Private report to Count Elias of Oakhold, blah blah blah...

Welcome to the Nineties, Elias.  I assume that the little bastard I gave the disk to didn't actually eat it, or you wouldn't be reading this.  First, take a look at the other file on here.  I scanned in a copy of Sebastian's literary diarrhea before letting it get to its intended recipient, 'cause I thought you might like to see what the other side is reading.   As far as the subject of all this fuss goes...

As usual, the Nob Hill crowd has zero clue.  They got some basics right, like where the guy was born, but that's about it.  This little street-singer is no more Fae than my latest lunch.  I'm the House expert on shapeshifters; that's why you called me in.  I know 'em when I see 'em, and the redhead is very definitely Changing Breed.

He's not, however, any of the wolves you know.  This guy's a fox, in more ways than one.  Kitsune, the Japanese call 'em - werefoxes.  Legends say they're masters of deception.  This one's no different.  The San Fran kithain seem to think he's as harmless and fluffy and cute as a childling Pooka, but let me run down a few particulars for you:

• Thompson claims to be a total coward, and yet he's been in the middle of four Werewolf bloodbaths, coming out unscathed every time.
• He's supposed to be a total hedonist with a revolving bedroom door, but nobody's ever seen him bring anyone home to bed.  I've seen him flirt with two guys and a girl at the same time, using the flirting to pump 'em dry of info.  This is a guy who carefully controls his image, and knows how to use it.
• I personally saw him shatter the nose of a Bastet with a casually brutal elbow, just because she interrupted a conversation he was having.  Didn't seem the least bit sorry about it.  How fluffy and pacifist does that sound?
• He wasn't especially concerned when his supposed liege lord, Lady Kass, came over to the Unseelie.  Just kept right on working her club.
• Couple of puppy-children I keep an eye on are real uncomfortable around this guy; they keep wrinkling their noses and muttering about "Wyrm."  Which means Thompson isn't exactly Mr. Clean on a spiritual level.

Nobody can figure out what his game is, but I've got a pretty good hunch.  The street-singer dodge gives him a readymade license to be nosy - after all, he's just gathering material for songs, right?  Wrong.  This guy hangs in too many supernatural circles for coincidence.  I think he's reporting back to someone, most likely someone in Japan.  We can bet that it isn't anyone Banality-intensive, since that wouldn't be in Thompson's best interests.  That still leaves a lot of ground.

You might be able to keep this guy close, if you work at it.  I've already shown you he isn't all sweetness and light.  Here are a couple hooks to drag him in:

• As far as any real sexual preferences go, Sebastian got it right. Black hair and light eyes, tall, male... and androgynously romantic in a trashy fantasy-novel way.  I've seen his reactions to guys like this; it's not an act. It is, however, a definite weakness you can exploit.
• It is a very real possibility this guy has AIDS.  The carefully-crafted mask has been cracking lately, right around the time of the nose-breaking incident.  He's been having some hush-hush serious talks with people about "plague" and "cures"; doesn't take a genius to add up that math, given Thompson's lifestyle.  About a month ago he took off cross-country, and has been scouring Florida's supernatural community for info, from what I hear.  Drop the hint of a cure in his ear, and who knows...?

Oh, and one more thing - that Liam apprentice is showing signs of actual intelligence.  He came closer than anyone to figuring things out.  Watch him.

-- Jonathan Steele, Knight to the Seelie Schmucks and freelance reporter for House Ailil.