1500/Mercy for Rain

Mercy for Rain
Date of Scene:	20 July 2017
Location:	West Harlem - Mercy's Garage
Synopsis:	Sarah Rainwalker drops her bike off at Mercy's Garage for repairs. The two encounter a very angry Storm Spirit. Negotiations result.
Cast of Characters:	Mercy Thompson, Gothic Lolita, Rainmaker

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Mercy Thompson has posed:
Weekends. They're a tricky sort of thing, especially on a Sunday and for businesses. It's hard to find one open this late in the afternoon, but there are some.

Eateries, a few clothing stores and one auto-repair shop.

Mercy's Garage sits at the corner of a street with West Harlem, surrounded on one side by another place of business (closed) and the parking lot for her particular business. The front door has a sign hanging upon it that says 'Yes, We're Open' in bold print.

The actual garage door, which can be seen from the parking lot, is around the building and currently open. A quiet sort of music might be heard from the interior of the garage port, but in-between those strands of musical notes is the rhythmic pounding of hammer upon metal. It'll stop occasionally as the woman within pauses to gauge the success of beating a particular nasty dent from the backend of a car. Right this moment the noise has stopped and Mercy, dressed in her mechanic coveralls, critically eyes the ding. "Nope. Don't think this is going to work." Mercy mutters to herself, even as she crouches down slightly to press a hand to the inverted bit of metal.

Straightening, the dark-haired woman steps away from the car for a moment, intending to reach for another tool that sits within a toolbox right next to her feet.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    Outside, she can hear the rumble of an approaching engine. However...oh, that...does not sound good at all. That poor motor. It's sounding like it's badly in need of some love, even if it's running, as she can hear it pull up outside the garage outside. There's a moment of blessed silence as it shuts off...but you suspect you maaaaay be about to get a customer in need of your services.

    A moment later a voice calls from the front of the garage. "Hello?" Sarah steps into view, pulling off a green and red helmet as she shakes out her hair, currently bound up in a loose ponytail, then tugs off the scrunchy holding it in place, running her fingers through it.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Even with the music playing Mercy Thompson can hear the pain of that poor engine. It's enough to bring her head up, her gaze narrowing. Eventually her head will cock slightly as her enhanced hearing pinpoints what direction the engine is coming from; and also that it's coming to her garage.

That 'early warning', if you will, affords Mercy enough time to put away most of her tools and even clean up her work area, as well as herself. The small hand-towel she used to wipe her hands free of oil and grease is tossed aside, as she moves toward the connecting door.

Just as Sarah says hello that door is opening to admit Mercy through. "Hello -" Begins the coyote, her hand already extended outward as she steps around the counter to greet Sarah, "- welcome to Mercy's garage. Sounds like you're having a bit of a problem?"

And while there are many Native American's 'off the reservation', it still seems few and far between, which allows the softest note of surprise to flicker in Mercy's brown eyes. That surprise only lasts a second, before her expression turns less polite and more friendly.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    The other woman looks equally pleasantly suprised as she looks up for working out a little snarl in her long raven waterfall of hair. "Oh...hi there...you're Mercy?" she says curiously. "And yes..." she says, looking a bit sheepish. "I definitely need some help." She offers her hand. "I'm Sarah...Sarah Rainmaker."

    Her handshake is strong, which matches...she looks like the type of girl who takes her exercise seriously, and definitely doesn't mind flaunting the result either, from the relatively skimpy top she's currently wearing. "I picked up this bike from this guy..." she begins. "But I don't know anything about fixing it up, and I can tell it really, really needs some TLC..."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"That's me." Mercy says easily enough to that question of Sarah's, her smile turning to a grin now, even as she shakes the other woman's hand. Unlike Sarah's own strong grip, Mercy's is neither too tight, nor too limp. It's just a regular simple handshake. "And nice to meet you too, Sarah."

Once the handshake is completed, the coyote will turn her gaze to the front door. She'll even nod to it, even as she takes a step towards the door. "Why don't we go take a look at your bike?" She states, her gaze moving back to the other Native American woman. "And see what's going on with it. I heard that poor thing a block away." Which might be an exaggeration for anyone else, but not Mercy. She really did hear it a block away. "What sort of bike is it?" She asks, even as she pushes the door open and holds it for the other woman to step out of.

And as the two step outside, Mercy's gaze will automatically scan the parking lot for the aforementioned bike.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    The other Amerindian woman follows, after setting her helmet on the front desk. Outside is what looks like what was a very nice classic Indian Chief motorcycle. It looks like it had at once time a very nice jade green custom paint job, though it's chipped off in places..it honestly looks like someone rode this cycle down into the ground at some point and never got around to trying to repair it. There's a definite dent at the front curve of the metal over the front wheel, and the seat looks a bit tattered...signs of someone having left it outside without much protection. The engine itself looks like it could use a good cleaning, and suggests that someone hasn't cleaned it inside either, from the sound it was making when it came in. It was a beautiful bike...now it definitely could use some care.

    Sarah says. "I figured at the least the engine probably needs a bit more oil, I made sure I filled it before I tried to drive it. But I think it was sitting for a while...do...do you think you can do anything with it?" She's reeeeally hoping she didn't make a mistake, but it looked like such a nice bike for the price in the pictures.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Stepping outside and across the parking lot, Mercy will circle the bike twice, her gaze taking in the damage, the neglect, even the misuse. A nearly silent whistle will leave her lips as her experienced eye categorizes everything that needs fixed; as well as those that she thinks /possibly/ might need fixed. "It's a lovely bike." Mercy says, as she stops near Sarah, "It'll be even lovelier with a bit of work." Her hands settle upon her hips now, as she looks between bike and woman. That hesitant question of Sarah's is nodded at, as the coyote says, "But yes, I think we can work with what we've got. My only question is how much do you want to spend? We could do the whole refurbishing bit, but I can tell you that's going to take some /money/."

"My suggestion would be letting me look at the engine to see what's going and perhaps pounding out some of the dents I can see. The paint, the seat, the more cosmetic things can come last."

She'll tilt her head towards the side of the garage, "Want to wheel it back?" And she'll wait until the other woman gives the a-ok, before she starts to walk around to the actual garage. While there's a car within the interior there's still enough room for the bike to be brought inside.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    The other woman sighs at that, folding her arms under her chest. "...that makes sense. I don't know, I could leave it here for a bit, but..I might have to pay you over time instead of all at once." She frowns, idly brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, the feathers there swaying from the motion. "I don't really make big paychecks. But.." she looks hopeful. "If you could fix it all, eventually...that'd be wonderful." she offers.

    At the question, she nods, taking hold of the handlebars and leaning it up, before a bit awkwardly getting the kickstand back up, before rolling. to where you lead her. "I wasn't sure if you did bikes or not, honestly...but the guy I brought it from suggested you'd be the best chance for it, if you did."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy will keep pace with Sarah and her bike and once the two are near to the garage she'll motion the other woman inside. A patch of space next to the car she was previously working on will be indicated. "Just put her right there." She says, even as she turns to the toolbox that sits upon a work bench. Several things will be taken from it, with one being a small bright flashlight. Flicking the flashlight on, Mercy will crouch down by the bike and play the bright beam upon the engine. Granted, it doesn't allow her to see inside per se, but it allows her to see the degradation upon the body of the engine.

And while the coyote stays silent for a few seconds, as she starts to really look at the bike, eventually Mercy says, "Volkswagen's are my speciality, but I can fix bikes and other models of cars too." A quick flash of a grin is given to the other woman, "So, short answer is a definite yes." Straightening from her crouch Mercy continues with, "A lot of my clients can't always pay everything up front and I'm fine with that. We can do a payment plan, something monthly perhaps, or a barter system. I can't tell you how many homemade meals I've accepted when a person couldn't pay." And she seems totally fine with that. "Do you work here in the city?" Mercy asks curiously, even as she clicks the light off, "Or live nearby? I'd hate to have you leave the bike here overnight without an easy way to get home."

Rainmaker has posed:
    She gets the bike situated, then steps back to watch you work, her dark eyes curious. And...well, a bit interested, sharpening slightly as you crouch, admiring. "Hmm?" She catches herself as you look back up at her, looking innocent. "Oh, well...I live in town right now, but I'm hoping that I can use it to get around. I don't really have a way to do that easily right now, other than a bus or...something." Which would be flying, and she tries to avoid that where people will see her doing it. The winds give her away, if nothing else.

    "Well..I do do a mean curry, if you'd like..." she says with an easy smile. "Um, well...not nearby, no." she admits. "I can probably get home fine though. How would you like to do this then?" she says thoughfully.

    There's a slight pause. "And...if I can ask, what tribe?" she says thoughfully. "...Western Apache here."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Innocent. While other's might not catch that interest, Mercy realizes something caught Sarah's attention. It's the coyote's nose, it's sensitive to everything, especially when the person is so close.

So, that innocent expression of Sarah's earns a quick quirk of amusement from the mechanic, even as Mercy tosses the flashlight back in her toolbox.

"Why don't I keep the bike for tonight, get the engine looked at and situated, and give you a ride home too. That way you don't have to wait on a bus or cab."

Already Mercy is moving to put her garage back to rights; tools in cabinets, cars closed up, work benches cleaned. It's going to take a few minutes, but nothing terribly long. Mercy's garage is quite neat, tidy and orderly. As for that last question of Sarah's, Mercy will pause in her clean-up to answer. "Blackfoot Tribe." She answers easily enough, her hands idly pushing a few of the drawers beneath the work benches closed. "How long have you been in the city?" She'll ask, hazarding a guess that Sarah wasn't necessarily born and raised in New York.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The other woman looks honestly suprised at that, but...there's also a little of that warm interest in her dark eyes at the idea of riding back with you. "Really? Well...I'd appreciate it, though it's really taking you out of your way..." she says, clasping her hands behind her back as she backs up to get out of your way as you start straightening up.

    "Neat...I don't think I've met any Blackfoot before, but I was waaaay west and now I'm kind of way east...' she says cheerfully. "I got here a couple months back? Moved here with some friends. We're still getting settled though, so...thus the small paycheck. One of my friends is really good at computers though, so she's sort of keeping us afloat with contract work." Because it's really hard to get a job when you can't use your actual ID or social security number without being tracked.

    She looks thoughful. "I don't want to take you away from your work if you're busy, are you sure?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it." Says Mercy Thompson with a brief smile for the other woman; though hardly flirting. "Let me just finish cleaning up the space here and we can head out."

"I, however, do not have as cool a ride as your motorcycle." States the coyote, her voice turning somewhat wry with humor, "Well, to most people at least. I personally like my car." She states with that same tone of amusement, even as she pulls out a ring of keys from a pocket of her coveralls.

The comment of tribes and moving is given a nod, even as Mercy motions for the other woman to step outside of the garage. It's time to bring the door down and lock everything up tight. "I can't say I've met too many of anyone out this way, honestly. You're actually the first in a long time. Though to be fair I wasn't raised within the tribe. Mostly rural Montana."

Once the door is all secured, as well as the front, Mercy trots towards a fully restored Volkswagen Beetle. It may not be as flashy as a motorcycle, but it's clear Mercy put a lot of work into it. And while she was just about to ask what Sarah does for a day job, Mercy will pause again, as she answers that last question once more. "I'm sure. Come on, let's get going." Popping the driver side door open, Mercy will hit the locks to unlock the passenger side. "What sort of work are you in?" She'll say, finally asking that momentarily stalled question.

Rainmaker has posed:
    "We can't all be lucky enough to have such an awesome, hey-will-it-actually-make-it-there sort of bike, after all." Sarah says with amusement as she watches, then ducks out the garage as you move to close the door. She follows after, moving to the passenger side, her eyes lighting appreciatively. She nods as Mercy confirms it, feeling vaguely guilty but..well, if she says it's okay, it's obviously okay. "Oh, that's neat! You restored this yourself?" she asks as she gently brushes her fingers along the top of the little car. "Oh, well..." She opens the passenger side, then slips in, wiggling back into the seat. "Well...mostly I help out with volunteer work right now. It doesn't pay really well, but it's something, and at least I feel like I'm doing something useful." she says, philosphically, looking over to you as you join her inside. She pulls the belt over her chest, locking it in place as she sifts a little, then reaches behind her with both lands, gathering up her hair before she leans back to move it to hang loosely over her right shoulder once the belt's in place.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Sarah's description of her bike earns a laugh from Mercy.

Then, "Yup." Mercy says, a faint note of pride in her voice when the other woman realizes Mercy restored the bike, "It took /a lot/ of time, but I did." Once Sarah's within the car, Mercy soon follows, as she too pulls the seat-belt over. "Move the seat back as much as you want, if you need to. I don't mind." She'll say, even as she fits key to ignition. Turning the key will bring the engine to life with a soft sort of rumble; it definitely sounds better than the bike Sarah road in on.

"There's nothing wrong with volunteer work. If it makes you feel good and you're helping people more power to you and it." Begins Mercy, even as she flicks a quick look at her mirrors, checking the parking lot even though she's fairly certain no one is around. "After college I sort of drifted for some time. Spent a little time flipping burgers, spent a little time pretending I was going to get my graduate degree, and then I landed here. After that everything else fell into place." Her head tilts slightly now, as she follows it up with a faint snort for her rambling, "So, I suppose what I'm saying here, is I'm sure you'll find the path best for you if you at it."

"Which part of the city am I heading to?" Asks the coyote, even as she shifts the car to reverse and backs out of the parking spot. "Inner city? Suburbs?"

Rainmaker has posed:
    That brings a grateful sigh as Sarah promptly reaches down to just that...it's a bit cramped with her long legs, but she stretches as she pushes the seat back as far as it can go. "Thanks..." she says with a smile. She nods. "Oh, nothing wrong with it, just...well, you get paid when you get paid sometimes." she says philosophically. It's not like she does it to get paid the big bucks, after all. Her lips quirk slightly as she nods, a slightly wistful light going over her eyes at the mention of college

    Outside, there's a rumble overhead...the clouds threatening to finally release the rain they've seemed to be storing up all the day, but without a sign of even a sprinkle. Lightning flashes a little in the distance, drawing Sarah's attention for a moment, before she wiggles around a bit so she's looking more at you. "Ulrecht....you know where that is? It's right on the edge of Little China." she clarifies. "What degree did you get?" she says thoughfully, her eyes on your face now. She's trying hard not to push, but she can't help admiring a little bit.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Even as Mercy pays attention to the road, because she is a very good driver, she can't help but to catch the slight wistfulness from the other woman. It's a light sort of note to her scent and it's enough to bring the coyote's gaze off the road for a second and to the other woman.

Then it's back to the road, even as her gaze flicks to the heavily laden sky. Her gaze sweeps the clouds and the flash of lightning for a second, before she's looking back at the street. "I do." Is what Mercy will say, when Sarah asks if she knows where Ulrecht is and with the area now know, Mercy confidently takes a left-hand turn, heading to where Sarah lives.

The question about a degree earns another look from the coyote, and a grin too, "History." She answers with, "Which doesn't exactly mesh well with my job here, but it was history." There will be a beat of silence from the mechanic, before she asks, "No plans to attend college yourself?"

Rainmaker has posed:
    There's another CRACK of thunder, this time closer, moment after you can see a bolt of lightning snaking down to touch down a few miles away. "History is fun though..." The other woman say with a soft smile. "I'm guessing you like cars more than you like doing history?" She mms, then looks out the window for a bit at the question. "...it's not really possible for me." she says quietly, then smiles wryly, looking back over. "I've got people I need to help out, anyway. It'd be a bit selfish of me." She rests her hands in her lap, then winces as the sky suddenly opens like a waterfall, a rush of rain starting to pour down. It's like a mini-monsoon at first, another rumble of thunder overhead as the wind picks up, gusting against the small car.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
The thunder causes Mercy's gaze to rise upward to the sky again. A vague frown settles upon the older woman's face now, as she considers just how bad the storm might be. "I love history." She agrees, even as she side-eyes the other woman. "But, I love being a mechanic more. Though it doesn't necessarily pay as well as teaching history as a tenured professor." Which is what she'd likely have gone into, if she had completed everything past her Bachelors.

The mention of college not being possible for Sarah earns another actual look from Mercy. The coyote will allow a slight tilt of her head as she listens to what the rest of what Sarah has to say. "We all have people we need to help out with." Starts Mercy, even as her gaze is pulled back to the storm, as it finally breaks open. "That doesn't mean you can't better yourself. For what it's worth that's hardly selfish."

Once the rain starts, Mercy quickly turns on the windshield wipers, as well as the headlights. "Man, some storm. Wasn't quite expecting it to be this severe."

Rainmaker has posed:
    The younger girl inhales a bit as the rain hits the car, then breathes out slowly. "...damn...this is pretty heavy, yeah..." She sits up a bit more, getting more alert, though she looks over at Mercy as she gently prods her about college again. Her lips quirk a bit at that, as if she's finding something wryly amusing, though her eyes soften. "I know that. I just....can't right now." she says softly. "It would bring trouble to people if I tried." The other woman deserves honestly, even if she's hesistant about elaborating on the reasons.

    Really, being pursued by a covert black-ops element of the government sucks big time at times. She's sort of given up on having a normal life or getting closer to a college classroom than whatever text books she can grab from the used book store.

    As the wind gusts again, she grabs for the door hand to balance herself, this time rocking the little car harder.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy is likewise paying attention to the storm, even as she listens to the other woman. The mention of trouble brings the coyote's attention back to Sarah for a split-second -

"I understand trouble." She begins, her expression moving to something akin to understanding, though perhaps it's more empathy and understanding, than just one emotion. Mercy Thompson definitely understands trouble and troubling circumstances.

"I hope the trouble ends soon for you and your friends." Because she's going to take a guess that involves her friends too, even if Mercy isn't quite sure it does. "You know you could always -" Take online classes, that's what she was going to finish with, but the words are abruptly cut-off, as that gust of wind batters the little Beetle-Bug car. While Mercy had a two-handed grip upon the steering wheel, the strength with which she holds the wheel increases, as the car is rocked. While it's not yet a white-knuckled grip, it's definitely close. That force behind the wind is enough to buffet the two into the other land and thankfully no other car is there to stop them.

"Dang it." Mutters the woman, her words sounding much more like 'damn it', "It might be safer to pull over until this storm passes."

Rainmaker has posed:
    She's listening to you, that's obvious, it's like she's trying to end the conversation by acting disinterested. But the woman next to you is now a little tense. As the wind hits she braces herself, her lips frowning like she's listening to something.

    She can feel it in the way the windows blow, the...unnaturalness of the patterns. "This isn't right..." she says softly. "This isn't a natural storm. Something has the winds." She leans back into her chair, blinking. "Y-yeah, good plan?" she says belatedly, looking over a bit worriedly now. She hasn't felt something like this before, it's like someone else like her is touching the storm. Then her eyes suddenly widen as she throws up her hands. "NO!"

    There's a sharp BOOOM that shakes the car as a lightning bolt streaks down and hits your car directly this time, the inside flashing in the harsh light as you're connected for a moment with the sky. But instead of running over the car, the lightning seems to bend, pulling into the young woman next to you as it runs over her body for a moment, then as she lets out a ragged gasp of effort, it bends out of her again as she slaps her hand against the window, firing out of it to strike a tree by the road as it goes up like a torch. She collapses back into the chair, panting quickly now, smoking slightly.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Acting disinterested is a good ploy to use, but it's one Mercy has seen before. Both from using it herself in the past and others. That forced disinterest earns a quick side-eye from Mercy, but that's about it. With the storm ratcheting upward the majority of the mechanic's attention is focused on the road -

At about the same time that Sarah offers those soft words about the storm, Mercy likewise feels the oddity of it. It's more along the lines of what her senses are telling her; her magical senses. And right now they're telling her something is /wrong/. Very wrong.

Even without those quiet words of warning from Sarah, Mercy would still have moved the car over. She merges to the next lane and then towards curbside and it's just as she's pulling off the street that the other woman shouts that denial. That NO is enough to cause Mercy to slam the breaks on, her gaze whipping around to Sarah. Her mouth opens to ask what, but that *BOOM* of sound erupts around the two women and more specifically car. "Holy -" Mother of God, perhaps? But that sentence of Mercy's isn't finished, not when she watches Sarah literally take the lightning upon herself, before letting it escape back outside and onto a tree.

"That's quite a trick." The coyote says, her eyes wide; sure, she's seen /stuff/, but never anyone stealing a bolt of lightning like that. Then at the sight of the slightly smoking woman, "Are you okay?"

And finally, "And you're right, this isn't normal. Something magical is causing this." Spirit magic, though she doesn't get quite that technical, not yet.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The other woman is thrown forward by the break against her belt, reaching out reflexively to put her hands on the dash in front of her. Her hair is now floating in the air, apparently from the static charge, giving her a fey look, as it slowly starts to fall to rest against her shoulder again. She breathes in and in faster breathes, then takes a deeper one, trying to calm herself as she looks at you, her eyes a bit wide.

    "M-magic? Something tried to kill us!" she stammers a bit, then swallows, taking stock. "I..I think so...I don't know how many times I can do that...." she admits after a moment. "I don't play with lightning, it's too....powerful. But it's still...I don't know what it is, but it's moving through the wind." she adds, then looks over at you, meeting your eyes, a litte interest in them as you seem to understand something of what's happening, and that helps her get a grip, though adrenaline has her heart raicing. "I....I can try to push back? But I don't know what it is, and this is a really strong storm. It was already ready to be a storm, it's just making it worse."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
The key in the ignition will be turned, shutting the car off - it may not be completely against the curb, but it's close enough for the mechanic. Well, for this type of situation it's close enough.

Relief tinges Mercy's gaze when the woman confirms she's okay and then the coyote nods again. "Magic." Her eyes narrow slightly as she stretches her senses upward, "Spirit magic." She adds after a second of silence, "That's all I can tell from what I can sense."

Now the question remains of what they should do. While Mercy can sense magic her skills with actually using it is a completely different story. And while that thought goes through her head, the coyote will ask, "What can you do? Weather manipulation?" Hazards the dark-haired woman as her worried gaze turns toward the window now. It's only when Sarah offers to push it back, that Mercy considers that option. "Push the spirit back you mean or the storm? Can you shut the storm down? If we take the power of the storm away from it perhaps we've a chance at defeating it."

And even with those words Mercy will unlock her seatbelt and reach for the door handle; though again, what she might do is up in the air. Perhaps she'll try to talk to it. Oh the life of a Coyote!

Rainmaker has posed:
    The rain comes down in a hard patter against the top of the car, a swirling curtain of it swatting into the car as it creaks, shifting on its shocks as Sarah licks her lips, meeting your eyes, her expression growing more determined. "...y-yes..." she says after a moment. "I think I can push back the storm, I don't now anything about spirits though, just stories my grandmother told me." she adds then her eyes widen as you start to open the door. "Wait, you're going out there?" Yet she's already unlocking her belt as well. "Then I'm going too. As long as you're near me, I should be able to shield you from the worst of it."

    Her door opens as she quickly ducks outside, the water quickly soaking her to the skin as her hair falls limp against her back, water ripping over her. At least she's not wearing a whole lot to get soaked today. She moves over to you as you step out, then she concentrates.

    Almost immediately you feel a wind swirl around you, like you're inside a dust devil almost. More fascinating is how the water suddenly parts to either side of you...you get that first drench of stepping outside, but then it's almost...dry, the scent of rain in the air, but only a bit of a mist getting through.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Well, I hope your grandmother told you some good stories." Mercy says, a crooked grin twitching a corner of her mouth upward, "Because we're going to need it."

And even though the mechanic doesn't necessarily want to go out into the storm, she does. And while she doesn't necessarily want Sarah out in the storm, she doesn't ask the young woman to stay inside. Not when she has the potential to help.

Much like Sarah when Mercy exits the car her hair, her clothes, they all get soaked. Thankfully her braids will keep the majority of her hair off her face, but that doesn't stop a few straggling pieces to free themselves from their confines to plaster against her forehead and cheeks. When the downpour lessons Mercy looks surprised and grateful, as she looks to Sarah. "I take it this is you and not our mischievous water sprite?" The question is mostly rhetorical from the coyote, then Mercy will turn her gaze upward to the sky. Along with that she'll stretch out her magical senses, trying to get a location of where the spirit may be. "Let's see if it'll talk to us." Mutters the woman, and so, she raises her voice, "Please!" Begins Mercy, striving to be polite with a potentially angry spirit, "Show yourself!"

And while she hasn't put any sort of command in her voice, there's the slightest swell of power from within the coyote. This power holds a note of command to it and depending on what kind of spirit this is; true spirit, or ghost. If it is more ghost than spirit it would find itself having to obey those words of hers. If it's true spirit ... that's iffy. It might feel the tug of power within Mercy's words, but it might not.

Rainmaker has posed:
    Sarah shoots you a quick grin. "Let's hope..." she says, getting a look of concentration. She nods quickly at the question, sort of wishing she'd thought to braid her own hair today as it whips around her, even as sodden as it is. She can't take the time to wring it out a bit, so she puts up with it. "Yes...this is...kinda part of why I can't do the college thing..." she admits. "It's a long story, if we get out of this I'll tell you about it!" she says impulsively. She does, however, step a bit closer to you, a definite hint of unease. Storms, she knows. Spirits...that's old spooky stories and myths to her, and she feels VERY out of her element.

    The wind and rain beats against the little sphere around the two of you almost angrily, before a swirling wind pulls together in front of you. A small whirlwind, standing about ten feet tall, coalesces out of the storm, a shimmer of electricity running through it as a pair of electric blue eyes, along with a crude mouth. "GIVE THE INTERLOPER!" the spirit booms.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Deal." Is what Mercy hurriedly says, when the other woman offers to tell her own story.

Then it's back to the situation at hand. The arrival of the spirit is noted and the angry whirlwind, while small, earns an almost owlish blink from Mercy. She hadn't expected it to really answer, nor to shout its demands quite so easily. It's easy enough to figure out who the interloper is and so, Sarah earns a bit of side-eye from Mercy. There's a question there of why she's the interloper, but that question isn't asked. Instead, Mercy will step one pace forward and then to the side, so that she places herself somewhat in front of Sarah.

"No." States the coyote, her voice firm, even as she possibly angers the spirit more with that single word of hers.

"Not until you tell us why you are angry. Tell us, so that we may help." And while those words might seem like Mercy might hand her over, the coyote will turn a quick look to Sarah. Something that might read as 'don't worry that's not going to really happen'.

Rainmaker has posed:
    At the sudden appearance of what seems to be a really upset ah...living...storm spirit (man Sarah never thought she'd be thinking something like that seriously) the other woman straightens a little. Generally, when someone is threatened, there's the natural response to step closer to someone, or hide behind something a bit. Sarah, on the other hand, is starting to sidle a bit away from you, her thoughts racing as she ponders trying to draw fire away from the pretty mechanic. After all...she's finding she really likes her.

    But you beat her do it, stepping in front of her as she blinks. The spirit rumbles, swirling to the right, trying to get a direct line of sight on Sarah, even as you move to stay between them. "STORM THIEF! COYOTE CHILD, YOU WILL GIVE HER TO ME..." Sarah swallows. "Well, that answers that..." she mutters behind you, a little tinge of hysteria in her voice. "The tornado guy wants to eat me..." She meets your eyes, then nods a bit, her expression firming as you toss the look back at her.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy isn't the type to allow anyone to be dragged away. Even those she only just met.

The Storm Spirit's words bring the coyote's head around. Her eyes widen when the spirit calls her coyote child. That surprise keeps Mercy quite for a second, but eventually the older woman finds her tongue. "No." She states again, tone still firm, "I will not." Just in case there was any doubt in the spirit's mind of whether Mercy really means what she's saying.

Furiously now, Mercy considers what next to say. She has an idea of just why the spirit feels the way it does, but now comes the harder task - diffusing this very volatile situation. A second look is turned to Sarah for a second - here goes nothing- before Mercy turns back around. Once she's focused upon that Storm Spirit again, the coyote speaks, "She isn't a thief. She only uses what abilities she has to herself. It is no different than what you do, what you have." Speaks the mechanic, "Storms are more than just rain, thunder and lightning, they are also wind. Being that, shouldn't Wuchowsen, the great Wind Eagle fall from his mountain and snap at you for stealing his wind?"

And all Mercy can do is hope that tactic of hers works; though who's to say with a Spirit. They are fickle things.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The storm spirit lets out a howling hiss of air, a little spike of electricity snapping out at the ground, the equivalent of stomping a food, you guess as you deny it first, then seems to draw back a bit as you mention the Storm Eagle. "...HE IS FAR FROM HERE, HE WOULD NOT...." the spirit says. And this time there's a bit more tenativeness to it. "IT IS MY WIND, I RODE IT FIRST! SHE STOLE IT! THIEF OF WIND!"

    Sarah, who's peeking past you. "Um, sir, I didn't...realize it was your wind, I'm very sorry. I was just trying to help a friend who didn't want to be rained on." She figures an apology certianly couldn't hurt, though she quickly quiets at that as it draws the storm spirit's attention again, its eyes narrowing. Yeeeeeaeah, maybe let the spirit expert deal with this, she decides. And okay, she's hiding behind Mercy juuuuust a bit now, as she leans in behind her, hands on her shoulders as she peers nervously at the spirit, standing closer to you.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
That show of anger, the almost-stomp, earns a flinch from Mercy Thompson. Again, she has seen a lot of stuff, but that doesn't mean this particular scenario doesn't have it's scary moments. Like lightning stomps.

/Lightning stomps/.

"Nothing is too far for the Wind Eagle, his winds could bring him here in a blink of an eye -" Mercy says, her voice still steady and firm, as she stares at the Storm Spirit. Whatever else she was about to say pauses as Sarah steps out just enough to offer that apology. A smile is flashed at the other woman, an encouraging look, even as the Spirit doesn't necessarily seem pacified by it. "The wind belongs to us all." Mercy says again, feeling the touch upon her shoulders, "/All/ of us. It is the way of our People to share in all that we have; wealth, food, shelter and power. What can we do to help you with this? Tell us so we may help."

Rainmaker has posed:
    The spirit's winds swirl around, thunder rumbling distantly as he wobbles, trying to get to where it can see Sarah again as she carefully leans from side to side, pressing up against your back now, her fingers squeezing your shoulders. Yup. She's just going to shut the heck up here and hope Mercy knows what she's doing.

    The spirit gets a bit frustrated at the peekaboo game. "IT WAS MY STORM TO PLAY IN! IT TOOK DAYS TO MAKE JUST RIGHT!" And now there's a sort of pouting tone to the words, like a child whose had their sandcastle smooshed. "I WANT A EVEN BETTER STORM THEN!" it decides, mercurial like the wind. "I SHOULD HAVE THE *BEST* WIND!"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
As the spirit moves so does Mercy, moving to keep Sarah behind her, versus in front. It's an easy enough thing to do, as Sarah keeps her hands on her own shoulders, which helps telegraph when the other woman is about to move and of course, which when.

That tone isn't lost on Mercy, nor the spirit's words, it's enough to cause Mercy to turn her head just enough to have a semi-private conversation with Sarah. "Do you think you could help create a storm with it? If so, then I'd say let's agree to this particular deal to get it to settle down."

And while she waits for Sarah's answer, the coyote also adds for the Spirit's benefit. "If we help you with this then I'd like your word, Spirit, that even after you've had your perfect storm, with the best wind, you won't come after anyone else that disturbs your weather."

Rainmaker has posed:
    Those dark brown eyes blink at you as she look back at her. "Ummmm....sure?" she says slowly. "Depending where he wants it. She. Whichever..." she says, dismissing the gender for the moment. "As long as he doesn't want me to try and flatten a town with a tornado or something?" She looks thoughful. "Maybe out at sea, with some warning so boats can get in first, where it won't bother a lot of people...'

    The spirit moves a bit closer, eyes widening. "MMMMM....." It seems to think it over, then rumbles like distant thunder, growling. "IF IT IS A GOOD STORM....I WILL NOT MIND THAT SHE TOOK MY WIND." it says, trying to hedge against more of a promise.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Sea it is." Mercy says in complete agreement, not even trying to figure out the gender of a spirit. Do spirits have genders? That's a question she doesn't try to think /too/ hard on.

Turning back to the spirit, Mercy's eyes narrow when he, it, she, whatever, tries to slip out of that promise. "If you cannot promise to /share/ then I must go and talk with Wuchowsen. And when I see him I will tell him how you have taken /his/ wind without permission."

Her head tilts then, as she keeps her attention upon the mercurial Spirit, "I am sure he /won't/ be pleased. Unless, of course, you /asked/ for his permission?"

Rainmaker has posed:
    There's that lightning stomp again! The spirit swirls its winds, but widens its eyes as you promise to 'tell' on it. "...I WILL NOT STOP THE GIRL IF SHE RIDES WINDS FIRST..." it says, VERY grudgingly, like a child forced into an apology. "IF YOU WILL PROMISE....NOT TO TELL HIM?" the spirit says hopefully.

    Sarah is almost resting her chin on your shoulder at thehis point as she peers past you, though she relaxes a little bit as the spirit seems to calm down. She holds her breath a bit, hoping you can seal the deal, her fingers relaxing a little bit on your shoulders, though she is still tense, both from concentration and from slight nervousness. I mean..not every day you come face to face with a myth who's REALLY cross at you using your abilities.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Promises to spirits - those are tricky things. It's enough to cause a slight flattening to Mercy's mouth as she grimaces, but .. there's really no other way around it. So, the mechanic says, "Deal. I promise I will not say anything to the great Wind Eagle, as long as you share the wind with others."

The coyote can feel the other woman's chin upon her shoulder and with a faint murmur, she'll say to Sarah, "I think we're almost there."

Projecting her voice once more, Mercy adds, "Thank you, Spirit." Because you /have/ to be polite, "May we know your name?" And while she asks that particular question she doesn't necessarily expect an answer. Names hold power and most spirits know this.

Rainmaker has posed:
The spirit grumbles, then comes apart, disappearing back into invisibility. Almost immediately the storm lets up, lessening to a soft patter of rain and distant thunder, the winds falling to a breeze but not the huge gusts. "I WILL FIND HER WHEN I AM READY..." the spirit's voice rumbles through the area, then you'll feel its presence seem to move away up into the sky.

    Sarah lets out a shaky breath, then gives you a firm hug from behind. "Way to spirit talk!" she says with a grin, sighing out in relief. "Wow, I've NEVER had a storm talk back to me before." She releases you, stepping around you to face you. "You really saved me there...I owe you bigtime...." she says, reaching out to take your hands, squeezing them gently. "If you need me to do anything for you...anything...you just ask." And if there's a little purr on that second 'anything' well...she can't help it. Pretty mechanic girl standing up to a spirit for her certainly doesn't do anything to dampen interest, though she releases your hands after that, just smiling at you a little.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy's senses easily allow her to follow the spirit's upward path, until it goes beyond even what she can feel.

As soon as it's out of range and the storm around them lessens, Mercy breathes a sigh of relief. The tension that was in her shoulders is released, allowing for a vague slump of her shoulders.

Sarah's words about spirit talk earns a laugh from the mechanic as she brings her gaze away from the sky and back to the other woman. "Thanks." Is what Mercy immediately says, then, "And I've never had a storm talk to me either. First time for everything, I guess." When Sarah squeezes her hands, Mercy responds in kind, with a quick squeeze of her own. And while that slight emphasis upon anything is heard, Mercy just shakes her head in a good-natured way. "You don't owe me anything." And she's serious there, "I'm just glad I was around and could help. Come on, let's get back in the car and get you home. And if you don't mind maybe I could borrow a towel or two?" Comes that last question with a grin, even as she moves back to the parked car. Then once the two are back inside her car, safe and seat-belted, Mercy will carefully drive the two to Sarah's neighborhood. And there's nothing odd with how many times Mercy looks upward at the sky, nope, nothing odd with that at all.