Sam Winchester (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fromfryingpantofire) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
piper902020-10-23 01:06 am
fromfryingpantofire) wrote in piper902020-10-23 01:06 am
[Video] [Encoded]
[The video comes up on a back corner of the library, where Sam's set up a little research table of his own. Not that there's much there. For all that they have a 'library', it's really not all that interesting. Definitely none of the things that he's used to being able to find.]
[Though it is at least a QUIET section of the library. Nobody much comes back there. Of course, if it was anybody other than Sam, they'd find that corner to be nearly devoid of wifi signal.]
[How does Sam have signal? Nobody knows.]
So. I know that there are a few of you here who aren't too keen on the whole idea of the supernatural and magic and things that don't make sense to the rational mind. And believe me, I get it. If I hadn't grown up with this sort of thing, I'd probably be right there with you.
I also get that we don't know for certain that what we're facing IS something that's supernatural. After all, there are other explanations for what she can do. Some of us have powers that we never had at home as an example.
However, if she is, there are a few things that you can carry that may help either ward her off or fight her off. None of them are heavy and we have access to at least a few things that would work.
[He reaches off screen and brings out a salt shaker from the cafeteria.] Salt. Table salt will work just fine. My brother and I buy a lot of Morton's back home.
Anyway, salt has been an ingredient in purifying rituals for millennia. It's often used to ward off evil spirits and cleanse an area of bad...juju, for lack of a better word. Back home, spirits can't cross a line of salt, so a quick and easy ward was just to pour lines of salt across any entrance to a room. Shooting rock salt into a spirit would disperse them, too.
There's stuff that works better when it comes to spirits, but I don't have access to the supplies I need for them. Salt is nearly as old school as blood, though, so it should do you in a pinch.
Second. [He reaches off to the side again and comes back with a firestarter.] This one is a lot more difficult to get hold of, so this may be something more to look for when we go on missions. Iron. Again, just about as old school as it comes. There are a lot of things that are weak to iron, including the Fae. If you have the ones from the right stories, at least. A good length of rebar that can be wielded like a sword or a bat is great. Again, good for dispersing a spirit, though it won't get rid of them entirely. It'll buy you time to get back up, though. So, again. Useful.
The third isn't really useful for ghosts or spirits, but if the salt doesn't work, then maybe this will. [Out comes a water bottle.] Holy water. Mostly works for demons. Won't kill them, but will cause harm and may burn them. Again, good for buying you time to get away and get help. Luckily, I was able to pick up a rosary on the last mission, so I can make as much as we may need. I tend to also throw a handful of salt in for a twofer.
As far as I know, we don't have access to any, but another good all around weapon against the supernatural is silver. I'd suggest keeping it away from those among the New Hires that might have an allergy to it, but there are a LOT of supernatural creatures out there that are weak to it. Again, purifying qualities that have been in use for a lot of centuries. And another thing to keep an eye out for on missions.
[Sam settles the items in front of him.] I'm not going to say any of this will keep you safe. That's not a promise I can make, especially since we don't know what, exactly, our enemy is. At best, I can say that they might be able to help. At worst, they're inert and you're no worse off than you were a moment before. At this point, though, I think we can use any edge we might be able to get.
[He folds his hands, leaning forward on the desk.]
Any questions?
[Though it is at least a QUIET section of the library. Nobody much comes back there. Of course, if it was anybody other than Sam, they'd find that corner to be nearly devoid of wifi signal.]
[How does Sam have signal? Nobody knows.]
So. I know that there are a few of you here who aren't too keen on the whole idea of the supernatural and magic and things that don't make sense to the rational mind. And believe me, I get it. If I hadn't grown up with this sort of thing, I'd probably be right there with you.
I also get that we don't know for certain that what we're facing IS something that's supernatural. After all, there are other explanations for what she can do. Some of us have powers that we never had at home as an example.
However, if she is, there are a few things that you can carry that may help either ward her off or fight her off. None of them are heavy and we have access to at least a few things that would work.
[He reaches off screen and brings out a salt shaker from the cafeteria.] Salt. Table salt will work just fine. My brother and I buy a lot of Morton's back home.
Anyway, salt has been an ingredient in purifying rituals for millennia. It's often used to ward off evil spirits and cleanse an area of bad...juju, for lack of a better word. Back home, spirits can't cross a line of salt, so a quick and easy ward was just to pour lines of salt across any entrance to a room. Shooting rock salt into a spirit would disperse them, too.
There's stuff that works better when it comes to spirits, but I don't have access to the supplies I need for them. Salt is nearly as old school as blood, though, so it should do you in a pinch.
Second. [He reaches off to the side again and comes back with a firestarter.] This one is a lot more difficult to get hold of, so this may be something more to look for when we go on missions. Iron. Again, just about as old school as it comes. There are a lot of things that are weak to iron, including the Fae. If you have the ones from the right stories, at least. A good length of rebar that can be wielded like a sword or a bat is great. Again, good for dispersing a spirit, though it won't get rid of them entirely. It'll buy you time to get back up, though. So, again. Useful.
The third isn't really useful for ghosts or spirits, but if the salt doesn't work, then maybe this will. [Out comes a water bottle.] Holy water. Mostly works for demons. Won't kill them, but will cause harm and may burn them. Again, good for buying you time to get away and get help. Luckily, I was able to pick up a rosary on the last mission, so I can make as much as we may need. I tend to also throw a handful of salt in for a twofer.
As far as I know, we don't have access to any, but another good all around weapon against the supernatural is silver. I'd suggest keeping it away from those among the New Hires that might have an allergy to it, but there are a LOT of supernatural creatures out there that are weak to it. Again, purifying qualities that have been in use for a lot of centuries. And another thing to keep an eye out for on missions.
[Sam settles the items in front of him.] I'm not going to say any of this will keep you safe. That's not a promise I can make, especially since we don't know what, exactly, our enemy is. At best, I can say that they might be able to help. At worst, they're inert and you're no worse off than you were a moment before. At this point, though, I think we can use any edge we might be able to get.
[He folds his hands, leaning forward on the desk.]
Any questions?
Re: video;
I suppose there's no way to test that either, though. A scientific scale of arse-to-belief measurement.
Very well, Mr. Winchester. I do so solemnly promise not to sacrifice the village youths while cackling in the moonlight, and you can keep your gun down. [Not that a gun would necessarily do much to her, but he doesn't need to know that.] In exchange, and for anyone listening who is in need, I am really quite excellent at setting things on fire, and it is as good as promised for dealing with extramundane threats.
[There's a brief pause, before she hurriedly adds-]
That was unrelated to the hunters burning themselves down, I assure you.
video;
Fire tends to be quite useful, I find. Especially if you can do it at a distance.
[He's...not going to touch the rest of that, thanks.]
no subject
[ She's very insistent about that difference in terminology, even if Beatrice doubts very much he cares.]
At least if you are capable of some pattern finding and recognition, that does put you a head or two over other hunters that I have known. They were rather prone to just sort of...kicking in doors until something happened, and then shooting wildly until something stopped happening.
What sort of pattern leads you to wraiths? The ghosts of your home sound so very different. The ones I knew were frequently confused and not greatly able to effect materia, let alone enough to raise suspicions.
no subject
Since most of the witches I've been in contact with aren't exactly people I'd want to see again, I'll take you at your word.
[Not that he's entirely certain what the difference between magic from sorcery and magic from being a witch is, but he's fine with letting her set the terminology for the moment.]
It's not so much the patterns, really. Most of the time, that just tells us there's a problem in the area. A pattern of people dying is the usual thing, either in a small area over a quick period of time or slowly, over a matter of years but always at the same time. I have a news crawler that picks up on things in the papers, makes it a lot easier than it used to be.
no subject
[No, friendly fire was not intentionally a pun. She is incredibly straightfaced. Beatrice also takes her word as an invitation to elaborate, but if Sam was hoping for a moral differentiation..]
Hrmf. For your information, witch is for those who do things like talk about their covens and spell magic with a k. Occasionally even a j.