Gardeners and Out of Season Madness... De Ja Vu

She turned to look at her companion.

"Now that's straight out of Tomb Raider."

All he could do was stare in wide eyed wonder as the statue walked by.

"No kidding," he said in a distant and awestruck sort of way.

She didn't look disturbed. Just confused.

"Don't see that every day."

"You've seen stuff like this before," he asks, looking her in the eyes, "ya gotta tell me where."

She looked at him and answered quietly. Her voice dropped.

"My family can do it. Some of them can."

"Wow, really?" He looks impressed and his eyes get wide with curiosity and excitement, "Tell me who your family is so that I know not to piss any of them off."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. Probably out of habit, though she answered him, in a voice that only he would hear her.

"House and Clan Tremere."

"Clan," he brushed his hand through his hair distractedly thinking on the rhetorical question, "well, your family must be really tight knit. So what do you think is going on? Big flashes, loud noises, walking statues, and a dead garden overnight. Something wacky is going on for sure."

She blinked and looked out across the garden.

"I probably shouldn't have told you that. You should forget you ever met me."

She turned to walk away. Clearly disturbed.

"No," he calls, "wait." He runs over and puts a hand to her shoulder, "Its okay, I would have found out eventually, but this way is definitely more awkward. Please stay, your knowledge of this kinda stuff might be able to solve the mystery."

She looked up at him. Stared at him with wide, blue eyes.

"Who are you?"

He replies quite matter of factly, "No one important."

She was growing increasingly agitated. She started to pace, then pulled out her phone. She started to dial, then stomped her foot. Damn you, Mat, for not having a phone!

"Crap. Crap, crap, crap."

"What?" He says confused. "Its true."

She shook her head.

"No," she said, waving her hands. "You don't understand. I ... fuck." Clearly agitated - likely from the whole conversation about, you know, Tremere.

"My family is pretty secretive too, but for different reasons," he stands still and talks while she paces, "but a lot less cryptic reasons. They are lovingly called sewer rats by the less refined of court."

Tension seemed to drain out of her.

"Oh, thank the gods."

"I had no intention of panicking you," he says with as genuine a tone as he can muster. "I'm glad that you are relieved by my telling, but I must say that I am sad that our original game is over. Oh well, new game."

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes. New game."

"My curiosity led me here because some students told me of the strange events surrounding the garden," he swept his arm across the scene. "It is obvious that something of the occult is or has occurred here, but what nature of mysticism is still under question."

She looked around.

"This is well beyond the powers of my family, I think."

"Any thoughts on what could have caused this chaos?"

She shook her head.

"I've seen my family do some really neat things. Nothing like this, though. This is the kind of thing that gets noticed, and they're not so keen on that."

"Agreed. We need to tell someone what we have seen here, or look for a cause on our own while the effects are still hot. From what I know of this kind of thing, it probably isn't permanent and will fade sooner than later. That sound about right to you?"

She frowned.

"Depends on what it is. I mean, sure, most of the effects of my family do not tend to be permanent unless they wish for it to. So I don't even know where to start looking for answers on this one."