xp_logs | Operation: Anansesem - Remy, Amanda and Wanda

Arriving in Africa, Wanda catches up on what the rest of the team have found.

"I'm fine." There was a pause. "Fine, I am not fine. But I can
manage the few steps inside. Go." Wanda shook her head as she
hobbled into the hotel room. Farouk had turned out to be a very good
person - a friend, even - in the last few days but he took his
'nursing' duties a little too seriously. She paused in the room and
looked around, leaning heavily on the cane that had been purchased for
her in London.

"Anyone home?" she called out, spotting a couch a little bit further
on and heading towards it. She didn't lie to Farouk, she was
perfectly capable of the few steps without aid but anything beyond
that would severely sap her strength.

"I am having drinks. Many drinks. Don't bother ordering de room
service. Doesn't exist." The Cajun was sitting bonelessly in a chair
on the balcony, overlooking the whitewashed concrete and adobe
buildings, sipping from a glass and staring into nothing. Morgan,
Jubilee and Bishop had agreed to take the lead in explaining the girls
to a local aid agency, and hopefully they might be able to get them
home. LeBeau had begged off, passing enough money for expenses and
local bribes to the others, before finding a bottle of mediocre
bourbon and trying to wash the taste of Gambit out of his mouth.

Wanda changed her path, which caused her to rest against the railing
to catch her breath. She didn't even so much at look at the drinks,
full or other wise, which irritated her more than anything else. She
should have been stealing one off of him but Rom had insisted on no
drinking. "I am not very hungry, anyway. So you're drinking alone?
Where'd the rest of them get off to?" She leaned the cane against the
railing and settled back, eyes closing slightly.

There was the sound of running water and a door opening and Amanda
wandered into the main room, pausing only a moment before rushing to
Wanda's side and dragging a chair over. "What are you doing standing
up? Sit down before you fall over!" she ordered, her tone brooking no
kind of argument.

The older woman held up her hands but settled herself into the chair
quietly. "Tell me you found something," Wanda said quietly. "Betsy
and Emma managed to get Rom beyond the Chthon damage and we learned a
few things. Mainly being that the link I created to anchor Monona to
the astral plane was left in, quietly, until something began happening
here. Whatever is going on with her, I am on the receiving end of.
And it's getting worse. Rom is certain that if we cannot find her or
the source..." She spread her hands wide, pragmatic enough to
understand that she was on a very slippery slope but the fact that it
felt too dramatic to actually say it...

"She's in a town 'bout six hours from here, or at least was. McLeish
picked de information up 'bout a bit ritual taking place, something
dat de local magical community is extremely nervous 'bout. Dey calling
it de 'growing stain' or something like. It's a bad translation." Remy
took another sip. "De others are arranging transportation, supplies,
and in very optimistic fashion, lunch."

Amanda had stopped hovering quite so much and was leaning on the
railing of the patio, lighting a cigarette. "'S a bad place for this
sort of thing," she said around the cigarette in her mouth. "Whole
bunch of ley lines intersect there, makes it a place of power. And
someone's gunning for the three magic users - same blonde bloke turned
up in security footage at all three places."

At that, Wanda frowned and tapped her fingers on her leg. "The same
person? Well, that makes the cries for help - as it were - worse.
Lovely. If whoever..." She paused as a coughing fit overtook her and
a moment later continued as she wiped her eyes. "Whoever is doing
this must be powerful or have some clout. Any reason why they would
have been targeted?"

"Specifically dem, I can't imagine a reason other den dat link,
somehow. According to Sofia, dere were some old tomes missing in
Japan; some kind of summoning work? She wasn't sure. Also know dat dis
blond man visited McLeish as well, which means dat African magic is
tied into it somehow."

"Jane - that's the one missing in Germany - was into African magic
research." Amanda rose from her place against the balcony to fetch
Wanda some water. "Everything we turn up keeps pointing to Anasasi,
the Spider-God."

When Amanda came back, Wanda accepted the water and drank while she
gave it some thought. "When Emma and Bets went into my head, I
thought I saw something vaguely spider shaped. Images and half-dreams
do not mean much usually but I think it fits. It was an abandoned
village somewhere in the middle of Ghana. Does that ring a bell?"

"Same place Monona's holed up in - the ley lines converge there. 'S
used to be a fairly large-sized town, but it died off a while ago.
Remy's contact traced her back there." Amanda grimaced. "It'll have
power there. I'm not sure what's going on, but if Monona was grabbed
for some kind of summoning, they'll have all the oomph they need."

"She's still alive," Wanda said tiredly, "that much I know, at least.
And if she is, then the others will be as well - three's a powerful
number and they will need all of them in order to do whatever it is
they're doing. But we might not have much time. Can we get to them
tomorrow?"

"I'll tell de others. We got enough firepower here to handle it." Remy
said, finishing off his drink and pouring another. "You get some
sleep. Look like you 'bout to fall over as it is."

Amanda was instantly by Wanda's side. "I'll make sure she rests," she
said, in a tone that brooked no argument from Wanda herself.

"I find myself in agreement," Wanda responded, reaching for the cane
even as Amanda helped her up. Sleep would allow her some time to stop
thinking and stop feeling.