They fight crime! (Well, not quite.)

By Elizabeth McCoy

**Flaming
Feather**

His name -- well, Role-name -- is William "Bill" Broadhurst. He's about six foot four, and at least half that in diameter; it doesn't register on people as much as it could because he's got a thick bone structure as well as being tall.

He's the laconic psychology teacher at a moderate-sized university, known for taking individual students under his wing and steering them to or from certain classes -- or even entirely out of his field of study! He's also an intensely private person, prone to snapping at people who: walk into his office unannounced, try to get his home phone number or address, or ask how he managed to grade all those papers on short notice.

He's not a Djinn. Well, not anymore, if the analysis of the Band was accurate. Now he's an Elohite of Destiny. Which is all well and good for the school, but "Bill" hates his Role-name (he'd prefer William) and his vessel. He's got a spare mouse-vessel, and he'd much rather be using it, thank you very much.

You see, Heaven (including "Bill," though he was Role-less, female, and going by Paarai at the time) spotted what they believed to be a Djinn of Fate on-campus, and decided that the best thing to do would be a swap. Paarai got the short straw, and is the one waiting for Hell to notice and send in a hit-team to try to steal the Role back. He's got a Cherub -- a big one, with a vessel not entirely suited for everyday Earth duty -- sitting by his Heart.

Frankly, while the work and the students aren't bad, he's getting very annoyed at Hell for not being on the ball and killing this vessel already. Not that you'll know it to talk to him (unless you're another Elohite); he's grumpy, not proto-dissonant. (The snapping and privacy is a legacy of the previous Role-holder's personality, not Paarai's.)

"Bill" isn't taking any risks, though, because in the general ' administrative building, he's found a secretary who really needs his help.

She's Gloria Ling, apparently Chinese-descent, and is pretty open about hating her job, her co-workers, and just about anything else that she has to deal with on a regular basis. Like the pigeons. Nasty flying rats that they are. (One does wonder why she gives them bread crumbs every day; they don't seem to be being poisoned.) Or the squirrels, tree-rats that they are. (Ditto.) Or the students. (So why did she get into the paper for saving one by bouncing her would-be assaulter's head off a wall a few times?)

The highly sensual-bodied and cold-minded Gloria -- "Bill" believes -- is actually a suitably Discordant demon. He's guessing Habbalite or Calabite and is going to be smug that one of those is right.

She's a Heartbroken, ex-Factions Punisher, with a level of Selfless Discord (see the IPG); kicking and screaming, she's on the slow track to Heaven, and she's going to gripe about it all the way. Her personality is snarky, arrogant, snide, and when the chips are down, she rushes to do the selfless thing with a roll of her eyes and a "Dammit, why am I doing this again? Oh, right, I'm an idiot, that's why."

What neither of them know is that the previous "Bill" was a Djinn of the Game, posing as a Djinn of Fate. (Well, actually, he was trying to pose as an Impudite of Fate, but not doing a very good job of that part.) This means that while the Game was annoyed to lose an operative and Role, they really don't care so much about corrupting the students and staff as... finding Renegades.

So they've got a couple people in the area (one Hellsworn, one a 7-Force Shedite), keeping an eye on the angel. You see, they correctly assume that if there are any Renegades around, the angel will be right there as soon as he can -- either to kill a general threat or to try to redeem the traitor.

Of course, "Bill" keeps an eye on a lot of people -- but the Shedite can spot the human ones with a quick possession, sooner or later. They'll take out the angel if they need to, but they're really hoping they can leave him in position for a long, long time.

That's going to really annoy "Bill" if he finds out, of course.

[This could be played as a 2 person game with pre-generated characters (the players taking either Gloria and Paarai, or the Gamesters (up the Shedite's Forces to 9, and maybe make the Hellsworn an Impudite or Habbalite instead). Or the PCs could simply be in the area and get involved on whichever side seems most suited to them: capture of a Renegade, assistance to angels, conscripted by the Game, pranking the Game, pranking the angel, pranking everyone in sight, burning down the campus and trying to avoid the local celestials (all of whom would not want the campus torched, for their various reasons)... You get the idea.]

**Flaming
Feather**

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