151/Dream a Little Dream...

Dream a Little Dream...
Date of Scene:	26 April 2017
Location:	Bludhaven
Synopsis:	Summary needed.
Cast of Characters:	Karrin Murphy, Harry Dresden

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Karrin Murphy has posed:
Sleep. Dreams. It's all relative, really, and they might be hard pressed to tell the fact that they are in a dream while dreaming. Harry isn't with Murphy, at first. In fact, he's waking up from the very bed wherein he's resting now. The strange pink quilt, heavy, hardwood headboards... old fashioned lace curtains. It's the room he was in, but it's not. Still, perhaps Karrin woke up before he did and opened the black out curtains? Maybe he just got a very good, dreamless night's sleep and now they are here. The bed next to him is empty, though the pillow is indented. Then there are voices... Shouting voices, outside. Someone is angry.

"He's a FRIEND and just because you can't keep YOUR eyes from wandering to everything with a pair of tits doesn't mean I'M not loyal!" Karrin is angry. Angry and hurt, her voice on the edge of cracking in the screams at an unseen figure.

Harry Dresden has posed:
'Waking' up slowly, Harry lets out a low string of uttered curses as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. The wizard sighs, combing his fingers through his hair as he turns to look at the other side of the bed, where Karrin was sleeping. Seeing she is not there, he looks above at the makeshift dream catcher, and purses his lips a bit. "Can't win em all, Harry."

He slides his legs out of the bed and stands, his feet hitting the floor just as he hears the screaming from outside. "Oh Hell's bells..." he mutters to himself, moving out of the bedroom and towards the voice, still groggy and half asleep. 'Murph?" he asks as he approaches, "Everything ok?"

Of course, Harry probably should have remembered to put on pants.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The is another man in the kitchen, tall, graying brown hair and blue eyes just as sharp as Karrin's. He's built like a proper cop, not a fun-sized one (as someone had called Karrin shortly before tasting their balls in their throat) and he's fully dressed in plain clothes suit that just screams some sort of detective. He's got a gun in his hand and, while it's not pointed at Karrin, it's certainly not safely at the floor either. Anger has made his face a heightened red. "I never messed around on you, Karrin, and you know it! Can't stop a man from looking, but you're in BED with him!" The man hisses. And then Harry comes in.

Harry has the worst of timing.

Gregory very much raises the gun at Harry now and Karrin is reaching for her own piece, who knows where she had it as she's still in her sweat shirt and flannel pants. She levels the piece at the bigger man, "Gregory William Taggart, you put that gun down now." Her blue eyes are feverishly wide as she flickers a look between Harry and Gregory. Nothing is okay right now.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Well nothing gets rid of the sleep-haze faster than having a gun pointed at you. "Woah, woah, woah.." says Harry, even as he slowly lifts his hand, especially the left one with the shield bracelet on. He focuses his will on the bracelet, expecting the familiar and all to used shield to manifest invisibly in front of him.

"Look, man. We were just sleeping, that's all. I've never even as so much kissed Murphy, let alone anything that would warrant execution." Harry says gently enough, but hurried in an attempt to get it out before being shot. "I am sure we can all work this out, it is just a misunderstanding."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The problem with guns is that they move too fast. They don't give someone a chance to think. Guns are reaction. That's why no one should ever draw one if they don't intend to fire it because, sometimes, it goes off whether you like it or not. Gregory Taggart's gun goes off three times in rapid succession, straight at Harry's chest, though the shield or Harry's own skills might deflect bullets enough that he's not dead on the spot.

Karrin's instincts, and her gun, don't know that. All they know is that she has to stop the shooting. Rapid fire, she nails two in Gregory's chest and one in his head, gray matter splattering all over that quaint little kitchen. The body is firmly dead before it hits the ground and Karrin looks like she might be sick. Shakily, slowly, she lowers her weapon, turning to move for Harry and check on his body. She knows the other man is dead. "...H-harry.... Harry?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
*BLAM BLAM BLAM* Three gunshots, no big deal, right? Harry's shield has taken much more damage than that, like a freaking fall from a elevator shaft for one.

So it is a complete and utter shock to Harry when the bullets whiz past where the shield should be and slam into his chest. One. Two. Three.

The first impact of the lead projectiles cause Harry to stumble, staggering back and the subsequent shots cause him to fall onto his back, blood welling from the wounds and rapidly staining his shirt. A soft and confused '...Murph...?' slips past his lips.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Something in the back of Karrin's head says this cannot be true, something is wrong. How in the world did Greg get here on this of all days. Why would he go that insane? They've been divorced for years. But that logical, rational part of her head is a small whisper in comparison to the utter, screaming panic in the back of her skull as she sees Harry stumble back. That soft breath of a word, the blood blossoming on his chest. She shoves her gun on the table, not even wanting to touch it, and runs to him.

While she's two thirds his height, she was strong, and she almost catches him before he hits the floor, helping lower him down there, her fingertips hovering almost uselessly over the wounds before she reaches down to put pressure there. There was so much blood. Too much blood. "H-harry? Harry...shit...Shit...I'm here. I never thought he'd... actually shoot. God... Harry, use... a spell or something... Heal yourself! You can do that, right?" She asks, tears through her eyes, crackling in her voice already as she keeps one arm around his shoulders and her other hand against his chest.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Shield....didn't...work." Harry manages to mutter in a ragged voice that is just above a whisper as he is lowered to the floor. "Should've..worked." He coughs, blood coming up out of his mouth to stain his teeth and lips, it bubbles and froths as he fights to breath. "Fucker...shot me. Didn't even...do anything."

There is a spasm as he coughs again, his breathing weakening as the stains on his shirt continue to spread as his blood soaks the fabric. Harry's eyes fall to a half lidded state. He tries to lift his arm, the movements heavy and slow as he places his hand over Karrin's.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"H-harry... Harry, please, tell me what to do. You have *magic*... Tell me how to fix this, please. Stay with me, Harry, please..." Murphy's voice crackles out, those tears that were just in her eyes now actually breaking free, one of them trickling off of her lashes and onto his shoulder, just below where she's hovering. She keeps that too-tight pressure against his chest, as if she could push the blood back into his body, but it keeps spilling down his shirt and the are too many wounds for her to put proper pressure on any of them.

"...He's not like this...he's normally not... like this..." Karrin gasps out, turning blue eyes back to that large body on the ground behind them, blood and brains pooling beneath his head on the old fashioned tiled floor. The whole room looked like a massacre now. Karrin's worst nightmare. "I...I'm so sorry, Harry. I...should have shot quicker. I never thought he'd shoot. I...I'm so sorry..."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry squeezes her hand, weakly. "It's...ok...Karrin. Not..your fault. Forgive yourself."

There is a ragged intake of breath, and Harry's hand squeezes hard on hers for a moment, and then goes slack as the last breath rattles out of his chest is a long and slow exhale before his chest falls silent.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"No... no... Fuck no..." Karrin breathes out raggedly, a half sob, half scream beginning to bubble in her chest. She just clutches him closer to her, not willing to let go as a few ragged, muffled sobs finally escape her throat. Nightmare. This was her worst nightmare come true. She holds him tighter, trying to will some life back into that body...

Nightmare.

Karrin blinks back, bloodshot, puffy eyes flickering over her shoulder once more, around the room, looking for something... Anything. A trail of powder. White powder, flour, floating in the air. From Karrin, to Harry, to Gregory... Flour. The breadcrumbs. Karrin drags in another ragged breath and shakes Harry's body a little insistently, "Harry. Harry! Wake up.... dream. We... we're dreaming...this is just a dream. WAKE UP."

Harry Dresden has posed:
And just like that, as soon as the breadcrumbs fall into place and Karrin starts to shake Harry, the bloodstains on his chest vanish and the seeming dead wizard takes in a gasp of air. His eyes open, and he stares into Karrin's face his eyes finding hers. Hovering there for almost a long enough for the beginnings of a soulgaze to happen, before he tears them away.

"Karrin?" he asks, softly, his hand moving back to his chest, and feeling for the now nonexistent bullet holes. "Did I just get..." He shakes his head, looking around at the dreamworld, it all clicking for him now suddenly. His eyes narrow, "Oh, that's not fair. Not fair at all."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Thank every god in the world that Karrin was right. Even as she was pretty certain she had been, there was that trace of doubt in the back of her mind. But, as the blood stains disappear and she hears him breathing in again, the woman half collapses to the bloodied tile floor. She lets out a weak, utterly relieved laugh, the sound still half wrapped up in tears as she pulls one hand across her face, trying to push away the salty dampness there.

"...Dream... a damn dream..." She breathes out. She's almost punch drunk in strange relief, stomach twisted, but she's still careful not to look back to her very dead ex-husband who hasn't disappeared with that realization. "...Yes. You did. But not. And it's not fair... none of this was fair. Shit..." Karrin looks like she might cry, laugh or puke, but she's shaking it off fairly quickly.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Forcing himself to sit up, Harry lets out a little grunt as he looks over to the crying Murphy. He doesn't mention the tears in a rare bout of self preservation but gently lifts a hand to brush one away from her cheek that she missed. He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again and instead just offers a soft smile.

"Well, i'm going to kick whomever's ass did this, that is for sure. From now on, the only type of dreams I want to be in with you are the ones I would get hit for having."

He snorts, shifting his weight to stand before he offers his hand to Murphy. "Shall we go break the circle, and give our 'friend' something to think about?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The tender touch against her cheek doesn't actually get him in trouble. Instinctively, Murphy turns her cheek into it, taking a split of a second to enjoy the touch before she draws in a ragged breath and sits up straighter. "Wait... what... You have dreams with me in them where I should hit you after? What SORT of dreams?!" Karrin rasps out at him, her stern voice returning and that familiar sense that he's getting in trouble. It's almost reassuring.

Another shaky breath, and Karrin pushes herself up into standing, staring at that strange line of flour that is faintly floating through the kitchen. "...Break the circle? Can we? I don't even know how to... actually wake up. And there is a... line here. But I don't know if it's leading us back to whoever is doing this, or that's what they WANT us to think. Shit, Harry, I don't know how any of this works!"

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Oh, you know Murph...dreams about us at playing tidily winks and me kicking your ass. The usual.", Harry just grins that manic grin of his before he proudly states, "And you not knowing anything isn't a problem. That, Murph, is why you have a wizard as a consultant!" He cackles madly as he looks to the flour, "Oh...I've got you now you son of a bitch."

He moves back to the bedroom, well the dream bedroom anyway, and stands next to the bed, looking up at the bell that is attached to the mismatch of thread that criss crosses the canopy. "If I did this right, ringing the bell it should send the energy bad towards our mystery guest...and since I mixed my blood in there with the flour I should be able to track that energy back to it source once we are out of here." He looks to her, points to the bell and says, "Care to do the honors?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The woman follows him back into the bedroom, "...Tidily winks is code for naked, isn't it? You have naked dreams about us and I should be kicking your ass for it, shouldn't I?" Karrin gruffly teases at him, trying to sound like she's angry, but really she's rather relieved for the amusement of it all. And to get out of that kitchen. If she never sees Gregory like that again, all the better.

"The bell? Well... Alright then." Karrin still seems a hint skeptical about this all, but she trusts him. Enough to go to sleep like this. Enough to experiment with some crazy things like flour and circles around her bed. So, the blond leans forward and hits the bell, sending it ringing. The ring echoes through sleep, wakefulness, through all levels of dream, probably loud enough to drag them out of this reality and back to the real world...

Harry Dresden has posed:
"I would never dream of you naked, Murph." says Harry, shaking his head. "I don't think about my friends that way, it would be beneath me. And even if I did, would you really hit me for it? Some people might take that as a compliment."

So, of course when the bell rings, dragging them back into the real world, there is Harry pressed up against Karrin's back, the big spoon to her little spoon. One arm is draped over her, hand over her abdomen as he pulls her in close, his nose buried her hair. The talk of his dreams about Karrin must have had some affect, judging by the state he awakes in.

He blinks as he comes to, the bell quietly lulling them out of their torpor instead of jolting them awake. He mumbles groggily, his waking mind taking a moment to realize where he is, what he is doing, and...other things. Once he does, his eyes snap open and he rolls over like the bed is on fire, clearing his throat and fumbling on the side of his bed for his jeans.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
There's just a few moments, dangerous moments, where Murphy's half awake mind drowsily considers how nice it feels. If ever asked about it when awake, she'd adamantly deny anything, but as her mind only comes to partial awareness, her body instinctively tucks back against the warm, solid frame behind her. The frame that smells like friendship and home. Trust. A ghost of a smile crosses her still mostly asleep face as fingertips slip across that arm which lays around her waist.

And then she notices something else at her back. Suddenly, she blinks. And it's good that Harry is moving that damned fast, because a second later there is an elbow where more important bits had been a moment before. Murphy flops over onto her back, not having expected him to be gone that quickly. Now she looks a drowsy mess, probably only having slept an hour or two, her hair a disarray on the pillow and eyes still waking up even if her brain is WELL aware now. She stares over to him. "...Nothing happened. Bell. The bell rang. This is fine." NOPE. Nothing happened at all.

Harry Dresden has posed:
In a stoic voice, as deadpan as he can make it though there is a slight hint of horror and mortification, Harry replies, "Nothing happened. We just...fell asleep. That was the plan, right? Sleep." He clears his throat again, refusing to look at her for the moment so she can't see just how red his face is.

It takes him a moment to...relax...before he starts to slip into his jeans. He slips the jeans up over his feet and legs, and stand just before sliding them over his hips, continuing to keep his back to her. "I'll...uh. Shit. I'd make coffee, but i'd probably just fry your coffee machine. Got any Coke?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Nothing happened. Karrin just keeps telling herself that, over and over. Nothing happened. She's finally awake enough that she can get up without the room spinning, so she swings herself up and out of the bed on the opposite side of the room as him. Nope, they weren't touching. It wasn't really nice. Just friends, "Yeah, I mean, that was the plan and it worked, right? Go us. It worked. Success. Victory. Everything's fine." There is so much methinking and protesting going on right now the universe is probably having a good, hard laugh at them somewhere else.

As he mentions coke, she blinks, "...That stuff'll rot your teeth. I'll make coffee. Just... jeans. Yeah. Put on pants. Coffee." She needs it too. She's still in her own flannel pants and firmly plans to stay in them for now, as she stalks out of the room and into the little kitchen down the hall. She'll be gone a few minutes, give him plenty of time to get his head on straight. And probably do the same herself.

Harry Dresden has posed:
As Karrin walks out the door Harry sits back down on the bed and lowers his head into his hand, muttering, "Stars and stones, Harry. What the hell are you doing?" He sits there for a moment, in silent contemplation as he replays the events in his head. Finally, he snorts and stand back up, "You're a wizard, Harry. Get wizarding." He casts another glance at the door that Murphy has just walked out of, "Distractions can come later."

He reaches up to the makeshift dream catcher and acquires the bell he used at the focal point, detaching it from the string carefully and cupping the tiny thing in his hand before emptying the contents of the bell onto the sheets of the bed directly where he and Murph had the most physical contact. He chants in a low tone, "interessari, interressarium" as he fishes his compass from his jean pocket. Again, he repeats the chat of "interessari, interressarium" as he focuses his will on the compass and the contents of the bell before he slides his foot back against the line of the circle, breaking it and releasing the energy into to void.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
While Harry is, well, being a wizard, Murphy is being a cop. A very tired, trying to get herself together cop. So, that meant coffee. She's got an old fashioned coffee maker which percolates loud, stiff and strong, but fast enough for her patience. Well, almost. This morning she's doing the dance of just holding the coffee cups beneath the drip mechanism to fill them faster than actually waiting for a pot. But, within the ten minutes of him focusing, doing magic and trying to organize his mind, she has the life's brew in her hands.

The woman comes back into the room, having apparently combed her hair somewhere in there and at least run some water over her face. She almost looks awake and professional, minus the fuzzy pants and oversized sweat shirt. The coffee smells good and faintly of hazelnuts. "I come bearing gifts. I know, I know... I shouldn't have. I'm too good for this world. I should be given a noble peace prize. You can withhold your praise, though, I've heard it all before." SHe mutters, flat and teasingly, as she hands off his coffee to him. She's made it just the way he likes, even if he rarely drinks it around her. She remembers those things. The little things are important.

ANd the energy he's releasing? Oh, it's there. It's definitely going somewhere. He's got something on his mystical fishing line. The person or thing that did this was on this plane at some point, at least.

Harry Dresden has posed:
There is a loud exclamation of "Got you, you son of a bitch!" as Harry looks down at his compass, which is not pointing north like a compass should, but rather in the direction of the caster. The cackle he lets out taking over the embarrassment from earlier.

And then there is Murph with coffee. "Oh, I love you." he says to nobody in particular as he takes the coffee in his hand, lifting it to his lips to take a sup. Closing his eyes, he lets the warmth (and caffeine) spread over his body. "Ready for a road trip?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The 'I love you' comment gets a firm arch of an eyebrow, "...I'll remember you said that the next time you try and tell me I'm not coming along on something. You wouldn't bar someone you love from important missions." Oh yeah, she's totally going to use that against him. He said it first. Karrin doesn't comment about the actual EMOTIONS otherwise, because it's way too before coffee for that. And surely he didn't mean that. She just raises her mug in a silent toast and gulps back as deep a drink as the heat of it will allow her to take.

"...A road trip? I'm...guessin' I'm driving, considering Michael went home at some point because he's actually a sane person unlike the weird cult shit we've been doing all night. And where are we going?" Karrin hasn't exactly seen one of these tracker spells yet, but tired blue eyes flicker curiously down to the compass in his hand. "...I think your compass is broken. North is that way."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Sure I would. I'm more likely to tell someone I love not to come along because I would worry about them. Your logic is flawed, Murph. So, anytime you want to stay out of something, feel free to play that card. Besides, I was talking about the coffee."

He shifts his eyes up to hers for a fraction of a moment before looking just to the side of them and clearing his throat again, "Well, I don't have the beetle with me....so, yeah?" Harry says before he takes another gulp of his coffee. "You were talking about GPS, right? Well, consider this compass your GPS, the needle points to the caster."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
It's that habit, one she's noticed before but not totally understood, which catches her attention again. He doesn't meet her eyes. Karrin doesn't quite get it, but generally that means someone is lying. She doesn't THINK he is, but all her instincts as a cop, and as someone who is good at reading people, says that he's hiding something. Her jaw sets slightly, stepping in his direction, closer, almost completely invading his personal space. Karrin shouldn't be able to be an intimidating figure but, somehow she manages. Especially when she thinks someone is hiding something.

"...Harry... why won't you look me in the eyes? Are you... hiding something? I don't think you're lying to me, but if you're lying to me now is a DAMN good time to come clean, before we get in my car and you blow out the transmission because of your guilty conscience. Come one. Level with me." She's close enough that he can probably smell her, all bed mussed and pre morning shower, though she did put on deoderant. Something baby soft and feminine. Powdery. She's looking for his eyes, trying to catch his gaze, so clueless as to the danger there.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry frowns slightly as Karrin steps forward, "No." he says flatly. "I'm not hiding anything, Karrin...not in the way you think. It's more mumbo jumbo you won't believe. You know how people say the eyes are windows to the soul? They are, literally, for a wizard. Well, the simplest way to explain it would be that I would see into your soul, and you would see into mine. It's called a soul gaze."

He takes a step back to distance himself slightly, which puts his legs up against the bed and causes him to plop down into a sitting position on the mattress. He continues to avert his eyes from hers, always looking /just/ off to the side of them. "Honestly? I don't know what you would see, but most people that look into my should tend to have a strong reaction."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Every instinct that Karrin Murphy has says that he's telling the truth, avoiding her eyes or not. It scares him, too, that whole truth. Something in her is tempted to push it, but if he was being honest, she also wasn't entirely certain she cared for HIM to see what was deep, down inside. After this many years on the force? She wasn't certain either. Karrin is quiet for a handful of heartbeats, watching his handsome, scruffy face from where he now sits on the bed. "...Soul gaze, eh?" She finally mutters, trying to sound skeptical, but not succeeding. She believes him. She simply trusts him that much.

"...Well, at least I know it's not my morning breath." She finally mutters, cracking a half smile before turning away from him and stepping over to her dresser. A moment later, she's all bare legs and booty shorts again as she changes out of the flannel pants and into a pair of her own jeans. Socks quickly follow after. "Alright...so...broken compass GPS... we just... follow it? I mean, I gotta follow traffic laws." Sorta. "Does the bastard know that we've got a ping on him? Or can we take our time?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
She doesn't push things. That makes Harry take in a deep breath and a sigh of relief, "Yeah. Soul gaze. And once you look into someone's soul, you can never forget what you see." He shrugs a shoulder, "At least it is a one and done type of thing. Michael had me soul gaze him when we first met, before he would work with me. He still thinks I am a good man, for what that is worth. You can ask him sometime.

He can't help but take a quick look at her as she moves to get changed, but lowers his gaze as she changes as he has had enough problems this morning already in that department. As she changes, though, he explains the spell. "Yeah, we follow it. Traffic laws and lanes do pose a bit of issue, since this isn't your typical turn by turn directions. It just points the way, and so we have to follow it as best we can." He pauses, "He shouldn't know we are coming. We have until sunrise. Dawn tends to wash away magic as the new day breaks. So, if all goes well, we will actually get some real sleep tonight."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
A small breath as she pulls on socks, considering everything he's said. She dares to steal another look in his direction, especially when she thinks he's not looking. It's thoughtful, her look, a touch distant. So many considerations so far beyond this simple issue of a magical GPS. But there was no time for those considerations, so she quickly looks away again and grabs at her steel toed boots. She's dressing prepared, just in case. The dream has still slightly disturbed her. Once the boots are strapped on, she goes to her closet and pulls out a vest that is probably not supposed to be out of the precinct, but she doesn't much care. Off comes the sweatshirt, on goes an undershirt. Then the vest. Then the sweatshirt again.

"Until dawn? Alright... It's not the best timeline, but it'll do. You gotta keep a cool head because if you burn out the engine again, we're screwed." She grabs at her work belt, the one with two holsters, and straps that around her small waist. Then the small vault in the closet is opened and she pulls out both her guns. She really isn't taking chances here. "...and, for what it's worth, Harry, I don't need any weird soul-gaze thing to know you're a good person. I know you are."

Harry Dresden has posed:
There is a brief smile that forms on Harry's lip at her words and glancing over just as she is swapping sweatshirt for undershirt and quickly re-diverting his eyes, "Thanks, Murph." There is a slight pause before he adds, because he can't leave well enough alone, "At least we are past you trying to arrest me every six months. I mean, I was starting to think your cuffs were a fashion statement."

He takes a breath and stands, moving from the bedroom to gather his coat and staff. "I wish we had the beetle. Less chance of my blowing the electronics or engine, but I guess we have to roll the dice and take our chances."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"...Is it worth driving to your place and GETTING the Beetle? Not that I relish taking a drive in that museum piece you call a car. And don't hold your breath. If I gotta arrest you, I'm going to arrest you. I just won't like it while I'm doing it." Karrin warns flatly, a touch of apology in her voice, but her work comes first. Nothing changes that.

She's finally fully strapped into guns, vest, clothing, shoes and everything in between. She looks almost awake and the lack of a shower doesn't seem to be causing many issues. She nods firmly to him, low level adrenaline kicking in as her brain and heart say it's go-time, "Alright. Come on. Night is wasting." And she leads the way out towards her little Subaru. Definitely not the most exciting of cars, but it served it's purpose.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Following her, Harry heads out the door. "Hey, you are going to hurt her feelings!" He gives her a light hearted little glower, "No, I don't think heading back to my place is going to be worth it...not unless it is on the way, anyway. If it happens to be near the boarding house, we will make a call then."

Harry slides his staff into the car, and contorts his tall frame enough to slip into the front seat, even if he ends up wearing his knees as earrings. "I'll let you know when to make a left or a right as soon as I can."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
It's certainly a strange method of driving. Karrin slips into the driver's seat, leaning over to look at the compass. It means she bangs a hard U turn right out of the side street and down the path towards the less expensive areas of town. The FAR less expensive areas. Warehouses, docks and ghetto. Unless the compass pulls hard again, they both have enough logic to make a good guess of where they are probably going. She keeps it right at the speedlimit, her blue eyes mostly on the road.

"... Her feelings? The Beetle is a her now? Sure she won't be jealous, you running around with all these other women?" Karrin mutters, drowsy amusement on her features. The bantering jokes do their very best to cover up the nerves.

Harry Dresden has posed:
For his part, Harry rides along like a sardine in a can. Cars now a day just don't have the legroom they used to. "Oh, she knows I love her and those other cars don't mean anything. We have an understanding."

As the pair drives through the streets of Gotham, the compass points this way and that but as they get closer the pull of the compass points more and more towards the East End.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
There weren't a lot of GOOD parts of Gotham, but there were some bad parts. ANd worse parts. They were definitely going towards a worse part. A part they'd both encountered about a month back, a simple gang case dealing with some drugs that had a little curse on them. It was easy enough, and cleaning out the drugs hadn't been too hard. A single bar fight and it should have been over. But that's the last time they were anywhere near here.

Karrin keeps driving, a slightly deeper frown crossing her lips, "...you remember that drug case? Wasn't it... around here? What was the name of that club again?" Karrin asks, driving a bit slower now as they turn down another road. It got far harder the closer they got and there were too many one way and cobble stone streets in this decrepit part of the city.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"The Raven." Harry says without missing a beat, a slight frown coming over his face. "Yeah, I remember. I can't think of anything there that would have the power to do what this is doing, though. It was just a bunch of thugs, wasn't it?"

But, as predicted, the compass brings them to the front of The Raven, an worn down old dive bar in the East End. At least it used to be The Raven, because in place of what was once a old decrepit dive bar with broken windows and pealing paint is what appears to be a new building, complete with stained glass, white walls and an icy blue door. Harry stares at the building as they pull up, and his face goes white. "Karrin...I think we need to go."

The name on the new bar? 'The Leanansidhe'.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The woman pulls her Subaru up along side of that bar which should be a rat hole. Burnt out, barely standing, probably with a few hookers outside this time of the night. But it's nothing like it was before. Karrin's blue eyes go a little too wide as she leans forward, staring out the dash board and over to the cleaming white walls. The stained glass, untouched, unbroken, in an area of town that should have beat up this pansy place two days after it opened. "...that's...way too damn nice to be on this corner. This area would eat a place like this alive. Looks like a gay bar..." Karrin mutters quietly, a touch of concern for the people inside in the back of her voice.

Then she looks over to him, hearing the fear behind his tone. The name of the bar doesn't mean a damned thing to her, but the pallor on Harry's face does. "...What? Why? What the hell is a Leanan-sid-he...?" She doesn't prounounce it proper, but like the weird phonetics of the word. Maybe that's for the best. Maybe it means she's not actually used the woman's name.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"She can't be here." Harry says quietly, under his breath but loud enough to be heard. "Stars and sky, it can't be her."

He turns to Murphy, "We need to get out of here. If this is whom I think it is." He looks back out the window at the building, back down at the compass, then back up at the building. "We are not prepared for this. Not even close. Explanations later, Drive now! Drive fast!"

Panic washes over Harry's face as Karrin speaks the name, if not entirely properly. "NO!" he shouts at her, "Don't say the name!" even as a gentle fog starts to roll and fall over the area, the windows starting to get the bareist hint of frost on the outside as the ambient temperature drops rapidly. "Shit! Go!"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
While Karrin really wants FAR more explanation than no, shit, go, she's also good at taking orders and responding in a crisis. While she doesn't see the crisis, she trusts Harry enough for her adrenaline to kick into crisis level. Of course, with a panicking wizard in her car, her car suddenly doesn't WANT to car. She turns over the engine once. Twice. It coughs, and nothing. "DAMMIT HARRY, Take a breath and calm DOWN!" She hisses in his direction, "Keep that shit under wraps!"

Third time is a charm, or perhaps they just got very lucky, because the next time Karrin tries to turn over the engine, it actually kicks into gear. There is some mysterious smoke coming from the muffler, but she doesn't care. She just streaks them forward and out of the area as fast as her sick little Subaru will take them. Now she doesn't care about traffic laws or stop signs. It's dark, it's late, this is a crappy area of town, and she just wants out of there. She sputters them free as fast as her little car will go with things electrically rattling loose now. "...You gonna tell me what happened back there?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
"The Lea. Nan. Sidhe", Harry says, breaking up the words as to purposefully not spell the proper name out loud, "is my godmother. One of the fae and a noble of the Winter Court." He pauses, and looks over to Karrin, "Yes. I have a faerie godmother. No, it isn't a good thing. She keeps trying to 'care' for me by turning me into a damned hellhound. Cue up nightmare number two, except this one isn't a dream."

He looks behind them, out the rear view mirror with a shudder, and continues, "She usually doesn't manifest on this side of the NeverNever, at least without cause or being called. If she is here, and she is the one doing this to us, then I'm screwed six ways to Sunday."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"...Your fairy godmother..." Karrin repeats quietly, as they finally speed off towards more reasonable areas of town. So much for them actually getting some sleep. Once they are out of the east end she slows down to a more normal speed, though that weird smoke is still coming from her car. Karrin is worried enough that she doesn't even complain about it now, she just drives. This time back towards his place. They both needed their own beds right now.

"...You gotta lot of... explaining to do involving your family, Harry. I try to stick out of it, try to give you your space but... this is in my head now and if it's your Fairy Godmother, whatever that means, you are the one with answers. But... not tonight. Too damn tired. It'll be better in the daylight..." Karrin mutters, not even certain she'd remember anything he told her right now. All she knows is she's not getting a good night's sleep any time soon and she's not happy about it. She drives him back to his place in silence the rest of the way.