Once he's stopped expecting Dancers and Banes to storm his house, Cole's attention turns back to his work, especially the site in the Grampians, and to Siobhan.
The relationship with Siobhan is odd. There is definately some sexual tension there, but it waxes and wanes and never really reaches a point where they end up in bed, although it comes close on a couple of occasions.
Curiously, the ups and downs seem to match up with Cole's obsession with the rock in the Grampians. When he becomes tired of heading out there all the time without knowing why or what he's doing, or when he gets distracted by local matters, things with Siobhan seem to heat up. And when he's out and happily making adjustments to the site, Siobhan seems to back off - or maybe he's just not paying enough attention.
The site itself remains enigmatic. In certain lights, the large piece of granite seems weirdly much larger than it really is, by an order of magnitude, but then it snaps back into focus. Cole continues to shaves off stone, to add shading and highlights. Almost all of the work he does is at night and it often leaves him spiritually a bit drained.
On a couple of occasions backpackers come near the area, and so Cole takes precautions - he alters a couple of paths and posts warnings about poisonous snakes on the ones that can't be changed.
The rest of his work does not suffer for all this attention on the rock - in fact, he's doing quite well and has a couple of showings interstate and one in the UK.
The statues remain more or less as they are. Gina really hates Siobhan - she does everything she can to make it clear too, such as shredding anything Siobhan leaves in the flat (setting fire to her handbag on a glass table in one memorable incident). Cole suspects romantic jealousy, but its really hard to tell without getting into another fight. Harold has developed a real liking of the whole road-trip kind of genre as a result of being trapped in Yass overnight during the Sydney debacle. He rents movies like Easy Rider and other motorcycle and roadtrip films and watches them again and again, and even takes Cole's car out, driving through the countryside over night. Cole checks the odometer and the fuel tank and finds that Harold is somehow getting the car refilled. Harold gets a set of leathers and scarf and goggles and a hat for his birthday.
Cole decides to make one big go of trying to get romantically involved with Siobhan on his birthday. He goes the whole trimmings - expensive bottle of wine ("Dear god in Heaven, $30??") and food cooked by professional chefs. Roses. Everything is sweet and ready for some hot lovin'. Its only 3pm, so that gives Cole hours to get ready. He goes into the bathroom and glances into the mirror -
- Cole looks down and finds he's bucknaked. He's on top of his rock. Its night time. He's covered in patterns of what look like paint, reddish coloured. He looks up, and sees that the moon is definately full, which means that he's missing at least a week of time, as it was a philodox on the 1st of April. The rock beneath him is buzzing with energy, and it feels almost like the world is swimming (maybe its just hunger). Cole has the distinct feeling that he is standing in the eye of the storm, in that brief pause between chaos and chaos again.
Cole raises his arms and tries to get a feeling for what is happening, and to perhaps be a focus for the energy. The surge grows, and he feels it zinging inside of him. Something seems to change, but Cole can't quite feel what has happened - the energy he feels settles down to a quieter level within the stone, although still feeling dynamic. Cole explores for a while, and eventually notices dark figures also on the rock. They are about 8 foot tall, but are stick-thin, with spindly arms and legs. They seem to be cautiously moving around and caressing the stone and maybe moving in and out of the stone itself. When they notice Cole, they seem a bit skittish, but also intrigued - patting him and stroking him with their twig-like hands, especially his hands. After a time though, they mostly ignore him.
About this point, Cole sees movement at the edge of the trees near the rock. He heads over there and is a bit surprised to see Siobhan. She isn't looking at him, but is instead reaching out towards the rock. She moves there at almost a stately speed, and Cole can see her lips moving even though he can't hear her. Siobhan touches the rock and a light appears where her hand caresses the stone. The light spreads up her arm and soon encompasses her whole body. Where Siobhan's somewhat neutral and plain form stood is instead a woman in an elegant and archaic dress. Siobhan's mousy brown hair is replaced with glossy blue-black tresses and her skin is pale beneath the full moon. She laughs and looks up at the sky, and Cole can see that her face is like Siobhan's, but subtly changed - more defined and regal perhaps. She looks at Cole and beckons him down.
"Oh my Cole, my Coleman, how well you've wrought this" and she jestures at the rock. As Cole gets closer, he can see dark blue sparkles moving within Siobhan's eyes. Cole demands to know what the hell is going on, and what she has done with Siobhan. The woman says that she is Siobhan really, although that's not her real name, which she won't tell him. The woman intimates that she is the reason that Cole has come all the way to Australia, and this makes him a bit cross - he says something to the effect that without her, he wouldn't have been dragged all the way out here. Siobhan says that without her, he would not have been born - three generations of carefully nurturing their talent. As for what is really happening... Siobhan draws him close and kisses each eyelid.
When Cole opens his eyes, the world has changed. The moon seems much larger, or closer. Cole's rock has become enormous, hundreds of metres across rather than tens. Siobhan veritably glows in front of him, her pale skin perfect in the moon. Cole sees that his own hands have a golden-greenish look to them, and almost leave sparkles as he moves them. The dark figures on the rock above are clustered about them and staring.
Cole tries to ask more questions about what the hell is going on, but Siobhan shushes him. She says that he's not ready to know much more, and she can't afford to have things disturbed just now. She feels it would be best if he didn't speak about any of this with anyone, and Cole feels much the same way. He knows about it, but doesn't want to say anything. To anyone. Siobhan suggests that he goes home, and she'll meet him there later - she has much to do here. As she says this, she looks up at the other figures and they scatter.
Cole feels that this would be a good idea, so he goes home, and makes it to the caern for the last of the Moot.
Within a few days, Siobhan returns, looking as she always has. She doesn't say anything to Cole about the events, and he can't seem to say anything to her about them either. After dinner one night shortly afterwards, things finally turn physical in their relationship. Siobhan appears to all outward appearances to be human, and doesn't say or do anything untoward. The statues still avoid her when she is in the apartment, and Gina continues her efforts to destroy anything of Siobhan's.
Cole explores the edge of this compulsion to not speak, and finds that he can still try and find out stuff. Unfortunately, much of werewolf knowledge is oral, and he can't ask questions. However, alternative research seems to indicate that Siobhan might be one of the fae.
Unlike the rest of his pack, Cole doesn't travel to Rippling Waters once the floating zombie children have been killed. He has too much to do, and is a bit concerned about the police still causing him problems. So basically, he does his normal day to day routine.
Geena finally returns, and tries to intimate she found whatever it was that Cole asked her to find, and, um... ate it. Yeah. So he should reward her, or she'll.... vomit the whole thing into his shoes. Yeah.
Although Krieg stayed in Melbourne for the majority of the time, he has taken off down to Rippling Waters late on the Saturday night, leaving Cole on his own inside his head for the first time in who knows how many months. Its a bit weird, given that their mental link has existed for over a year now.
Siobhan seems to be around a bit more than usual - maybe its just that Cole isn't as distracted by his pack to notice.
Tuesday afternoon Cole is working away at one of his pieces while Siobhan soaks in the bath. There is a knock at the door which Cole eventually answers, to be greeted by two police. Again. Including Detective Faithful. Again. However, the other detective, Hye-Sun Lim, seems to be in charge, although she is fairly quiet. Faithful looks almost disgusted to be there, as if he's been dragged against his will. Detective Lim asks Cole about being in Glen Waverley the night of Jeff Watson's death - mostly if he saw anything out of the ordinary that he might remember that could help them with their investigations.
Siobhan comes out of the bathroom in a robe and there are some introductions. She moves into the kitchen while they continue to talk to Cole. The police continue asking questions, Detective Lim trying to get an idea of Cole's movements and whether he might have been near certain addresses - not so much as if he was responsible, but just whether anything might have stood out. Siobhan puts down coffee and biscuits in front of the police and they almost absentmindedly accept them. Faithful gets a bit impatient with this line of questioning, and is given a hard look. He continues to protest, and Cole adds to the cacophany.
"Gentlemen". The word coasts across the room like a chill fog, making Cole shiver. Siobhan stands at the archway into the kitchen. It is the strange Siobhan that Cole has seen once before, the woman with dark tresses and the pale skin. The room chills and the police seem hypnotised. "Otis Coleman is not connected to your investigation. He is not your concern. You will leave here satisfied by his explanations. You will not remember my presence". The two detectives sort of nod and then stand up and make "thanks for your help" noises at Cole. They seem to be completely ignoring Siobhan, although Faithful looks a little wild around the eyes. Cole sees them to the door and then goes back to near Siobhan, who walks past him, trailing icy cold fingers across his jaw before moving back into the bathroom. When Cole follows her, normal Siobhan is in the bathroom, and she asks if there was someone here - she heard voices. Only a subtle something about her eyes says that something is odd, but her instructions to Cole to not want to speak about it remain in force.
That night, Cole finds himself dreaming an odd sequence of visions. In it he sees night sky, with some indefinable object moving through it. He sees a pair of fiery green eyes in darkness, apparently looking for something. He hears the sound of the ocean, with waves lapping against the shore and finally a vision of Krieg, sinking into desert sand. He wakes up suddenly and lays there for a few moments. Something is wrong, but he can't quite put his finger on it.
Turning over, he looks at Siobhan and the sense of wrongness grows. Cole tries to wake Siobhan, but is unable to do so. He tries more forcefully, and is still unable to get a response. She is still breathing, and her heart is beating, but there's no reaction to being poked, pushed, prodded or pinched. Cole calls an ambulance and the paramedics take a longer look at her and then call the hospital.
Several hours at the hospital produce a lot of blank looks. There seems to be nothing wrong with Siobhan, other than she is in a coma and has little or no higher brain functions. Cole is there for some hours before he falls asleep next to her bed. He is woken by his packmates babbling about having to clean Ion's house - Cole fills them in on what's happening and they promise to come past and see what they can do.
Cole sucessfully manages to reach the castle with his escort of two black knights. As he runs across the drawbridge, it begins to rise. In the castle forecourt is a small collection of knights and vaguely medieval looking folk - most of them are very pale skinned with dark hair, but the occasional goldenhaired fae stands out. As he waits, the main castle doors open and a tall, extravagantly beautiful woman sweeps out, followed by a train of other fae lords and ladies. The woman is greeted as Princess Marianna by bowing nobles. She glides to Cole and thanks him for his courage in bringing the lost elder fae to her true home. She takes the box, wincing a little from the iron, and suggests that he take advantage of the comforts of their home. Another fae steps up from behind Marianna and offers to escort Cole - it is the beautiful Siobhan.
She smiles and apologises for being so far from his side in the last weeks, but that her presence was needed here. Taking Cole's arm, the two of them walk through the castle - the stone is dark grey or black, and cold; a brisk cold rather than a chilling bitter cold. The brief glances out through the windows show a world covered in snow, but with a sense of beauty, not desolation.
While they walk, Siobhan assures Cole that the fetish belongs here - after all, she who is trapped inside is an unseelie fae, and this is their home, not amongst those of Tir n'Noght, who would keep her captive. This makes perfect sense to Cole. To stop him wittering on, Siobhan drags him into her chambers and dissolves to candlelight.
Cole is dragged to the negotiations with the rest of pack. Although Cole feels articulate and erudite about his situation, and proposes what he feels are reasonable propositions, the rest of the Garou are irresponsive and illogical in their objections. Plus they keep rubbing him with these weird wood and metal amulets.
That evening, Cole is drifting off to sleep when a voice in his head begins to curse in a thick southern accent. Clarence fights to make himself heard and demands to know what'hell Otis is doin' wit dat woman, of all people. She done been nuffin but trouble from day one wit Otis's family. She been the cause of their woes ever since his time and probably before dat too. Cole is understanably a bit confused, and Clarence says that it be about time that he perhaps knew some more about their family, and about a secret that has been kept from Cole.
"I guess, I shoulda tole you, but in my day, tweren't hardly done, even 'mongst the changin' folk and I didn't think you need t'know. See, I ain't rightly your grandfather, least not in a dee-scendant way. There were this young fella - one of dem Fee-anna, I rightly think, although he do'nav that pale skin and red hair that they all seem t'have, he bein' more con-tin-ental like. And sweet Gaia, your gramma, she were a vision, an angel sent down from heaven. Well, see this young Fee-anna - Tom were his name - he had this curse, or a gift, no one could rightly say which - he could only speak t'trut'. And when he say ya gramma, well, his words went right to her young heart."
Cole starts to babble and rave about whether Clarence is trying to tell him that he's white, and why the hell didn't Clarence mention before that he was white, and dammit! white??! Clarence mentally yells at Cole about manners and how "in my day, a young woman who strayed were, well, she weren't treated no good, and no one spoke of it, and he didn' need to know. 'sides, his father, he were black, won't he? And so were you Otis! That's wha' I been tryin' t'say - there were some magic things happen' and this fae woman, she dun organise' t'whole damn thing!"
Cole and Clarence back and forth about respect, and how if takin' care of Otis and treatin' him right don't make him a grandfather in all ways but by blood, then Clarence don't know what is what in t'world. Eventually Clarence convinces Cole that tomorrow, he should bide his time, and let Clarence do what needs to be done, and not worry about t' pretty fairies.
Having a night off from guard duty, Cole is sitting at home listening to the calm domestic noises of Gina playing her new GameCube. Its quite late when he realises that the sounds seem to have stopped and the door has just opened. Siobhan walks through the door. Not the Siobhan that he visited in the hospital, but the fae-Siobhan. She glides in and sits down in a chair opposite Cole.
Siobhan says that its only the special night, and the full moon that lets her walk in his world for the moment. Her 'body' that protected her is still in hospital, but that life and persona are not much use to her any more. Siobhan points out that normally she would just be able to tell Cole to do what she wants him to do, but he is still under the protection of Lysander, so she has come to him with an offer. She needs a new mortal form to protect her from the banality of this world, and she wants Cole to create it for her - she is offering the chance for him to sculpt the woman of his dreams, effectively.
Cole is unsure and Siobhan says that she gives him until the next full moon to decide. She seems perhaps a little hurried as she leaves.
This is where I would write stuff that happened last week, if Andy hadn't not come to the game :-p.
Cole arrives home to find the lights are on - good, it means that the statues have woken up. He opens the door only to find fae-Siobhan sitting in his chair, sipping wine. She raises a perfect eyebrow and asks if he's been avoiding her. Cole stutters a bit and tries to ignore Clarence who is yelling and bitching. Siobhan asks if he's come to a decision about her offer - to be the Galatea to his Pygmalion. Cole ums and ahs, then says yes, yes he has. Cole opens the door and says "get the hell out". There is a brief moment of silence and Siobahn stalks out the door.
Its this point that Cole realises that not all the hammering sound is coming from his heartbeat - Gina comes screaming out of the room she was locked in, screaming and yelling. Cole thinks fast, grabs a teatowel and wraps the rest of Siobahn's bottle up and presents it to her as a present from his trip. Nonetheless, Gina is screaming imprecations about that stuckup bitch.