Face and Well Dressed Harry. ...Weird. This was not what she'd been expecting. Of course, things change very quickly in a dream-state. It probably won't stay this way.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Tired Harry barely makes a noise as he rests his head against Inga's chest. "Hey." That's it. He's so tired, so damned tired of everything.

    Evil Harry snorts merrily at that. "See, what did I tell you, Spooky? She's got him around her finger already. YOU'RE A CHUMP DRESDEN." He laughs, and leans on the table. "All you have to do is whisper sweet nothings at him, you know. Look at him, he couldn't even say no right now if he tried. Of all the..." He snaps his fingers in front of Harry's face. "Hey hey, stay with me, no sleeping, no napping, not with him here, you know better."
    Tired Harry's eyes struggle open, and he grumbles. "I know I know. Hey Spooky."

    No-Face's notmouth doesn't open. Words flow forth and Inga will recognize them nearly immediately. It's the Buzzing, only with a different cadence. "My child, you know that this would be so much easier if you'd just let me in, you know. I'm already here, you keep me in this little dark space but you're still keeping me here. Taste and know, dear child."

    Harry's lips start to move before Dresden slaps his Good Side in the face. "Shut up, Dresden, you don't have to talk to him."

Inga has posed:
Ignoring comments about her having him wrapped around her finger, she puts steadying hands on his shoulders.

She frowns deeply at No-Face, eyes narrowing slightly. The Filth...is feels so much like the Buzzing. But...different. "He is not going to let you in, not now and not ever. You'll get nowhere in this fight. You are wasting your time," she informs the Filth. Harry is tired, but she believes he can keep this up. She'll do anything i her power to make sure that he can.

Then Evil Harry slaps Hobo Harry. Inga frowns deeper. Was that really necessary?

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    No-Face falls silent, as Hobo Dresden murmurs and rubs at his cheek. "I'm paying attention, don't worry. Not gonna... hnnn. Hi Inga." Yay hands. He leans into her some more.

    Evil Harry grumps and looks up at Inga, pointing a finger accusatorialy. "This is your fault, you know. He traipsed off to look all pomp and puff with you and comes home with a goddamn Thing in his head. GOOD WORK."

    No-Face: "Come now, Mr. Dresden. It would have been somebody there, once the idea got put into someone's head. That's sort of the point. Our wisdom flows so freely. Share and partake. Even you, Seer Inga."
    The Filth is /looking/ at her, honestly /looking/ and the seer can once again feel the scrabbling at the edges of her mind the sensation of someone itching in the flesh behind her ears, little delicate needles of touch.

Inga has posed:
Inga slides her arms around him, radiating reassurace. "Hello Harry. I'm here," she says quietly, even while looking at his double accross the table. How incredibly strange this all is, but that thought is just a passing breeze. These sorts of things are always strange, but the immersion makes most things that would be bizarre to the waking mind seem ordinary, expected. Dreams speak their own language.

Guilt surges. It is her fault. She couldn't have known how the Filth spread, she still knows so little...but she is at least partly responsible. She sighs to Other Harry. "I know. He doesn't fight alone," she says. She's been with him, doing all she can.

Inga steels herself, wrapping her will tight around her mind like a cloak. Being so close to No-Face...she knows he's looking for a way in. She's not about to invite him. Walls come down as Inga begins to chant under her breath, chanting the names of the runes as a warding against the attempted intrusion. "I don't think so. There's only room for so many voices in my mind--no space for you," she replies.

"I have no intention of letting Harry fight you alone. I will do everything in my power to help him resist you if we can't remove you. You should go of your own will," she says. Inga is young, small, and only newly an immortal. But she's has spent her life training, seeing the strands of fate, hearing the voices of the gods and the Bees. She is used to being listened to, and as stubborn as they come.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    The Filth /smiles/ at the defenses... and steps back from the assault. "You should know that We do not fight alone either. Despite Mr. Dresden and Mr. Dresden's efforts here, We flow. There is only so much even a wizard can do. Only so much a Chosen can do on their own."
    "Do you not see, Inga? You are so much stronger when you work with others but your numbers... so small. So pitiful. You are having trouble with just a part of Us. You could be so much more."

    Another person in the room. Inga. Confident, stong tall, intact and glorious Inga. Look at you, Inga, you look like one of Odin's own, that valkyr you admired so. Strong and powerful and cunning, your visions carry you and yours past and beyond. Smite the fog, bring down the awful zombies, claim your birthright. It's there, right there for you.

    Valkyr Inga holds out her hand to Seer Inga.

Inga has posed:
Inga stands tall (so to speak) as the Filth replies, trying to shake her confidence by telling how powerful it is. She has no doubt of that. She'd never thought she'd need to face something like this. It was hard, so hard. But that is how the gods use their chosen. Inga had never for a moment in time thought her life with be easy.

Even so, the vision that assails her now is a slap in the face. Suddenly another Her. Tall, unbent, untwisted. Strong and well made. Beautiful and powerful. That could be her, a shield-maiden volva, riding beside the Allfather's own valkyries--victory, victory for the people, victory for the gods. No one would forget the gods then. She wouldn't be a disapointment...she owed the gods everything, surely...

Inga almost reaches for that hand, but life has told her if something seems too good, too perfect...than is surely a lie. This is an offer that comes with a price that is too steep for her to pay.

She recoils, shaking her head. "No. I will be more, without your intervention," she informs No-Face, iron in her voice.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Valkyr Inga shrugs and in a glorious carrying voice murmurs. "Why not? Honestly, why not, Chosen? I am but a glimpse of what your potential is. What do you think they were, dear heart? If not the Chosen of the Gods?"
    The Valkyr attempts to sit at the table with the rest, but-
    Both Good Harry and Evil Harry produce staves out of the ether and bellow at her. "FOZARE!" And with an exertion of will that seems to diminish Tired Harry double, blow the fantastic, lovely and enticing Inga away in a cloud of smoke. And then No-Face is very close so very close to Tired Harry, but somehow farther way from Inga at the same time. That divide of inches might as well be a mile. "Wizard Dresden, are you saying you'd rather let me in" letmein letmein letmein letmein "than let her let me in?" letmein letmein letmein letmein

    Tired Harrys eyes wobble, and Evil Harry's face hardens. "Dresden. DRESDEN."

Inga has posed:
Inga shakes her head at herself. "Because it is a lie, and I will not live it," she replies.

Harry, er, both of them, snap out with a blast of force, blowing the other Inga away in a puff of smoke. That's all she'd ever been.

But the Filth is closer to Harry now. Inga curses. She takes hold of Harry's face, moving around to look him in the eye. "Don't you dare Harry. Don't you dare. Don't worry about me, I'm strong enough. I'm not going to listen to his tricks and his promises. You are strong enough too. Don't you DARE put yourself in danger for me Harry, I would have to live with it forever. So don't you fucking dare," she she says, hands tight on his scruffy cheeks. "Time to fight."

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    letmeinletmeinletmein LETMEIN LET ME IN SHE IS USING YOU DRESDEN SHE WANTS YOUR POWER SHE DOESN'T CARE SHE IS HERE FOR ME AND NOT FOR YOU SHE DOES NOT CARE SHE CAME BECAUSE OF ME AND WHEN I LEAVE SO SHALL SHE. SHE IS THE PARASITE let me in letmein letmein letmein. No-Face's Face is implaccable and examining as Harry's eyes fight to stay focused on Inga, a pleading look there as she grabs at his beard. "I'm tired. He's been in here for... for it's like forver. He's... I... It's not right, Inga to have you... to have you be the one. I..."

    letmeinletmein LET ME IN LET ME IN child our wisdom flows so freely just take a sip and you'll see so much just believe and be with us
    The shaking snaps Harry forward and those eyes focus again. "Help me. There's... There's a door somewhere. He got in through there, I... we can..."

Inga has posed:
Inga won't leave. One look in her eyes should tell him that much. Those eyes are brown-green like tree bark, intense and alive, terrified and stubborn. "Look at me. I know you are tired. You've been fighting well Harry. You have to keep going. It isn't over yet. It doesn't have to be either of us. Burn him," she says.

His eyes come into focus. Her mouth hardens into a thin line. "I'm with you--lets find it," she says, pulling at him, trying to help /him/ to his feet. Its a ridiculous thought, but no, it can't be ridiculous. This isn't her physical body. She's not limited by that here. "Come on Harry, lean on me," she says, looking around for a door.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    No-Face remains seated at its chair though, as Evil Harry hops up on the table and cheers happily at the pair. "He's safe here with me, I can assure you! I can't make deals!"

    The room is not a room, there room is a clutter now. A wide and vast mess, books and music and thoughts and memories all jumbled together. And through it all there is a thin stream of blackness, seeping in the cracks of Harry's memories, oozing and starting to find itself a home. Dresden leans weakly on Inga's shoulder, and the Wizard's eyes cast about. "Uh... there's. There's got to be a spot with all my visions in here somewhere. The stuff I See when I Look.

Inga has posed:
Inga glances at Evil Harry. She sure hopes not. She has to remember herself that he IS Harry, just...parts of Harry he doesn't exercise as much consciously. She nods to him, then moves with hobo-Harry, the room changing around them.

A cluttered mess. Well, that's a pretty clear metaphor. No mistaking that. She looks to the blackness, though she never lets her gaze linger over-long, cautious. "You've put it all...in a box," she comments, dragging him forward, eyes searching. "Gods help us..." she prays, beginning to sort through things, willing her intuition, the voice of the gods or the Buzzing to give her /something/ to work with, some direction.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry's mess of a brain is leaking, that's for sure, but the little box the pair just left has a drip drip drip in one corner, the Filth indeed spreading out into the rest of the Wizard. Or trying to. The puddles shift and contract and shift like a slime mold, the contractions making Harry look even more exhausted.

    But he does put out the effort, tossing bags full of papers around, sudden images.
    Every meal Harry's eaten in the last 8 weeks.
    The sorrow of Witch Samhain as he held the girl's hands.
    Morning coffee with Inga.
    Consultations with Sona and Ahri.
    Snow White looking worried but stoic.

    Nothing that's helping. Another tickle at the back of Inga's head though.

    listen and know...
    Dear child, where does everything scary live when you cannot sleep?
    When you cannot reason?

    Bigger than a breadbox but dark as night, it lies beneath you as you dream and Harry kicks all his dirty clothes under there and that's why you can't find them.

    Oh.

Inga has posed:
Inga wonders at the imagines he's throwing around in their frantic search. That was the witch he'd fought? Comforted? Who remembered every meal they'd eaten for such along time? She's there in one of the images, at least. Strange, to see herself from the outside...

A voice, a prickle at her mind. Inga stops sifting through things and listens.

Inga turns to Harry, her eyes wide. "Under the bed Harry you've shoved them under the bed!" she exclaims, looking around again. The bed ought to appear.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    There's the bed alright. It's bigger than it should be though, and the darknes beneath it promises things. Things like-

    The KEEP OUT sign that's suddenly hanging over the edge of the bed, right in Inga's face. Harry looks hesitantly over at the bed and grumbles. "Oh, right, that's where I... put things I'd rather not... uh." He swallows. "Maybe we should just go back, I mean... we could try lighting my brain on fire, really that might help."

Inga has posed:
Inga takes Harry by the hand firmly, shaking her head. "No, we're not going back," she says.

The wisewoman turns to Harry then, looking up at him, meeting his eyes again. She reaches up with her other hand and yanks him downward so she can kiss him, quick but firm and warm. It's a spirit journey. It is the thought that counts, but she felt like she should do it anyway.

Inga then reaches out to push aside the Keep Out sign.

Which she can't read anyway!

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Dresden is sudenyl surprised by the kiss, like all the way surprised and stands up, slightly stunned. There is drool coming out of the side of his mouth.
    Though actually that might be a result of what Inga is about to do. She pushes at that sign... and Inga will get a sudden rush of images. It is nearly blinding. Every time Harry's used his Soul Gaze. Every time he's used his Third Eye. All of it is underneath here as the Seer dives in. It won't have the same effect on her, but she's treated to THE UNBLINKING EYE OF THE UNCONQUERED SUN, the true face of a number of Red Court Vampires, Marcone is a tiger amongst lesser men, the deep and faith filled soul of Michael Carpenter.

    And there at the bottom of the pile of images is the glimpse Harry got of the Filth. Actually once she's past the rush of images, she's looking down at a shoebox under the bed which seems all the more reasonable. And all of those memories are there in very sturdy scrapbook in that shoebox, with more KEEP OUT on the top of it. Inga's been loking through it, hasn't she?

    The page with the image of the Filth is slowly soaking the book, and... wait, this is where that black tar has been coming from the whole time. All of it from here. The box and the bed are soaking in it, the ooze pooling out from unerneath her hands now.

Inga has posed:
It is enough to drive many people mad. Enough to drive anyone to distraction. An absolute flood of images and sensation smashes into her like a breaking wave, temporarily knocking her silly. Thoughts scatter and Inga tries to grab toward the surface, find her way back to air as the ocean of the unconscious tosses her around like drift wood.

But maybe she is the perfect person to do this, because this is not the first time she'd had her mind blown by visions. This was very similar to what it was to see the orlog woven by the Norns....to see the future in myriad possibility, mercurial as moments tick by. As with that, she had to find a strand and grab it, follow it.

She grabs the shoebox, rips off the lid without even trying to read the writing. She flips through the scrapbook quickly, fevered, looking...

The oozing. The blackness. There it is. Isolate it. "I've found it," she says as the blackness pools underneath her hands. "Destroy it, we have to destroy it," she continues, scared that it would do something to his mind, to the connections...could they truly isolate it?

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    The page calls to her again.
    letmein letmein letmein letmein LET ME IN LET ME IN LET ME IN

    Harry staggers over and desperately grabs at the edge of the page and tugs at it... but cannot budge it. "Take it out take it out take it out take it out."

Inga has posed:
Inga reaches for her belt, where she always keeps her knife. A seax. It was given to her by her mentor. She'd sacrificed a hundred times with this knife. It had power, meaning. "Told you, no room," she replies to the voice, then stabs the oozing page with her knife, channeling her anima. She begins to try to cut the page out of the scrapbook.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Blood. There is so much blood coming from that page. Black deep heartsblood, artierial spray all over, as the ichor drips from the knife and starts to fizzle away into the air. There is a strangled scream from both the page and Harry and the room and everything starts to swim and wobble in the dream a-

    Harry Dresden body in real life suddenly falls over to the ground, a trickle of blood running out of an ear. He is screaming. Inga is forcefully ejected from the dream.

    The blood runnign from Harry's ear starts to turn black and tarlike.

Inga has posed:
A forceful ejection from a trance is like being smacked in the head with a big stick. Inga almost falls fully unconscious, the black, no dreams kind of unconscious. She lets out a strangled scream by manages to cling stubbornly to consciousness, willing herself back into the Now. Someone is screaming.

Harry is screaming.

Inga lunges forward, reaching for him, taking him by the shoulders, ready to pull him into her arms, heal him, something! She sees then the blood turn black...The Filth.

Inga growls, actually pulling her knife in the material world now. She stabs herself, and as soon as the blood flows she charges it with anima, willing it to BURN. Blood like acid, she attacks the Filth.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Ejected from the nice warm confines of Harry's brain and without a good place to go, the Filth itself has no cover, no place to go and nothing to possibly do to stop what's about to happen.

    Which is to be scorched by the heat of Inga's righteous anger. A dull fizzling noise and the acrid smell of flames on something chemical...

    And then it's over. Is it over? Harry's voice still and he's panting now, blood still dripping from his ear. "Hnn hnn ffffnnn what the hell did you do, Inga? I... Stars and Stones..."

Inga has posed:
Inga's eyes are fearsome, her expression twisted in wrath as she burns the Filth before it can infect anything else. She's thorough. She hopes it is enough.

Inga turns her attention fully on Harry, reaching over to wipe the blood from his ear, her fierce expression replaced by one of tender concern. "By the gods...I think it's done," she comments.

Her blood still flows too, and while she just used it to destroy, she now uses it to heal. She channels her anima draws a rune on his skin, healing energy flowing into his body. "Harry? How do you feel? Look at me," she says, trying to see into his eyes. She's afraid he'll be...damaged. Or that there will be a shadow waiting there to taunt her and tell her they've failed.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    The wizard's voice rumbles in his throat as he coughs and sputters, the healing energy swatting at him like a shock. "Hnngf. Hello hi, I... It's... oh it's quiet. Oh." Finger's lift up to rub at his eyes, and Harry's face slackens a bit. He's listening.

    "Hells bells I can't hear it. I c-I can't. I can't hear it. Hnng, what did you do? I don't even know what I'm supposed to be listening for but I know there was something."

Inga has posed:
Inga looks into his eyes, searching... but he says he doesn't hear it. Tears rise quickly, blurring her vision. She lets them spill just so she can see clearly again. "I...I don't know. I...stabbed it. We found it and I cut it out, then I burned it away," she tells him, laughing, a little giddy. There's even more in her head than before. Would she forget that flood? Surely, some of it would stick with her.

She can't keep doing this.

Tears are streaming. She launches forward and hugs him tightly.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry oofs and falls back to the concrete floor of the basement lab and just lies there with Inga on top of him, eyes closing. "Oh heck. Whatever it was, all i had was some stupid fever dream about doing weight lifting with Psyber only the weights were giant Reeses Cups and uh... I..."

    He lamely hugs Inga and just lies there. "What did you see?"

Inga has posed:
Inga just clings to him, closing her eyes, trying to breathe evenly. What did she see? Too much. "I don't understand....you were there with me. You don't remember?" she asks. "There were /two/ parts of you, even. There was also-" Inga remembers the other Her. The perfect one. Harry (plural? Harrys?) had blown her away.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Hands lift up into Inga hair and the Wizard snorts. "Oh. Of course. Just like him to be like that. He didn't make any moves at you did he? Other me is a jerk but... uh. He means well but he'd rather I not be in the situation I'm in."

Inga has posed:
Inga laughs, holding tighter. "No...well, he looked at me like--well nevermind. He...you? blamed me," she sighs. "If I hadn't taken you to Kingsmouth it ever would have happened. If I had known more about it..." another sighs. "No sense in talking like that, is there?"

"The situation you are in? I hope it is a situation you are no longer in," she says. Is it truly gone? "You don't feel it anymore? You don't hear it?" she asks again for confirmation. It could be hiding, she supposes...but likely only time would tell. For the moment, she had to think they'd done it.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry Dresden lifts Inga up and away from himself, reaches under his shirt and pulls Inga's amulet up and over his head, playing it on the floor next to the two of them.

    "Let's see."

Inga has posed:
She almost freak out, reaching to make him stop--but he's right. How will they know?

She looks at the amulet, then she looks at Harry very carefully. She cosciously widens her awareness a little, wondering if she's pick up on any...odd things--but ready to snap her mind closed as quick as possible in case the Filth was just waiting to jump into /her/ mind.

She hadn't lied. It was very crowded in there already.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry Dresden just sits there. And sits there. And sits there.

    There is a soft and even breathing from the wizard.
    Also the start of snoring.

Inga has posed:
Inga waits, poised and ready, hand on her knife..

Nothing happens.

Harry begins to snore. Inga lets a giddy giggle escape her lips as she reaches over and shakes him slightly. "Harry...I know you're exhausted, but at least walk to the bed," she says.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry's eyes flutter open and he snorts and grumbles. "What, oh right right uh zuh hold on, uh." He shuffles up to his feet and... and reaches down to take the amulet, slipping it back around his neck. "can't forget the courting gift, now can I?" A lazy grin and he shuffles over towards the ladder, holding out a hand to give Inga a boost.

Inga has posed:
Well, the talisman still works. It would help protect him from the Filth in the future.

It also looks cool.

Inga's cheeks color at the mention of a courting gift even as she rolls her eyes. "Tch, so why haven't you gotten me anything?" she chides, accepting his help from out of the basement.

Assumably, Wuyin is gone and not still sitting there eating hamburgers.

Wuyin Tsai has posed:
Wuyin is gone and is not still sitting there eating hamburgers. He even cleaned up!

Harry might find a paperback or two missing. He's been left a copy of the 2013 HIVEmode Magazine (Fashion for the Post-Mundane!) and the most recent issue of Weird Non-Fiction Magazine in trade.

And a phone number. Presumably, it's Wuyin's. The note just says 'just in case.'