Re: Little Moments Between Steptember and November, Meetings and Endings Part 2 IC Thread 31

[Warpmind]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

"Yeah...there is some really nice vampires."
The young vampiress said and she looked around nervously.
"I have not really met that many of them though, a few of the Princes let us stay for a few days, that is kind, but so very many where not kind...not kind at all."
She whispered.

The large woman's face was impassive; a good eye would spot the Etherite didn't believe for one second any claims of mortality. But didn't make any hostile moves towards her either.

As the group - Nicole assumed - sorted out what was going to happen to the vampire, she remained put; not aggressive per se, more... waiting, just in case something happened.

He nodded, "People are still people... and most people will follow the leader like sheep. When the leader is something of a bastard, well... if the boss says someone is fair game for tormenting, then that's what happens..."

"Yeah there was nothing we could do to help the people here, I felt so sorry for them, especially the kids...but there was nothing we could do. Will...will they be okey now?"
She asked softly.

He nodded, "They are safe for now. And we'll make sure they stay that way. Political consequences be damned."

After a few rings the Verbena Adept picked up the phone.
"Yes Mr Wainwright? What can I do for your?"
She asked over the phone.

He sighed softly, "I'm sorry to call on you like this so soon, Mrs. Knox, but we've got something of a situation here... A wealthy Ventrue has been using some unfortunates as the equivalent of a MacDonalds, and we just stopped tonights' dinner party. The vampires brought here to dine are the less fortunate ones, as well, forced to pay through the nose for a meal... we have a survivor, a Toreador who was made without permission in Chicago, apparently around July-August or thereabouts, and who fled with another... she's badly wounded by, er, sunburn, and quite alone and helpless... do you know of anyone we can entrust her to, who might be willing to help and shelter the poor woman?"

((OOC: "Claims of mortality", Nicole? ))

[Adley's return from Chicago]

"Well, at any rate we can help others until they are back on their feet. And we are still here to do that, so for that I'm thankful."

He nodded, "That we can. At the very least, I can donate blood and help with some manual lifting where needed."

"I have an aversion to changing my mental state too much, at least in that way," he admitted. "I don't like the idea of losing control, or being unable to be ready for an emergency if one should arise."

He nodded, then grinned, "A very good reason for avoiding the stuff. Still, there's something to be said for experiencing it at least once, so you know at least something of how you are affected, and how you might compensate for the impairment. Of course, I'm not going to try arguing that you should get drunk often to build tolerance - your Pater would have me court martialed if I tried."

"Just be careful. Sometimes, it seems like the fate will shift over as we've seen happen already. Perhaps you should talk to one of the Euthanatos before you go too far along with such a plan, they have understandings of people's fates better than we do. If anything, you might get a practical perspective."

He nodded, "I think that so long as Gabriel and Anna were convinced on that day, that the poor woman expired as a result of torture, Fate will be satisfied. But yes, asking Adjan and Miss Mandis will probably be quite valuable in the research stages."

[Adley]

[Adley and Narim, after Chicago; Steelhaven, late morning]

"I think the difference is that Mr Wainwright's rote, if I am going to take a guess at what it do, spread the information randomly around and by that scrambling it, while my wards seek to destroy the information leaking out."
Narim explained and he scratched his head for a moment.

"That...is very interesting." He took out his notebook and jotted something down. "I'm curious now. I didn't give it more thought than it being an oddment of my magick."

"No I...can't say that I have."
The Virtual Adept said.
"I have a feeling that doing so would land me on my butt on the ice more than on my feet."
He added with a grin.

"At first, sure. It's not the easiest thing to do right away. Figure skates are supposed to be easier to learn on, but most people bite it on figure skates because they snag the toe pick on the front or try to stop on it and trip. If you can inline skate hockey ones might be easier, since it's similar in motion. It's not like running on ice, which is what most people think to do without guidance. With hockey skates, there's nothing much to stop you falling forward besides ice if you lose balance which is easy in the beginning."

"I will bring the CD's over to your room later today then."

"I should be around," he said with a nod.

"Ice cream in autumn living dangerously aren't we."
Narim said and he chuckle before eating another piece of sushi.
"It will be the perfect ending to a wonderful meal."
He declared with a warm smile.

He laughed. "Ice cream in the autumn is a bit better than in the winter, I suppose. I'm going to save room for dessert then." He smiled and went back to eating for a while, trying not to eat more than his share.

[Adley and Nicole go to Beefbarn]

'Thought you already knew... helped someone go on the run, they did. That's called "aiding and abetting" and broke probation. Which meant they was gonna be enjoying the ACI for a year or two, as well as any extra for helping the other person get out of state.' Nicole replied, dropping into talking about herself in the third person - perhaps sensible, as they were in a public place and she was technically still a felon on the run.

"I do recall hearing that, in a much more general form" he said with a nod.

Nicole was silent to this, looking a little sulky.

He glanced at her, noting her expression and then waited to see if she was going to say anything. Then he picked up his food and began to eat some of it.

[Adley's return from Chicago]

He nodded, "That we can. At the very least, I can donate blood and help with some manual lifting where needed."

"Indeed, it seems we're both going to be quite busy."

He nodded, then grinned, "A very good reason for avoiding the stuff. Still, there's something to be said for experiencing it at least once, so you know at least something of how you are affected, and how you might compensate for the impairment. Of course, I'm not going to try arguing that you should get drunk often to build tolerance - your Pater would have me court martialed if I tried."

"Just because something affects you one way when you try it does not mean it will be exactly the same if you try it again, if the circumstances are not the same."

He nodded, "I think that so long as Gabriel and Anna were convinced on that day, that the poor woman expired as a result of torture, Fate will be satisfied. But yes, asking Adjan and Miss Mandis will probably be quite valuable in the research stages."

"I am glad to hear you will be seeking their consultation."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole and Cava]

Once the kid had finished, Nicole took the board out of the clamp and looked at it critically. 'Not bad at all... we'll make an electrician out of you yet. Now it's for real - to do the same again on the speaker.' taking the board and dumping it on the now in-bits toaster.

Nicole will let Cava get on with it; only to step in if she does something critically wrong and/or dangerous - otherwise, the kid's on her own.

Cava nodded and she smiled at the praise, then she started to repeat the process with the speaker, carefully going through each step to not forget anything, she moved slowely, you could do the job in a fraction of the time it took the little Solificato to finish the job but she did manage to fasten the wire well, and the repair job should hold. Once done she put the soldering iron back where it belonged and showed you her work.
"Will this do Miss Nicole?"
She asked.
"Will this make the speaker work again?"

"That's true. But starting is really hard." Serge said with a chuckle. "And I've always liked being inside more than outside. What sorts of fun things do you like to do outside Cava?"

"I guess not everyone need to go outside Sir...hum...well I like to make mud pies and run, and climb trees and play with kittens."
Cava said and smiled.

[Junkyard]

The large woman's face was impassive; a good eye would spot the Etherite didn't believe for one second any claims of morality. But didn't make any hostile moves towards her either.

As the group - Nicole assumed - sorted out what was going to happen to the vampire, she remained put; not aggressive per se, more... waiting, just in case something happened.

All was quiet for now at least but who knew if the vampire "owning" the junkyard might not decide to check up o his missing men eventually, there was no telling when he was expecting them back. Your young prisoner glanced at you nervously now and again but she did not speak to you or move much other than to try to shift her position now and again in a hopeless attempt to lessen the pain she was in from her burns which clearly bothered her allot.

He nodded, "People are still people... and most people will follow the leader like sheep. When the leader is something of a bastard, well... if the boss says someone is fair game for tormenting, then that's what happens..."

"Yes you are probably right."
The vampiress said she sounded so tired she did not have the energy to argue points of morality and she just looked at Colin sadly.
"There are so much cruelty out there though...so much."

He nodded, "They are safe for now. And we'll make sure they stay that way. Political consequences be damned."

"Good."
The young vampire said.
"Good they do not deserve to be hurt."

He sighed softly, "I'm sorry to call on you like this so soon, Mrs. Knox, but we've got something of a situation here... A wealthy Ventrue has been using some unfortunates as the equivalent of a MacDonalds, and we just stopped tonights' dinner party. The vampires brought here to dine are the less fortunate ones, as well, forced to pay through the nose for a meal... we have a survivor, a Toreador who was made without permission in Chicago, apparently around July-August or thereabouts, and who fled with another... she's badly wounded by, er, sunburn, and quite alone and helpless... do you know of anyone we can entrust her to, who might be willing to help and shelter the poor woman?"

Kristina let you talk then she sigh.
"I heard about that, a elder Toreador with an illegal childe, Prince Lodin have always been strict with that law I am suprised he let them go though the two of them went through quite...alot before they where tossed out of the city."
She said.
"You have to understand Mr Wainwright, the one thing that mage society differs most from vampre society on are our young, or us every newly Awakened mage is a gift, but to vampires every new vampires is one more contender for liited resources as such reproduction is stricly controlled, very few will be willing to foster a childe not of their own blood, and even if the girl was offered as a servant few would be allowed to keep one more vampire in any given city, being able to find someone willing to take her in will be...hard."
Kristina sounded regretful.
"And as for my husband, we can not take in every illegally made vampire, everyone on the run, if we did then eventually other vampires would decide it was worth the trouble to take my husband and Drake down, however if you can give me some time I can see what favors I can call in to try to find someone that will be willing to take care of the girl, if she is sunburned though she will need allot of blood and time to heal, that are serious injuries for a vampire I have treated such wounds they are dreadful."
The Verbena said then she asked.
"The girl's Sire the elder Toreador, is she around, it would be easier to help the girl's Sire get to another city and while they would likely be on the run she can care for her injured childe."

[Kyle's Room]

"Sorry, I guess I'm a bit out of it. I'm trying to see if the picture I sent you had any effect. I do actually really want some more hot chocolate." Serge said with a smile, getting rid of his passive attitude and returning back to his normal cheerful self making it easier for the magickal desire within Kyle to take root.

"Do you see anything weird?" he added wanting Kyle to think the magick was an illusion rather than compulsion.

"I see, well I will make some then...hum...I see nothing out of the ordinary though and I have been looking."
Kyle said and he glanced around again.
"Please tell me there are no illusions around to oven as I cook up the cocoa though I don't want to burn myself."
He said as he measured up and added the cocoa powder and set the mixture to warm on low heat.

" Sure they do but I don't need them. One thing I've learned Kyle. It doesn't matter what you use to draw with." Serge said with a shake of his head. "The tools you use don't matter. It's what you create with them. I've created works of art using pebbles on the sidewalk and my own nails on my own skin. Thinking you need expensive tools is a hindrance. Sure expensive tools might make you feel cool, but at the end of the day the drawing you create depends on your skill, not your wallet. Each drawing is supposed to be an extension of yourself not your tools."

"Well using pen and paper sounds less painful than drawing on your own skin with your nails."
Kyle said wryly.
"I know it is skill that is the most important. But I assume it is like with all things. If I try to game with a worn out, old controller I will do poorer than if I use a new one that fit my hands."
The young mage said.
"Having good equipment is not really about looking cool it makes things easier right?"

"Right. No need to think about it now." Serge agreed looking around the room for something to change the conversation to.

"How about you show me that racing game on your PSP? I wanna see why you like it so much."

Kyle still looked scared before he nodded and etched the little handheld machine and turned it on, the car racing game he was playing sprung to life and he started showing you how to play.
"He graphics are good for the PSP."
He commented with a slight smile seaming to settle down a little talking about something he enjoyed.

[Adley and Narim, after Chicago; Steelhaven, late morning]

"That...is very interesting." He took out his notebook and jotted something down. "I'm curious now. I didn't give it more thought than it being an oddment of my magick."

"It is probably an oddment of your magic, what the Order of Hermes called a sigil, a mark of your magick, I think it is likely then that something that try to directly destroy the information escaping the room will be ignored by this oddity as you call it while just randomly scattering the information might not affect it as directly and this work."
Narim said.
"Just speculation on my part off course."

"At first, sure. It's not the easiest thing to do right away. Figure skates are supposed to be easier to learn on, but most people bite it on figure skates because they snag the toe pick on the front or try to stop on it and trip. If you can inline skate hockey ones might be easier, since it's similar in motion. It's not like running on ice, which is what most people think to do without guidance. With hockey skates, there's nothing much to stop you falling forward besides ice if you lose balance which is easy in the beginning."

"I can not say that I have tried any kind of skating, but if you are willing to see me fumbling around like Bambi on the ice, then I would be willing to try."
Narim said with a grin.
"With whatever types of skates you recommend. Let me just stock up on that lotion that Master Nassa make against bruises first."
He added sounding amused.

"I should be around," he said with a nod.

"I always knows where everyone at the Chantry is when they are within her walls...ehm sorry it is not scrying I just know I am not trying to it just happens."
Narim said and nodded.
"So I will find you."

He laughed. "Ice cream in the autumn is a bit better than in the winter, I suppose. I'm going to save room for dessert then." He smiled and went back to eating for a while, trying not to eat more than his share.

"There is always the right time for ice cream."
Narim said and he grinned as he ate a bit more of the food.
"And there is always room for dessert."
He added.
"Take it from me, I am a Maste of Correspondence, I know such things, there is always room for dessert."
He added with a laugh.

(OOC: Sorry for my late reply, I felt a bit meh last night so I spent the evening with netflix and went to bed early.)

[Warpmind]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

"Yes you are probably right."
The vampiress said she sounded so tired she did not have the energy to argue points of morality and she just looked at Colin sadly.
"There are so much cruelty out there though...so much."

Colin nodded, "Yes... I try to work against it, though I don't always succeed. Can't let that stop me trying..."

Kristina let you talk then she sigh.
"I heard about that, a elder Toreador with an illegal childe, Prince Lodin have always been strict with that law I am suprised he let them go though the two of them went through quite...alot before they where tossed out of the city."
She said.
"You have to understand Mr Wainwright, the one thing that mage society differs most from vampre society on are our young, or us every newly Awakened mage is a gift, but to vampires every new vampires is one more contender for liited resources as such reproduction is stricly controlled, very few will be willing to foster a childe not of their own blood, and even if the girl was offered as a servant few would be allowed to keep one more vampire in any given city, being able to find someone willing to take her in will be...hard."
Kristina sounded regretful.
"And as for my husband, we can not take in every illegally made vampire, everyone on the run, if we did then eventually other vampires would decide it was worth the trouble to take my husband and Drake down, however if you can give me some time I can see what favors I can call in to try to find someone that will be willing to take care of the girl, if she is sunburned though she will need allot of blood and time to heal, that are serious injuries for a vampire I have treated such wounds they are dreadful."
The Verbena said then she asked.
"The girl's Sire the elder Toreador, is she around, it would be easier to help the girl's Sire get to another city and while they would likely be on the run she can care for her injured childe."

He nodded, "I know, apex predator and all that... and I would not presume to rely on your hospitality; especially seeing as this poor young woman was already evicted from Chicago. I was hoping you might have a contact in the Boston area who could offer some shelter and assistance... unfortunately, I'm afraid her Sire - a woman named Veronica - was killed by the same bit of sunlight that hurt her - I am to blame for that; I was unable to focus it quite as precisely as I intended, and there was collateral damage past the one I intended to execute... It was quick, at least, but all the same, I got sloppy. It's just the poor injured childe..."

[Adley's return from Chicago]

"Just because something affects you one way when you try it does not mean it will be exactly the same if you try it again, if the circumstances are not the same."

He nodded, "True enough - stress and even normal biorhythms do play in, but the effects of alcohol are generally quite consistent, even if the dosage needed for each level of affliction are not. In any case, I would not recommend larger servings than the sip you just got on a regular basis. Even if England does have a rather long-running tradition for starting the day with a half-pint or two."

"I am glad to hear you will be seeking their consultation."

He grinned, "With something of this magnitude and importance, I'd rather be a fool if I didn't consult everyone I thought might know a thing or two about the implications and the necessities for success - and I would hope you don't think me one for daring to try to save a woman's life. Besides, a part of me needs to show Anna that I am indeed better than Gabriel. The man was a powerhouse, as you probably remember from the post office, and while I took him down, it wasn't a fair fight by any definition. Which means my remaining venue is to undo something important he did... and what better way to prove that to Anna than to save her mother?"

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Junkyard]

As they stood around doing nothing, Nicole got increasingly anxious... [Skip turn]

[Claims of morality. I corrected it *shakes fist at autocorrect*]

[Nicole and Cava]

Anja's Post:

'Should do... but we'll need to test it... there might be something else wrong.' Nicole replied. 'Bring it over with me.' moving back towards the couch.

Anja's Post:

'And never let anyone tell you climbing trees is wrong.'

[RI Roadtrip]

Adley's Post:

'It's the point made before. I think different, mix with different and all that. Always better than a bunch of folk who are all samey.'

Nicole began to eat, giving a little smile on the first bite. 'Never tasted right, when I tried to do it...'

[Does Adley have any other topics to discuss?]

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Nicole and Cava]

"I guess not everyone need to go outside Sir...hum...well I like to make mud pies and run, and climb trees and play with kittens."
Cava said and smiled.

"You can climb trees!" Serge said excitedly, "Wow Cava. That makes you even stronger than me! I used to climb the monkey bars during recess and even that was difficult. How many trees did you climb?"

[Kyle's Room]

"I see, well I will make some then...hum...I see nothing out of the ordinary though and I have been looking."
Kyle said and he glanced around again.
"Please tell me there are no illusions around to oven as I cook up the cocoa though I don't want to burn myself."
He said as he measured up and added the cocoa powder and set the mixture to warm on low heat.

"Nah, nothing like that. Nothing that will scare you at least." Serge assured. "I won't give too much away. Just in case you did see it but haven't figured it out yet. You can look at the picture again if you want. There should be some clues there."

"Well using pen and paper sounds less painful than drawing on your own skin with your nails."
Kyle said wryly.
"I know it is skill that is the most important. But I assume it is like with all things. If I try to game with a worn out, old controller I will do poorer than if I use a new one that fit my hands."
The young mage said.
"Having good equipment is not really about looking cool it makes things easier right?"

"I don't really care about doing things in an easier way." Serge revealed. "If everyone went for the easiest or optimal way than everyone would be doing the same thing or striving for the same materials. I like finding new ways of doing things, even if they end up being more complicated or less optimal."

Then with a smile the ecstatic said, "I mean. It's not like I'm saying quality tools wouldn't help. They'd help a lot. Thankfully normal tools are easy to get. It's really easy to get pencils for free. You can find them just lying around any classroom or being handed out at events and stuff. With a bit of know-how and magick you can find out where to exactly to look for free goodies. I've gotten my fair share of pens and pencils like that."

Kyle still looked scared before he nodded and etched the little handheld machine and turned it on, the car racing game he was playing sprung to life and he started showing you how to play.
"The graphics are good for the PSP."
He commented with a slight smile seaming to settle down a little talking about something he enjoyed.

"It does look nice." Serge said with a smile as he watched Kyle play. " You can customize cars right? Can you put those sick flame decals on the side of your cars. Always thought those looked cool."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

Colin nodded, "Yes... I try to work against it, though I don't always succeed. Can't let that stop me trying..."

"All we can do is try and keep trying."
The vampiress said.
"Even if there at times do not seam like there is any point."

He nodded, "I know, apex predator and all that... and I would not presume to rely on your hospitality; especially seeing as this poor young woman was already evicted from Chicago. I was hoping you might have a contact in the Boston area who could offer some shelter and assistance... unfortunately, I'm afraid her Sire - a woman named Veronica - was killed by the same bit of sunlight that hurt her - I am to blame for that; I was unable to focus it quite as precisely as I intended, and there was collateral damage past the one I intended to execute... It was quick, at least, but all the same, I got sloppy. It's just the poor injured childe..."

"It is usually quick with sunlight, other than some few who can protect themselves to some extent, they...linger, others quickly turn to ash, and you could not know just how badly they burn, let us just say that if you where going to have a vampire in your bathroom safely during the day you would have to tape the dor to avoid any light coming in through the cracks around it, they are that sensitive."
Kristina said then she sigh.
"So what we have is a few months old vampire with a dead Sire, that is like shooting a doe and leaving the calf behind, she do not just need somewhere to stay, she needs guidance, a teacher to be her parent...there is a tradition for fostering the childer of others in vampire society but few do so unless it is the childe of a powerful ally fostered the strengthening the bond between allies...few want to give up the right to Sire a childe to raise the offspring of another...what I can do is ask of my husband that he speak with the Prince of Boston and get the young woman you speak of officially welcomed in the city, that is being initiated, then she will have rights as she stand now anyone can kill her as they wish, then once she is welcomed I can work on finding a Toreador willing to trade favors for fostering her, teaching her what she need to know. Getting this arranged will take some time though, it is not something that can be fixed in five minutes, it will require careful negotiation."
The young Verbena said.
"But I think it can be arranged, my husband might be Autakis but he is a powerful elder, a true elder, his words will be listened to."
She added proudly."

[Nicole and Cava]

'Should do... but we'll need to test it... there might be something else wrong.' Nicole replied. 'Bring it over with me.' moving back towards the couch.

"yeah we need to test it."
The little girl said happily and she carried the speaker over to the sofa with some difficulty and sat it down where directed.
"It is heavy."
She said.
"What should I do now Miss Nicole?"

'And never let anyone tell you climbing trees is wrong.'

"Climbing trees are fun, though I did fall out of one once and I hurt my arm, that was not fun but one of my healers fixed my arms and then I climbed the tree again though my old teacher yelled at me for it."
The little girl said and grinned.

"You can climb trees!" Serge said excitedly, "Wow Cava. That makes you even stronger than me! I used to climb the monkey bars during recess and even that was difficult. How many trees did you climb?"

"I have climbed all the trees that grow in the courtyard outside of my old Chantry, it is really fun."
Cava said.
"What are monkey bars Sir? Are that a bar for monkeys? And if so how do they get the size right since there are really big monkeys like gorillas and so and then there are tiny ones that can fit in your hand, do they have several size glasses at the bar so it will work for all sizes of monkeys?"
She asked and she looked up at you with a confused look in her eyes.

[Kyle's Room]

"Nah, nothing like that. Nothing that will scare you at least." Serge assured. "I won't give too much away. Just in case you did see it but haven't figured it out yet. You can look at the picture again if you want. There should be some clues there."

Kyle nodded and he fished out his phone again and looked at the picture and then at the coca making supplies.
"It is a drawing of cocoa cups but all my supplies are real...I don't get it..."
The boy said sounding a bit frustrated.
"I don't get it at all."

"I don't really care about doing things in an easier way." Serge revealed. "If everyone went for the easiest or optimal way than everyone would be doing the same thing or striving for the same materials. I like finding new ways of doing things, even if they end up being more complicated or less optimal."

"I can respect that, you do you then."
The young mage said and nodded.

Then with a smile the ecstatic said, "I mean. It's not like I'm saying quality tools wouldn't help. They'd help a lot. Thankfully normal tools are easy to get. It's really easy to get pencils for free. You can find them just lying around any classroom or being handed out at events and stuff. With a bit of know-how and magick you can find out where to exactly to look for free goodies. I've gotten my fair share of pens and pencils like that."

"Like the Ikea pencils?"
The young widderslainte asked.
"But don't you need pencils with different types of thickness and shades and such...hardness or some such? To create the right shades and lines and all of that?"
He asked then he re cast his rote to know exactly where to cut a cookie to be able to cut out a piece so he could place it on the rim of a cup without the cookie shattering.

It does look nice." Serge said with a smile as he watched Kyle play. " You can customize cars right? Can you put those sick flame decals on the side of your cars. Always thought those looked cool."

"Yeah you can customize both the look of your cars and their hardware, that is the fun thing about the game you start with a crap car but after a while you can get better ones and get upgrades to them and eventually you have a garage full of great cars to race with."
Kyle said happily.
"And you can make some crazy designs and colors as well."

(OOC: I have had worse auto correct problems. )

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Nicole and Cava]

Anja's Post:

'Simple. Hook it up to my stereo - something I know works - and see it go.' Nicole replied, looking at the speaker to see how it connected...

[Thought Cava had removed the case earlier, so it's now simply a naked speaker now?]

Anja's Post:

'If I stopped doing something just because I hurt myself once, I'd never do anything.' the large woman quipped, giving a smirk. 'And you learned a lesson on how to climb trees better by doing it badly and getting hurt.'

[Junkyard]

Nicole continued to watch the goings-on in the yard... [Skip turn]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole and Cava]

'Simple. Hook it up to my stereo - something I know works - and see it go.' Nicole replied, looking at the speaker to see how it connected...

"That makes sense Miss Nicole."
The little girl.
"Do we have the right cord to connect it with?"
The young Soliicato asked.

'If I stopped doing something just because I hurt myself once, I'd never do anything.' the large woman quipped, giving a smirk. 'And you learned a lesson on how to climb trees better by doing it badly and getting hurt.'

"Yeah I only fell down once, the headmistress was not please though, she reminded me of how valuable I was and that when I Awakened the Chantry would earn allot of Tass or money on me selling me to someone looking for an apprentice."
Cava said and shrugged.
"I still climbed trees though, I want to be a good apprentice but I also want to have fun for myself you know, eve if the Traditions need more Awakened magi to fight the other factions, however I don't want that to be my only purpose in life...am I bad?"
The little girl asked.
"For continuing to climb trees?"

(OOC: I misunderstood I thought Nicole meant fo Cava to bring all of the speaker over.)

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Nicole and Cava]

Anja's Post:

'I think so...' looking at the wire - four options being most likely. A headphone jack, basic "speaker jacks", plain wires and some form of USB connector. Her stereo would handle the first three, her laptop the last one...

Anja's Post:

'You are most valuable to you.' the large woman replied firmly. 'Trying to live your life to someone else's plan usually does not work well... for if you do, one day you'll look in the mirror you'll see someone looking back you don't like much...' this advice sounding like it came from personal experience.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Nicole and Cava]

"I have climbed all the trees that grow in the courtyard outside of my old Chantry, it is really fun."
Cava said.
"What are monkey bars Sir? Are that a bar for monkeys? And if so how do they get the size right since there are really big monkeys like gorillas and so and then there are tiny ones that can fit in your hand, do they have several size glasses at the bar so it will work for all sizes of monkeys?"
She asked and she looked up at you with a confused look in her eyes.

"Monkey bars are just what we called metal bars at a playground that can be used for climbing. I'm not sure what their official name is though. Lot's of schools have them for the kids to play on." Serge said chuckling at the unexpected question.

[Kyle's Room]

Kyle nodded and he fished out his phone again and looked at the picture and then at the coca making supplies.
"It is a drawing of cocoa cups but all my supplies are real...I don't get it..."
The boy said sounding a bit frustrated.
"I don't get it at all."

Serge smiled a little, glad that his tricks still hadn't been found out. "I'll give you three hints while your making the hot chocolate. Here's your first. Look closely at the cups in your drawings. Right around where the shadow of your hands meet the cup. You should see a symbol hidden there."

Serge was describing where he had hid the two runes in the drawing. One that represented joy and the other that represented gifts.

"Like the Ikea pencils?"
The young widderslainte asked.
"But don't you need pencils with different types of thickness and shades and such...hardness or some such? To create the right shades and lines and all of that?"
He asked then he re cast his rote to know exactly where to cut a cookie to be able to cut out a piece so he could place it on the rim of a cup without the cookie shattering.

"Exactly. Only reason I'm really going on the Ikea trip. I can't afford furniture there anyway." Serge said with a nod.

"Darker shades can be created by pushing harder on the pencils. Lighter shades can be created by doing the opposite. Learning to use the side of the pencil is also a must have for creating shadows and similarly creating the illusion of light. With enough time, patient, and cheating with magick you can do a lot of things with a simple pencil."

"Yeah you can customize both the look of your cars and their hardware, that is the fun thing about the game you start with a crap car but after a while you can get better ones and get upgrades to them and eventually you have a garage full of great cars to race with."
Kyle said happily.
"And you can make some crazy designs and colors as well."

"Always loved customizing stuff in games. Got stuck on the character creation screen in skyrim cause I kept fiddling with how I wanted my character to look." Serge said with a grin.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole] (A discussion about cryptids)

After you had asked around about shapechangers and if there where any Etherite in the Tribunal who where knowledgeable about cryptids you had eventually been referred to Dr Jade Alvarez, a resident at Chantry Hope and Enlightenment in Lowell, you had contacted the woman and she had agreed to come in to Boston to meet with you at Cafe Latvia, a cozy diner on the North side of downtown.

You arrived at the restaurant, and in the back in a small stall you saw a woman who fit Dr Alvarez's description, she was a dark copper skinned woman with short, graying black hair, wearing large, red glasses which made her grunt features appear even more skinny, one of her eyes where slightly wonky, so she was far from a beautiful woman, she held herself with grace and confidence though which made up for where nature had not been kind, she was wearing a red silk blouse and a black pencil skirt, a simple red stone on a gold chain around her neck and matching red studs in her ears completed her assemble. The woman looked up from her coffee as you entered the diner and she motioned you over.
"Are you Nicole Bouchard?"
She asked simply, her voice having a no nonsense, hard tone to it.
"I am Dr Jade Alvarez, we spoke on the phone, you said you would like to meet."
Dr Alvarez said and she held out her hand towards you in greeting.

[Nicole and Cava]

'I think so...' looking at the wire - four options being most likely. A headphone jack, basic "speaker jacks", plain wires and some form of USB connector. Her stereo would handle the first three, her laptop the last one...

The speaker could be run with both a USB cable and a speaker jack.
"That is good."
Cava said and she smiled as she looked at what you where doing eager to see if he repairs had worked.

'You are most valuable to you.' the large woman replied firmly. 'Trying to live your life to someone else's plan usually does not work well... for if you do, one day you'll look in the mirror you'll see someone looking back you don't like much...' this advice sounding like it came from personal experience.

"I don't think the headmistress care much if I like me, I mean she is kind but my purpose is to become a Hermetic, be a good student and then a good warrior in the Asencion War to further the power and the glory of the Order of Hermes."
The little girl said clearly parroting what she had been told.
"I will always owe loyalty to the Order before myself."

"Monkey bars are just what we called metal bars at a playground that can be used for climbing. I'm not sure what their official name is though. Lot's of schools have them for the kids to play on." Serge said chuckling at the unexpected question.

"Oh...I have never been at a playground before Sir."
Cava said.
"They sound like allot of fun."

[Kyle's Room]

Serge smiled a little, glad that his tricks still hadn't been found out. "I'll give you three hints while your making the hot chocolate. Here's your first. Look closely at the cups in your drawings. Right around where the shadow of your hands meet the cup. You should see a symbol hidden there."

Serge was describing where he had hid the two runes in the drawing. One that represented joy and the other that represented gifts.

"I see the symbols yes, I am not completely sure what they mean though."
Kyle said as he begun to whip cream to put on top of the finished cocoa.
"What are the other hints?"

"Exactly. Only reason I'm really going on the Ikea trip. I can't afford furniture there anyway." Serge said with a nod.

"Darker shades can be created by pushing harder on the pencils. Lighter shades can be created by doing the opposite. Learning to use the side of the pencil is also a must have for creating shadows and similarly creating the illusion of light. With enough time, patient, and cheating with magick you can do a lot of things with a simple pencil."

"Yeah that makes sense, I guess you can draw with just a pencil. You should probably get some furniture as well though you need some basics at least."
Kyle said and frowned then he sigh.
"I have no cash to give you though unfortunately."

"Always loved customizing stuff in games. Got stuck on the character creation screen in skyrim cause I kept fiddling with how I wanted my character to look." Serge said with a grin.

"Yeah that is pretty fun."
The young mage agreed.
"I like making thing in games my own, it feels more personal that way I get an attachment to the game in a different way than if there are no way to customize things."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Café Latvia]

Anja's Post:

Nicole had made an effort; the blouse Fran had made for her, a new roll-neck, trousers, a nice pair of sneakers and easy on the jewellery. Rather anxious; she always was, when conversations with her fellow Scientists were off her limited topics she was confident in.

As usual, she was spotted before vice-versa, moving towards the - Nicole assumed - the older Latina. 'That I am.' she said with a little, slightly nervous smile, taking the proffered hand. 'Thanks for coming to talk... wouldn't have minded driving out to Lowell, me.'

[Nicole and Cava]

Anja's Post:

A small grunt as Nicole pulled her stereo towards her, to disconnect her speakers and attach the one being tested. Once done, she'll turn down the volume and position herself to switch it on...

'Three, two, one.... test.' she said, pressing the power button.

Anja's Post:

On hearing this, it took all Nicole's self-control not to roll her eyes or spit out a choice word or five regarding it. Instead, she considered this for a moment before replying.

'People don't have purposes; only things do. Like this speaker, or the soldering iron. Are you a person, or a thing?' she said calmly. 'What you are being told is just what they would like you to do and be.' knowing full well that she was challenging the "core programming" and not giving a toss about it. She'd spent over twenty years kicking conformity, wasn't going to quit now.

[Adley]

[Adley and Narim, after Chicago; Steelhaven, late morning]

"It is probably an oddment of your magic, what the Order of Hermes called a sigil, a mark of your magick, I think it is likely then that something that try to directly destroy the information escaping the room will be ignored by this oddity as you call it while just randomly scattering the information might not affect it as directly and this work." Narim said. "Just speculation on my part off course."

"Yes, so I have been told regarding wizard marks, so I chalked it up to that and did not give it much further investigation, I admit. That is however interesting, I did not realize the difference before now, hrm..." He added something to his note and put the book away.

"I can not say that I have tried any kind of skating, but if you are willing to see me fumbling around like Bambi on the ice, then I would be willing to try."
Narim said with a grin. "With whatever types of skates you recommend. Let me just stock up on that lotion that Master Nassa make against bruises first."
He added sounding amused.

"Would I be a bad person if I said I would be willing?" he said with a grin. "But I don't want you to hurt yourself, of course. As for which skates, I mean, I've been on hockey skates so long it would be hard for me to do figure skates. You might do better on them but I won't really be able to teach you, so we could both do a lesson and fall on our respective bottoms if you want. It's been a little bit since I skated, either case."

"I always knows where everyone at the Chantry is when they are within her walls...ehm sorry it is not scrying I just know I am not trying to it just happens."
Narim said and nodded.
"So I will find you."

He shrugged, nodded and tapped at his ear. He didn't want to talk about anything at home out in public, given he could be easily overheard.

"There is always the right time for ice cream." Narim said and he grinned as he ate a bit more of the food. "And there is always room for dessert."
He added."Take it from me, I am a Maste of Correspondence, I know such things, there is always room for dessert."He added with a laugh.

He smiled, then set about finishing up dinner at the same pace for a while until he had his share. When the plates were clear, he tried to politely catch the waitresses attention so he could pay the bill unless she already came to check on them.

[Adley's return from Chicago]

He nodded, "True enough - stress and even normal biorhythms do play in, but the effects of alcohol are generally quite consistent, even if the dosage needed for each level of affliction are not. In any case, I would not recommend larger servings than the sip you just got on a regular basis. Even if England does have a rather long-running tradition for starting the day with a half-pint or two."

"The only way I would think of being inebriated was if I had something besides time to reverse the effects and return to normal if I needed to, without a hangover. Tall order, really," he said with a shrug. "But I suppose I could be more acquainted with social drinking like this, for occasions. I feel like I am eating a wedge of cake, liquefied..."

He grinned, "With something of this magnitude and importance, I'd rather be a fool if I didn't consult everyone I thought might know a thing or two about the implications and the necessities for success - and I would hope you don't think me one for daring to try to save a woman's life. Besides, a part of me needs to show Anna that I am indeed better than Gabriel. The man was a powerhouse, as you probably remember from the post office, and while I took him down, it wasn't a fair fight by any definition. Which means my remaining venue is to undo something important he did... and what better way to prove that to Anna than to save her mother?"

"Colin, you are better than Gabriel. You don't need to do anything special other than be yourself to prove that. And I don't mean in magnitude of power, either. What you do with the powers that you have are as salient as having the power itself, quite probably moreso. I think trying to save her mother might be problematic, if I am to be honest and though I don't know or understand entropy or time, I have already felt the effects of you using both to shift over someone's fate. And you received quite the warning for that. I know you will try anyway, because that is who you are but I worry."

[Adley and Nicole go to Beefbarn]

Nicole began to eat, giving a little smile on the first bite. 'Never tasted right, when I tried to do it...'

"Some things just don't taste the same, there's something missing. A secret ingredient or actual ability to cook things well in my case. Can you cook?" he asked. He went back to eating for a while, content to eat in relative silence and with gusto. He was really hungry, and demolished his food in a fairly quick amount of time.

// not too much specifically, can resolve this part and then head out if you want

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Nicole and Cava]

"Oh...I have never been at a playground before Sir."
Cava said.
"They sound like allot of fun."

"You should ask your mentor to take you to the park one day. Then you can play on the monkey bars all you want." Serge said with a smile, knowing full well that there was a very good reason why Cava hadn't gone before.

[Kyle's Room]

"I see the symbols yes, I am not completely sure what they mean though."
Kyle said as he begun to whip cream to put on top of the finished cocoa.
"What are the other hints?"

"The second hint is to try and recall what happened in between when you saw the picture and now. That's when the magick happened. Did you notice anything strange?"

With this hint Serge was trying to clue Kyle to the fact that the widderslainte had started making the the hot chocolate before even asking Serge if he had wanted any. Kyle's subconscious had made him move without even acknowledging how he had known that Serge wanted any hot chocolate in the first place.

"Guess that's kinda vague. Alright. Cause your such a cool person you can get a bonus hint before the third one. Try to remember everything we talked about from the library to now. That should help." he added.

"Yeah that makes sense, I guess you can draw with just a pencil. You should probably get some furniture as well though you need some basics at least."
Kyle said and frowned then he sigh.
"I have no cash to give you though unfortunately."

"Doubt many people do." Serge said smiling in the face of his financial crisis. "Don't worry. I've managed before. The default furniture in these rooms work for me. Plus I plan on absolutely covering my room with random drawings so the extra space is handy."

"Yeah that is pretty fun."
The young mage agreed.
"I like making thing in games my own, it feels more personal that way I get an attachment to the game in a different way than if there are no way to customize things."

"It does. Helps me envision myself in the game. Problem is, in a lot of those games you never see your characters face. Your either covered in armor in cuts scenes or the camera is always behind you in third-person games." Serge said with a nod. " That's why a lot of games are focusing on named protagonists or are giving the option to hide your armor."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[RI Roadtrip]

Adley's Post:

'Can cook enough not to poison myself.' the large woman replied. 'If anything else, had to... otherwise I'd have had a dozen angry folk on my day at the Academy.'

'Anyway, cooking ain't hard. It's down to all folk doing food porn making it look like it is.' rolling her eyes, putting rapidly away a large amount of food.

[Stan Lee's dead. *sad face*]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Café Latvia]

As usual, she was spotted before vice-versa, moving towards the - Nicole assumed - the older Latina. 'That I am.' she said with a little, slightly nervous smile, taking the proffered hand. 'Thanks for coming to talk... wouldn't have minded driving out to Lowell, me.'

"I did not mind the drive Miss Bouchard and besides I have some errands to run so going to Boston is fine."
The other scientist said as she sat back down and indicated you should sit.
"Do you want anything? The cinnamon rolls are pretty decent here."
She asked before she sipped her coffee again.
"And then you can tell me why you have been asking for someone of my...expertise."
Jade gave you a curious look through her glasses before she put her coffee back down again.

[Nicole and Cava]

A small grunt as Nicole pulled her stereo towards her, to disconnect her speakers and attach the one being tested. Once done, she'll turn down the volume and position herself to switch it on...

'Three, two, one.... test.' she said, pressing the power button.

The music came through the speaker clear and precise once you turned it o to test the repair job. Cava jumped up and down and clapped her hands together happily.
"Jay..it works, it works!"
The child exclaimed.

On hearing this, it took all Nicole's self-control not to roll her eyes or spit out a choice word or five regarding it. Instead, she considered this for a moment before replying.

'People don't have purposes; only things do. Like this speaker, or the soldering iron. Are you a person, or a thing?' she said calmly. 'What you are being told is just what they would like you to do and be.' knowing full well that she was challenging the "core programming" and not giving a toss about it. She'd spent over twenty years kicking conformity, wasn't going to quit now.

Cava looked down at her hands.
"I am a person...but I was sold as a thing and given as a gift just like you would a speaker or a soldering iron."
She muttered.
"I was just told to pack my backpack and I was taken here and told that I was bought as an apprentice, and when I got here the doctor drew my blood, it was like the first thing that happened as if that is what they where after, not me...so I am not so sure I am not a thing."
The girl said sadly.
"That is what you do to a thing not a person right? But the Order say that is the right thing to do, and the right thing for me to do is to be a good girl and do as I am told."

"You should ask your mentor to take you to the park one day. Then you can play on the monkey bars all you want." Serge said with a smile, knowing full well that there was a very good reason why Cava hadn't gone before.

Cava cheered up from her dour mood at that and she nodded.
"Yeah that is a good idea Sir, I can ask my Mentor if we can go to a playground, I hope he will say yes."
She said happily.
"I really would like to see what a playground is like."

[Adley and Narim, after Chicago; Steelhaven, late morning]

"Yes, so I have been told regarding wizard marks, so I chalked it up to that and did not give it much further investigation, I admit. That is however interesting, I did not realize the difference before now, hrm..." He added something to his note and put the book away.

"It might be be useful to test what is the limits of this mark of yours Adley so you know when you can and can not speak freely."
Narim suggested.
"I can help you with that if you want."

"Would I be a bad person if I said I would be willing?" he said with a grin. "But I don't want you to hurt yourself, of course. As for which skates, I mean, I've been on hockey skates so long it would be hard for me to do figure skates. You might do better on them but I won't really be able to teach you, so we could both do a lesson and fall on our respective bottoms if you want. It's been a little bit since I skated, either case."

"Not a bad person at all, I think it would be fun, and what are a few bruises."
Narim said sounding amused.
"It could be a fun interesting to try to learn something new completely out of my comfort zone, if you just figure out a good time for you I will be there."
He said and grinned.

He shrugged, nodded and tapped at his ear. He didn't want to talk about anything at home out in public, given he could be easily overheard.

The Virtual Adept nodded and said nothing more about it, focusing on his food instead.

He smiled, then set about finishing up dinner at the same pace for a while until he had his share. When the plates were clear, he tried to politely catch the waitresses attention so he could pay the bill unless she already came to check on them.

Yuki might have been paying attention for shortly after you and Narim had finished eating she came over to the table.
"I hope you have enjoyed your meal gentlemen?"
She asked.
"Yes very much Miss it was delicious."
Narim said and the waitress smiled.
"I am glad you enjoyed it Sir, can I get you two anything else?"
She asked and Narim looked at you.
"I am done here but if you wanted anything else I can wait."
He said to you.

[Kyle's Room]

"The second hint is to try and recall what happened in between when you saw the picture and now. That's when the magick happened. Did you notice anything strange?"

With this hint Serge was trying to clue Kyle to the fact that the widderslainte had started making the the hot chocolate before even asking Serge if he had wanted any. Kyle's subconscious had made him move without even acknowledging how he had known that Serge wanted any hot chocolate in the first place.

"Guess that's kinda vague. Alright. Cause your such a cool person you can get a bonus hint before the third one. Try to remember everything we talked about from the library to now. That should help." he added.

Kyle thought for a moment as he filled the cups, put the cookie on the rim and decorated with whipped cream and crushed cookie before handing you your cup, then he paled.
"Well shit...you manipulated me into making cocoa!"
He exclaimed.
"I know I asked to but shit that is scary, I was sure it was my idea!"
He said and he did not look like he enjoyed the situation.
"Shit!"
He muttered.
"Well done I guess but shit!"

"Doubt many people do." Serge said smiling in the face of his financial crisis. "Don't worry. I've managed before. The default furniture in these rooms work for me. Plus I plan on absolutely covering my room with random drawings so the extra space is handy."

"Perhaps you can ask your Mentor if you need anything?"
Kyle asked.
"Also if you have no money how are you going to buy like food and stuff, you might not need fancy art supplies but I assume you do need to eat."

"It does. Helps me envision myself in the game. Problem is, in a lot of those games you never see your characters face. Your either covered in armor in cuts scenes or the camera is always behind you in third-person games." Serge said with a nod. " That's why a lot of games are focusing on named protagonists or are giving the option to hide your armor."

"You don't really have a character in Ridge Racer you are just a racer it is the car which is important and the driving and such."
Kyle said.
"But I get what you mean, top view RPGs and third person games those you see your character in though, at least from behind."
The young mage pointed out.

(OOC: I heard, that is sad new indeed, no more cameos.)

[Warpmind]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

"All we can do is try and keep trying."
The vampiress said.
"Even if there at times do not seam like there is any point."

Colin looked at her for a long moment, then smiled, "Some times, that is exactly the point to keeping going... If you can't see the light, you'll have to be the one who makes it."

"It is usually quick with sunlight, other than some few who can protect themselves to some extent, they...linger, others quickly turn to ash, and you could not know just how badly they burn, let us just say that if you where going to have a vampire in your bathroom safely during the day you would have to tape the dor to avoid any light coming in through the cracks around it, they are that sensitive."
Kristina said then she sigh.
"So what we have is a few months old vampire with a dead Sire, that is like shooting a doe and leaving the calf behind, she do not just need somewhere to stay, she needs guidance, a teacher to be her parent...there is a tradition for fostering the childer of others in vampire society but few do so unless it is the childe of a powerful ally fostered the strengthening the bond between allies...few want to give up the right to Sire a childe to raise the offspring of another...what I can do is ask of my husband that he speak with the Prince of Boston and get the young woman you speak of officially welcomed in the city, that is being initiated, then she will have rights as she stand now anyone can kill her as they wish, then once she is welcomed I can work on finding a Toreador willing to trade favors for fostering her, teaching her what she need to know. Getting this arranged will take some time though, it is not something that can be fixed in five minutes, it will require careful negotiation."
The young Verbena said.
"But I think it can be arranged, my husband might be Autakis but he is a powerful elder, a true elder, his words will be listened to."
She added proudly."

He nodded, "I gather as much from the... fallout. We'll probably have to take out a Ventrue elder in town, too, though - the ruthless bastard who's been running the operation - because I don't think he'll stand idly by and let us close his restaurant and reduce his son to a small pile of ashes... But that's a political problem for us to deal with; the Prince might accept that Livington was getting sloppy with secrecy here. Hopefully. And, well, there is an extension of the problem, really, since the poor woman is directly associated with this kerfuffle. If your husband can leverage something, I will indeed be in his debt, but... I fear we'll have to restrain her while negotiations are ongoing, won't we?"

((OOC: So you did, but you fixed that after I posted. ))

[Adley's return from Chicago]

"The only way I would think of being inebriated was if I had something besides time to reverse the effects and return to normal if I needed to, without a hangover. Tall order, really," he said with a shrug. "But I suppose I could be more acquainted with social drinking like this, for occasions. I feel like I am eating a wedge of cake, liquefied..."

He grinned, "Well, your Pater's coffee would be a good help in countering the effects of alcohol - though it would be something like a nuclear option. And they do say a pint of beer is the equivalent of a loaf of beer, so the liquid cake simile is quite accurate."

"Colin, you are better than Gabriel. You don't need to do anything special other than be yourself to prove that. And I don't mean in magnitude of power, either. What you do with the powers that you have are as salient as having the power itself, quite probably moreso. I think trying to save her mother might be problematic, if I am to be honest and though I don't know or understand entropy or time, I have already felt the effects of you using both to shift over someone's fate. And you received quite the warning for that. I know you will try anyway, because that is who you are but I worry."

He smiled wryly, "You know and I know that I'm a better man than that ancient monster - and that raw power is not the only measure of a Mage that matters. But that woman's death was one of the principal forces that drove Anna into the Caul in the first place. If I can undo that, in a way that doesn't blow up the timeline of observed events, well... it will be worth it. As for the shifting of fate, it is true that I screwed up to some extent, and that another had to suffer for it, but there's an important difference - in saving Anna and Allison from the serum in the present, I created knowledge without a source ,effect without cause. Someone will have to collapse from Primium clumps in the brain, so I can bring them to the Etherite clinic on Horizon and learn Dr. Mossly's technique - which she still has to discover on her own. But Wrinkle is compassionate, and once the necessities of cause and effect are accounted for, he'll not call for blood. He stated that Cecilia, owing to her already having been on the serum for too long will not need further injections, and that she may make a full recovery after her collapse... It's the best compromise I could find, given that it requires no additional cruelty beyond what has already been done..."
He sighed, "But yes, saving her mother will be tricky and problematic - and I just might see a visit from that kindly old man afterwards... but I think I can pull it off without derailing observed history - unless I run into her reincarnation. That will throw quite the spanner in the works, obviously..."

((OOC: Yeah, RIP, Stan Lee. Expecting to see a "in Loving Memory" line in Captain Marvel now...))

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Nicole and Cava]

The music came through the speaker clear and precise once you turned it o to test the repair job. Cava jumped up and down and clapped her hands together happily.
"Jay..it works, it works!"
The child exclaimed.

Serge smiled and clapped his hands in celebration. "Looks like you did it Cava! Hooray for the Unicorn Engineer and her Hyena mentor!"

Cava cheered up from her dour mood at that and she nodded.
"Yeah that is a good idea Sir, I can ask my Mentor if we can go to a playground, I hope he will say yes."
She said happily.
"I really would like to see what a playground is like."

Serge was glad that he could pull Cava from her sour mood. He knew he couldn't prevent Nicole from being Nicole but he could at least cheer Cava up from it. " I'm sure he will. As long as he's with you I'm sure there won't be any problem. You can swing on the swings and slide down the slides. Then try and climb back up the slides. You'll have lots of fun there."

[Kyle's Room]

Kyle thought for a moment as he filled the cups, put the cookie on the rim and decorated with whipped cream and crushed cookie before handing you your cup, then he paled.
"Well shit...you manipulated me into making cocoa!"
He exclaimed.
"I know I asked to but shit that is scary, I was sure it was my idea!"
He said and he did not look like he enjoyed the situation.
"Shit!"
He muttered.
"Well done I guess but shit!"

"Technically it was your idea....I just put it there." Serge said with a mischievous grin as he took a long swig of his freshly made hot chocolate. "The third hint was that Mind Magick user's are dirty filthy liars.  Remember how I kept telling you that you should 'see' something strange? Made you think it was an illusion right?"

"Perhaps you can ask your Mentor if you need anything?"
Kyle asked.
"Also if you have no money how are you going to buy like food and stuff, you might not need fancy art supplies but I assume you do need to eat."

"That's always an option should it come to that. But my mentor sent me here to be on my own. So it's probably best that I find out how to take care of myself on my own." Serge said frowning slightly.

"It's not like I'm absolutely broke. I have a bit of cash saved up from various places. Mages and people needing art services and a bit of money my parents send me from time to time. I get food from the chantry and pay them off by doing chores and stuff."

Then with a sigh he continued, "Still wouldn't mind making a bit of money of my own though. I've been thinking about doing commissions for people online. Drawing stuff that they want like their dnd characters or book covers. People are always looking for artists."

"You don't really have a character in Ridge Racer you are just a racer it is the car which is important and the driving and such."
Kyle said.
"But I get what you mean, top view RPGs and third person games those you see your character in though, at least from behind."
The young mage pointed out.

"Then why do they give us so many face customization options." Serge said chuckling. " I think with all of the cutting edged graphics and voiced cutscenes most triple A games are shying away from character customization."

(OOC: Apparently he filmed some cameos in advance. Still doesn't make it any less sad though... )

[Adley]

[Adley and Nicole go to Beefbarn]

'Can cook enough not to poison myself.' the large woman replied. 'If anything else, had to... otherwise I'd have had a dozen angry folk on my day at the Academy.'

"Sounds like good incentive to me. But I just usually end up making the same five or so things that I can't burn."

'Anyway, cooking ain't hard. It's down to all folk doing food porn making it look like it is.' rolling her eyes, putting rapidly away a large amount of food.

"Tell that to my pots and pans." He shrugged and kept eating until he was poking at the last few crusts of his fries until Nicole had finished, if he was done first. "That was good...but we better get a move on before I fall asleep. That gut bomb is going to hit and I'm going to hit soon. Unless you'd rather I drive back?" he asked, out of politeness.

[Adley and Narim, after Chicago; Steelhaven, late morning]

"It might be be useful to test what is the limits of this mark of yours Adley so you know when you can and can not speak freely."
Narim suggested.
"I can help you with that if you want."

"Might be a good idea. Things seem to have changed a little bit, too."

"Not a bad person at all, I think it would be fun, and what are a few bruises."
Narim said sounding amused.
"It could be a fun interesting to try to learn something new completely out of my comfort zone, if you just figure out a good time for you I will be there."
He said and grinned.

"Alright, I'll see what the rinks are looking like and see what's going on with my schedule."

Yuki might have been paying attention for shortly after you and Narim had finished eating she came over to the table.
"I hope you have enjoyed your meal gentlemen?"
She asked.
"Yes very much Miss it was delicious."
Narim said and the waitress smiled.
"I am glad you enjoyed it Sir, can I get you two anything else?"
She asked and Narim looked at you.
"I am done here but if you wanted anything else I can wait."
He said to you.

"Everything was very good. No, I think that's enough, thank you, just the check," he said to Yuki. When it arrived, he reached over to read out the amount and pay in cash with a good tip.

[Adley's return from Chicago]

He grinned, "Well, your Pater's coffee would be a good help in countering the effects of alcohol - though it would be something like a nuclear option. And they do say a pint of beer is the equivalent of a loaf of beer, so the liquid cake simile is quite accurate."

"His coffee is more like an espresso, really, without the fancy machine." He smiled a little bit, then looked over at him. "It's been a really intense couple of weeks. Almost like I didn't really know anyone, or myself, or anything. Almost like awakening all over again. So many things from the past have had an important impact on us, without us even knowing for so long. I feel like I just met Carmon only to have to say goodbye, but also that I knew him a long time,"

He smiled wryly, "You know and I know that I'm a better man than that ancient monster - and that raw power is not the only measure of a Mage that matters. But that woman's death was one of the principal forces that drove Anna into the Caul in the first place. If I can undo that, in a way that doesn't blow up the timeline of observed events, well... it will be worth it. As for the shifting of fate, it is true that I screwed up to some extent, and that another had to suffer for it, but there's an important difference - in saving Anna and Allison from the serum in the present, I created knowledge without a source ,effect without cause. Someone will have to collapse from Primium clumps in the brain, so I can bring them to the Etherite clinic on Horizon and learn Dr. Mossly's technique - which she still has to discover on her own. But Wrinkle is compassionate, and once the necessities of cause and effect are accounted for, he'll not call for blood. He stated that Cecilia, owing to her already having been on the serum for too long will not need further injections, and that she may make a full recovery after her collapse... It's the best compromise I could find, given that it requires no additional cruelty beyond what has already been done..."

He squinted a bit at him as he explained the weird time issue and then frowned. "Hrm, I think I understand. Still, if she went into the caul and we know her now as a widderslainte, isn't it going to present the same issue for her to have her mother saved, in the past and then perhaps she wouldn't be one?" he asked, confused. "Or is that not what you are aiming to do?"

He sighed, "But yes, saving her mother will be tricky and problematic - and I just might see a visit from that kindly old man afterwards... but I think I can pull it off without derailing observed history - unless I run into her reincarnation. That will throw quite the spanner in the works, obviously..."

"How are you going to avoid that?"

// RIP : (

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Café Latvia]

Anja's Post:

'Hmm.. fancy something with pecans in it, for some odd reason.' Nicole replied, sitting down and looking around the room - not only to see if she could catch a waitresses' eye but how crowded the place was. On her question, the large woman gave a little rue smile.

'I suppose "I am just curious" won't cut it?' giving a look that she knew full well it wouldn't. 'In short, I've learned that one of my cabal is one of those "Kin-Folk" people and I want to know what that means and how much of a danger this could mean. In a way which doesn't contain a load of mystical clap-trap.' Nicole had run through this in her mind repeatedly on the journey here, and that question was not a lie - unlike the cliché "I have a friend...". At least, not a direct one...

[Nicole and Cava]

Anja's Post:

'It's... Alive!' Nicole quipped in a melodramatic manner with a grin.

Anja's Post:

Another silence, if Cava looked at Nicole she'd see the large woman giving a look of concentration. Finally she answered, tone and gaze firm. 'I say the Order is wrong. You are a person, not a thing. Slavery is evil. And most others would say exactly the same as me, they would.' A short pause, before continuing.

'Do you like cake, Cava?'

[The speaker was hooked up for a moment to Nicole's stereo...]

[Perhaps I'm reading it wrong... but isn't the Order here a little screwy organisation-wise? After all, we've got a functioning Solificati [which only rejoined after the Avatar Storm] but also an independent Thig [well, supposedly... you didn't contradict me when I mentioned them IC..] It's like a mash-up of 2nd and 3rd...]

[Junkyard]

Nicole stood there, listening to the conversation and keeping watch. Fairly clearly, wanting to move on. Idle thought - 'can't we simply stake the damn vamp and move on? We're wasting darkness, unless we're planning to hit Grinder during the day... in that case, can't I go and get a few hours kip first...?' [Skip Turn]

[RI Roadtrip]

Adley's Post:

'Shit... cooking ain't hard.' Nicole replied, rolling her eyes. 'Cooking with ingredients from a gas station and only a microwave and coffee-maker, now that's hard.'

Adley's Post:

'Hell no, you ain't driving. Hate being a passenger, me.' Nicole replied, sliding out of the booth, shoving in the last of her bun and pulling out a wad of cash to pay. 'Plus, we need to go to the grocery store. No, wait... a packy. Crap... it's Sunday, can't get my Old Crow.'[/i]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

Colin looked at her for a long moment, then smiled, "Some times, that is exactly the point to keeping going... If you can't see the light, you'll have to be the one who makes it."

"I can understand that, I was in the hospital allot when I was alive, and I often felt really bad and it felt unfair but trying to give other patients a better day even if it felt hopeless that helped a little."
The young vampiress said softly.

He nodded, "I gather as much from the... fallout. We'll probably have to take out a Ventrue elder in town, too, though - the ruthless bastard who's been running the operation - because I don't think he'll stand idly by and let us close his restaurant and reduce his son to a small pile of ashes... But that's a political problem for us to deal with;

"Hum...be careful with that Mr Wainwright, a Ventrue are more likely to go to ground and pay someone to take out his problems, do not be surprised if hired killers comes after your group."
Kristina said then she added a bit hesitantly.
"Know he is likely to have allot of contacts in Boston and also he will be durable, Ventrue elders are very...durable."
She said and she sounded like she had experience with this.

the Prince might accept that Livington was getting sloppy with secrecy here. Hopefully.

"That depends where any information of vampires coming out? For if not then not likely."
Kristina commented.

And, well, there is an extension of the problem, really, since the poor woman is directly associated with this kerfuffle. If your husband can leverage something, I will indeed be in his debt, but... I fear we'll have to restrain her while negotiations are ongoing, won't we?"

"I am sure my husband can arrange something, he is powerful in his society and he is a kind man he will want to help when I tell him of this woman's plight."
Kristina said then she sigh as you mentioned restraining the girl.
"I hope not if I assume right about what you mean with restrain, vampires do not heal in that condition so her burns will remain and will hurt her along with the pain from the stake, and also locking someone who have just seen their only caregiver be burned to ash and who have gone through what Prince Lodin have done to them...into their own bodies with only their thoughts, that is sure to damage her."

[Nicole and Cava]

Serge smiled and clapped his hands in celebration. "Looks like you did it Cava! Hooray for the Unicorn Engineer and her Hyena mentor!"

"Jay!.."
Cava exclaimed and she jumped up and down happily.

Serge was glad that he could pull Cava from her sour mood. He knew he couldn't prevent Nicole from being Nicole but he could at least cheer Cava up from it. " I'm sure he will. As long as he's with you I'm sure there won't be any problem. You can swing on the swings and slide down the slides. Then try and climb back up the slides. You'll have lots of fun there."

"This is going to be so much fun!"
The little girl said happily.
"Perhaps Jane can come along to and we can play together."
She said and smiled.

'It's... Alive!' Nicole quipped in a melodramatic manner with a grin.

"Yeah it can play music again...it is fun fixing things...now we have to put it back in the case so is is protected."
Cava said happily.

Another silence, if Cava looked at Nicole she'd see the large woman giving a look of concentration. Finally she answered, tone and gaze firm. 'I say the Order is wrong. You are a person, not a thing. Slavery is evil. And most others would say exactly the same as me, they would.' A short pause, before continuing.

"The Order of Hermes don't call it slavery since an apprentice have some rights, and eventually I will be initiated but an apprentice is legally the property of his or her Mentor, we are considered a part of his or her magickal abilities."
The girl said sadly.
"Hopefully I will get to stay here and will not be moved around again."
She muttered and pouted.

'Do you like cake, Cava?'

The little girl's face lit up at the mention of cake and she nodded.
"Yeah Miss Nicole I lie cake very much."

[Kyle's Room]

"Technically it was your idea....I just put it there." Serge said with a mischievous grin as he took a long swig of his freshly made hot chocolate. "The third hint was that Mind Magick user's are dirty filthy liars. Remember how I kept telling you that you should 'see' something strange? Made you think it was an illusion right?"

"Yeah, I mean I kept expecting Sin from Final Fantasy to crawl out of my kitchen sink or something."
The young mage said, he still looked spooked by what you had done.
"My idea? Well it was my idea to let you try it out on me, and fuck that worked eh."
He said then he sigh.
"It is just scary to see how easy I could be manipulated in such a way."

"That's always an option should it come to that. But my mentor sent me here to be on my own. So it's probably best that I find out how to take care of myself on my own." Serge said frowning slightly.

Kyle nodded at that.

"It's not like I'm absolutely broke. I have a bit of cash saved up from various places. Mages and people needing art services and a bit of money my parents send me from time to time. I get food from the chantry and pay them off by doing chores and stuff."

Then with a sigh he continued, "Still wouldn't mind making a bit of money of my own though. I've been thinking about doing commissions for people online. Drawing stuff that they want like their dnd characters or book covers. People are always looking for artists."

"That is different from how I understand it Serge where some here work for the Chantry and do chores to cover their rent but Steelhaven do not provide you food."
Kyle said.
"Perhaps you should look into that, if you have a special arrangement or not."
He commented.
"Taking commissions online might be a good way to earn money, you are really good so I am sure many would be willing to pay to have your art."
He said and nodded.

"Then why do they give us so many face customization options." Serge said chuckling. " I think with all of the cutting edged graphics and voiced cutscenes most triple A games are shying away from character customization."

"Yeah well it is different when you make a character, many triple A titles are about one specific character that already have a face and a personality so you are not meant to change them, they are not RPGs."
Kyle commented.
"That makes sense to me."

[Adley and Narim, after Chicago; Steelhaven, late morning]

"Might be a good idea. Things seem to have changed a little bit, too."

"Perhaps your voice will evolve as your magick evolves especially since it is also one of your most important tools to practice your art the way I understand it?"
Narim said.
"It would make sense such a tool then evolve as your magick do."

"Alright, I'll see what the rinks are looking like and see what's going on with my schedule."

"Sounds good, let me know then?"
The Virtual Adept said and he smiled a little.

"Everything was very good. No, I think that's enough, thank you, just the check," he said to Yuki. When it arrived, he reached over to read out the amount and pay in cash with a good tip.

"Off course Sir."
Yuki said as she went to get the check and presented it to you on a plate, the cost of the food was quite reasonable.
"You two have a good day now and please come again, thank you for your patronage."
She said and she bowed. Narim smiled.
"Thank you Miss I am sure we will."

[Café Latvia]

Hmm.. fancy something with pecans in it, for some odd reason.' Nicole replied, sitting down and looking around the room - not only to see if she could catch a waitresses' eye but how crowded the place was. On her question, the large woman gave a little rue smile.

The cafe had some patrons where not crowded. A chubby woman who clearly favored huge 90's earings came over when she noticed you looking for some of the staff.
"Good day, my name is Stephanie, can I get you anything?"
She asked in a friendly but clearly kept professional tone of voice as she flipped open a note book to take your order.

'I suppose "I am just curious" won't cut it?' giving a look that she knew full well it wouldn't. 'In short, I've learned that one of my cabal is one of those "Kin-Folk" people and I want to know what that means and how much of a danger this could mean. In a way which doesn't contain a load of mystical clap-trap.' Nicole had run through this in her mind repeatedly on the journey here, and that question was not a lie - unlike the cliché "I have a friend...". At least, not a direct one...

"Ah I see, well just being curious would probably not have made you track me down."
Jade said before she sipped from her cup again.
"There is nothing mystical about it, ust genetics, these shapechangers, unless we are talking Vebena who use their confused biological knowledge to acomplish such feats seam to have a problem breeing with their own kind, if they do the offspring are deformed and sterile, so in order to reproduce they choose either human mates or animal ones, their offspring then have between three and ten percent chance of becoming a shapeshifter themselves, other in a few cases such as wersharks where a union with a human never produce a shapechanger offspring, the other ninty seven to ninty percent of offspring become what is called Kinfolk, and so do their children again up until there are no longer any trance of shapechanger blood in their veins."
The woman explained.
"In and off itself it don't mean allot, a kinfolk would be immune from the terror civillians face when they see sapechangers change, a form of Paradox I assume, however an Awakened person would already have this immunity. Some few kinfolk also attract interdimentional entities who can help them, sometimes elements from their shapechanger relative carry over, a werrat might develop a phobia of birds of prey for example or a wershark have a need to live by the sea and be restless by nature. Now as for danger, the problem is that all of the shapechanger breeds are dying out and if one of them breed with someone who is kinfolk the chance of getting a offspring that become a shapechanger themselves increase, the purer blood the kinfolk have the greater the chance, and sexual abuse of kinfolk is a prevelant problem, it will vary from breed to breed how much of an issue this is though. The shapechanger family of a kindfolk might just show up and expect favors as well, though most of them know that Awakened society is not something to make an enemy of so your...friend will have some protection there. The only other danger is that linear mystics have ways to summon and control kinfolk and this might also affect an Awakened who have such blood. There is also a chance that if your...friend ever decided to have a child then that child might become a shapechanger though there is little chance of that unless the other parent is either kinfolk as well or a shapechanger of the same type."

(OOC: This was talked about at the start of the game. Mostly the setting is 2 edition however I have included elements from other editions and also Ars Magica where I feel they add to things. Yes I have kept that some of the Children of Knowledge joined the Order of Hermes as House Solificati, I use this as a standard when I play and especially in this game since Heylel Teomim have been and will continue to be important for the story. I have gone with the joining of House Thig and House Verditius so yes a member of House Thig would present themselves in a manner showing that they are now a member of a minor House under another House so for example Jack Fonn Hermes bani Verditius ex Thig. I have also included the messanger part of House Mercere because I like them in Mage cannon they where destroyed early in the Asencion War when the Order of Reason attacked all their Chantries and destroyed all of House Mercere except for the 10 percent Awakened minority. The thing is when something fit with the story I will incde it even if it is from another edition, for example I have the stirrings of the Disperates going on even if they are not from second edition and off course they have not formed fighting in the Heylel Clone's army on the strike on Horizon they have another start but I still wanted to slowly include them.)

[Warpmind]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

"I can understand that, I was in the hospital allot when I was alive, and I often felt really bad and it felt unfair but trying to give other patients a better day even if it felt hopeless that helped a little."
The young vampiress said softly.

Colin frowned, "Serious health problems? Or just some chronic minor inconvenience? Ah, not my place to pry, in any case, but yes, I find that cheering others up does help my own mood, as well."

"Hum...be careful with that Mr Wainwright, a Ventrue are more likely to go to ground and pay someone to take out his problems, do not be surprised if hired killers comes after your group."
Kristina said then she added a bit hesitantly.
"Know he is likely to have allot of contacts in Boston and also he will be durable, Ventrue elders are very...durable."
She said and she sounded like she had experience with this.

He nodded, "Quite... which is why we'll not be taking any chances; we can't let him recover from the shock and retaliate, we'll have to obliterate the callous bastard tonight... Still, now that I know I can bring the daylight, that's a hell of a weapon."

"That depends where any information of vampires coming out? For if not then not likely."
Kristina commented.

He smiled wryly, "There are residents who informed us that there were vampires preying on them. That might suffice."

"I am sure my husband can arrange something, he is powerful in his society and he is a kind man he will want to help when I tell him of this woman's plight."
Kristina said then she sigh as you mentioned restraining the girl.
"I hope not if I assume right about what you mean with restrain, vampires do not heal in that condition so her burns will remain and will hurt her along with the pain from the stake, and also locking someone who have just seen their only caregiver be burned to ash and who have gone through what Prince Lodin have done to them...into their own bodies with only their thoughts, that is sure to damage her."

He nodded, "I might be able to arrange a temporary safehouse. Worst case, I may offer her temporary lodgings in my workshop - it's underground, and the sunlight does not reach down the stairwell."

[Adley's return from Chicago]

"His coffee is more like an espresso, really, without the fancy machine." He smiled a little bit, then looked over at him. "It's been a really intense couple of weeks. Almost like I didn't really know anyone, or myself, or anything. Almost like awakening all over again. So many things from the past have had an important impact on us, without us even knowing for so long. I feel like I just met Carmon only to have to say goodbye, but also that I knew him a long time,"

He smiled wryly, "Understatement of the year, I think. Imagine, then, learning that I was the singularly most reviled traitor in the history of the Traditions, and that a tiny, barely conscious fragment of their souls survived being torn apart - and for that matter, I remember those last minutes clearly, to boot... and then I also learn that the Cabal and family we loved back then have reincarnated in this day and age, leaving me to inherit one hell of an obligation to atone for past sins... Eight of the original Nine have been reincarnated; the ninth cannot be, but his replacement has been born, and Fate will likely play a part in bringing them into the fold... I'll let you guess at who the ninth is."

He squinted a bit at him as he explained the weird time issue and then frowned. "Hrm, I think I understand. Still, if she went into the caul and we know her now as a widderslainte, isn't it going to present the same issue for her to have her mother saved, in the past and then perhaps she wouldn't be one?" he asked, confused. "Or is that not what you are aiming to do?"

He shook his head, "Anna saw her mother die, and Gabriel was the one who squeezed the last bit of life from her... That part of the timeline must appear to remain undisturbed, or I'll have an irate Paradox Spirit raiding my tea cabinet before I can say 'oops'. No, the plan is to slip in between the seconds, so to speak, and in one way or another replace Anna's mother as she lies dying with a lifeless, mindless clone, while bringing the original back to the future for immediate medical care. It will be ridiculously tricky to pull off, but doing so, well... Anna prayed for me to save her mother, seven years ago in the Labyrinth. Just before I found her darling little doll in the floor, if you recall..."

"How are you going to avoid that?"

He grimaced, "It will take luck... and not much else I can think of. The most important thing to do, I think, is to not seek that soul out."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

Colin frowned, "Serious health problems? Or just some chronic minor inconvenience? Ah, not my place to pry, in any case, but yes, I find that cheering others up does help my own mood, as well."

"Kidney failure, when I was wight I had weekly dialysis, when I was twenty I had two attempts at transplants which had failed, and I was tired of it all, the operations, doctors, pain, needles and hospitals and I went home to my apartment to die, my parents freaked out at that, I...wanted to decide when it happened so I took all my pain medication at once, only I woke up again with the woman who had been a patron to my art standing over me...you are not prying, it is what it is."
The vampiress said and sigh sadly.
"I...don't know how to live without Veronica, she saved me and now she is gone..."

He nodded, "Quite... which is why we'll not be taking any chances; we can't let him recover from the shock and retaliate, we'll have to obliterate the callous bastard tonight... Still, now that I know I can bring the daylight, that's a hell of a weapon."

"If you have the remains of his offspring that should serve well as an arcane connection to find the man...just be aware that a Ventrue elder might be able to survive sunlight for a little while, long enough to do some damage, I have seen my husband...suffering such damage and while the wounds where horrible he survived until I could...do something ridiculously vulgar to save him."
Kristina said sourly.
"Be careful I have still to face you in a duel for Isabella's dignity and honor."

He smiled wryly, "There are residents who informed us that there were vampires preying on them. That might suffice."

"That it might if these are regular people who found out due to this Ventrue being sloppy."
The Verbena agreed.

He nodded, "I might be able to arrange a temporary safehouse. Worst case, I may offer her temporary lodgings in my workshop - it's underground, and the sunlight does not reach down the stairwell."

"Good, that will be far better, staking is traumatic for their kind in the best of conditions but a wounded one who just saw her Sire die it would be devastating. She will not need much, somewhere dark to sleep, she will need allot of blood though to heal such burns and if the wounds are treated that can make healing easier, at least it is best if not to much dirt come into the wounds that her body have to use resources to push out again."
Kristina advices.

[Warpmind]

[Abandoned Junkyard]

"Kidney failure, when I was wight I had weekly dialysis, when I was twenty I had two attempts at transplants which had failed, and I was tired of it all, the operations, doctors, pain, needles and hospitals and I went home to my apartment to die, my parents freaked out at that, I...wanted to decide when it happened so I took all my pain medication at once, only I woke up again with the woman who had been a patron to my art standing over me...you are not prying, it is what it is."
The vampiress said and sigh sadly.
"I...don't know how to live without Veronica, she saved me and now she is gone..."

Colin nodded, "I am sorry... I know some people; they might be able to help. It... won't bring Veronica back, but it might give you a new lease on life, as it were."

"If you have the remains of his offspring that should serve well as an arcane connection to find the man...just be aware that a Ventrue elder might be able to survive sunlight for a little while, long enough to do some damage, I have seen my husband...suffering such damage and while the wounds where horrible he survived until I could...do something ridiculously vulgar to save him."
Kristina said sourly.
"Be careful I have still to face you in a duel for Isabella's dignity and honor."

He smiled darkly, "With my little specialty, I can use the ashes to locate the man and to fuel the spell that brings him down. And yes, I will be as careful as is viable; I have no intention of missing that date; I owe the poor girl that much."

"That it might if these are regular people who found out due to this Ventrue being sloppy."
The Verbena agreed.

He nodded, "Regular enough, I hope - the ones who told us are kinfolk, but it's no great stretch of the mind to think others have caught on, too, and been subsequently disappeared... It seems by all accounts that it's just a matter of time before this blows up in everyone's faces and stern-faced individuals in black suits show up..."

"Good, that will be far better, staking is traumatic for their kind in the best of conditions but a wounded one who just saw her Sire die it would be devastating. She will not need much, somewhere dark to sleep, she will need allot of blood though to heal such burns and if the wounds are treated that can make healing easier, at least it is best if not to much dirt come into the wounds that her body have to use resources to push out again."
Kristina advices.

He nodded, "I will speak with our Chief about that, and see if I can barter for some... food... My workshop, at least, is clean; has to be, when I work with so much precious metal."

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