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

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Cabal Meeting]

"I think you will like it, there is actually a series though I have not read them all, just the first one so named. They were written by Baroness Orczy and set during the Reign of Terror, however these stories are not absolutely strict in historical accuracies, though there are historical figures in the books. Well, we seem to have digressed again, pardon. It seems we have named you but not the cabal."

Serge chuckled at that. "It's easy to name me. I'm the only one that needs to accept it. We need 9 other people to accept the name of the cabal. That might take a bit of time."

He grinned, "Oh, I was thinking more of a... what's the word... Wuxia-style presentation; something like a theatrical kung-fu performance, like the Monkey King stories that inspired that show... what was it called again... Dragon Ball? Something set in the court of the Khan would easily have impressive fighting scenes, and possibly some weird sorcery as well."

"Yu Die recommended some Wuxia tv shows to me as well. I'm definitely want to look those up. Martial artists in an elegant ballet of fists and fury? Sign me the hell up!" Serge said with a smile.

He frowned, "Good... Talk like that, when you don't have the scars to back it up, makes you come off like a rather, hm, bleak Goth who just lacks conviction."

"I do have scars...they just disappear when I wake up." Serge said with a smirk.

"I have never watched those types of shows."

"I loved Dragon Ball Z. Highlight of my childhood's. The same can be said for many of my classmates. You...you...you would hate it." Serge said after some thought. "Most definitely. But man did I love those shows."

"Wonderful; at that rate we'll have enough funds to go to Horizon in about sixty years. And there goes my advance. Dammit."

"Watch. When I become a famous artist and my drawings sell for thousands we'll make that money even quicker. Like in 59 years." Serge joked with a smile on his face.

(OOC: You know I was going to say Hermetics. Because the thought of a Hermetic cussing at you while charging up an hate-fueled lighting strike was too funny to pass up. But Strife makes a good point. The phrase "Damn it to hell' takes on a whole new meaning when said by a Chorister   )

[Going to the Library]

"Allot of fantasy books have elves and such so there is that and there are some TV series with fay and allot of things intended for girls have mermaids and fairies and such so there is actually allot out there in fiction, I know nothing about real life fay though. I have not met allot of non mage critters, I know a girl who is a Risen, that is a sort of ghost and my dad really hate vampires with a passion, I mean really hate them, other than that I know little about supernatural creatures."
Kyle said and he shook his head though he smiled a little as he mentioned the ghost girl and he blushed.

Serge smile, seeing Kyle blushing at the mention of the ghost girl but ignored it for now. "Let's see. In one day I met, two vampires, one wererat, a ton of evil spirits, and a half-fae master of the arts. But I still haven't seen a ghost or zombie yet so you got me beat there."

"Did you find what you where looking for Serge?"
Kyle asked as he registered the last of the book with title, your name and the date they where borrowed.
"Anything else then?"

"Yup." Serge said registering the fae book copying how Kyle did it. "That should be it. Off to chateau de Kyle!"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Cabal Meeting]

"Something like that. Usually, the nudge will pull things together about where the consensus wants it, rather than a wholly new Dynamic thing in lieu of the Qlippothic void, but yes it's a bit like leaning on the weight of the Tellurian existing, rather than NOT."

"And then I guess you also get reality on your side since reality want to exist rather than be destroyed by the Fallen's odd magick."
Bruce commented.

"I don't know if now is the correct time for that conversation."

"Ah no...off course not it is none of my business anyway, forgive my curiosity Adley."
The Orphan said apologetically.

His eyes looked unfocused a moment then he shook his head. "Harder, but not impossible," he said, looking disturbed.

"Nothing is impossible."
Bruce said.
"But we can not cover or ass for every eventuality."

Colin sighed, "Well, at least the Cabal will have some backup funds..."

"Indeed so and all of it in quarters."
The Artificer said sounding amused.

He nodded, "Besides, changing around the teams means exploring constantly new tactical options for the occasions when magic enters play."

Bruce just nodded at that.

He grinned, "Thank you, I'm quite pleased with the outcome, myself. And thank you for the quite accurate summary, Adley. Plus, it looks a great deal less disgusting than tearing through a powerful ward with some twenty drams of corrupted Quintessence, too... though the latter technique was a lot quicker, I shall admit."

Bruce raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

He shook his head, "Long story short, he volunteered to help test a new method to find Primium residue from the serum. As a sbsequent side effect, the local anaesthetic ceased to function, causing him substantial pain during the lumbar puncture. So no, the Chief was not pleased. He understood, though, that giving Kyle a sense of agency during the hospital visit may likely have helped him more than he was hurt, but he was not pleased with it... The punishment for Dr. Lee and myself were no more harsh than they had to be, and far more generous than they could have been. That's all the details I'm quite at liberty to share."

"Ouch I have never had a lumbar puncture but I do not think I would want one either, poor kid. I hope he is okey."
Bruce commented.
"Hopefully things came of the experiment though and if you said the boy had agency then I assume this was all voluntary and that should help to ensure it was not to traumatic."

He frowned, "I would not want to see that... I held Beatrice when... well, I'm afraid my participation in a Core War would have similar consequences for my opponent, without my being able to do anything about it..."

Bruce got a dark look in his eyes and nodded.
"Yeah that...reduce the amusement value."
He muttered.
"Poor Bee."

He grimaced, "You forget, Bruce, the earlobe is a lot more sensitive than most of the finger, excepting the fingertip. And I did not say losing the earlobe would be worse in the long term, just that it might be more painful..."

"Is the earlobe really that sensitive though? Do not most women and quite a few men poke holes in them, even as kids?"
Bruce protested.
"That would not be so popular if it was really sensitive."

"I do have scars...they just disappear when I wake up." Serge said with a smirk.

Bruce gave a sigh at that.
"Scars like the ones Colin mention are not cool Serge, they are not something to strive for."

[Abandoned Junkyard]

He nodded, "There was a rather bright spot in the whole affair, though - my copilot and two passengers walked away without a scratch. And I got a few medals for the trouble... and a decent pension. But yes, extended hospital stays do tend to get boring."

"Well that is good that the others survived, where you in a war when you got shot down?"
The girl asked.
"And you got magick from it, and yeah hospitals suck, I hate the smell."

He nodded, "Gargantuan living ships, mostly staying so deep in the Umbra that people can't simply wander into them."

"I assume they can really kick ass then?"
Karin asked.

He nodded, "Unless Master Sharaya sends some proper frames shortly, or unless you have some better improvements you can think of, like setting up some better cover for our sharpshooters to take aim from, a few more sets would be good."

"I will get started on a few more sets then."
Bruce said as he grabbed the wire.
"How are our situation, are we getting back up from home?"

[Chicago, Rose's Office]

"Did you have a preference, ma'am?"

"Well I grew up Christian an I am more used to Christian ceremonies so I would probably have to say that, but I am less concerned with exactly how we do this than that Adele get some sort of ritual to mark her passing, to mark that she did live and did matter."
Deaconess Rosa said solemnly.

[Going to the Library]

Serge smile, seeing Kyle blushing at the mention of the ghost girl but ignored it for now. "Let's see. In one day I met, two vampires, one wererat, a ton of evil spirits, and a half-fae master of the arts. But I still haven't seen a ghost or zombie yet so you got me beat there."

"Well Danielle is sort of both, a zombie a a ghost I mean, she is a ghost that came back and reanimated or possessed her own body."
Kyle said and he smiled and he blushed again.
"An her soul or dark side or something live in her cat."

"Yup." Serge said registering the fae book copying how Kyle did it. "That should be it. Off to chateau de Kyle!"

You just had to write up the title of the book, your name and the date.
"That sounds good, I will show the way."
Kyle said as he picked up his stack of books and left the library.
"Okey how do you like your cocoa? I like mine sweet but not everyone do, and do you like whipped cream on top?"

[Adley]

[Cabal Meeting]

"And then I guess you also get reality on your side since reality want to exist rather than be destroyed by the Fallen's odd magick."
Bruce commented.

"At least, it is not supposed to decay at an accelerated rate like that. Things die, things are unmade, but new things are made, and created from old things. Qlippothic magick is not within the normal cycle, it is not normal entropy, it is no thing."

Serge chuckled at that. "It's easy to name me. I'm the only one that needs to accept it. We need 9 other people to accept the name of the cabal. That might take a bit of time."

"True enough."

"I loved Dragon Ball Z. Highlight of my childhood's. The same can be said for many of my classmates. You...you...you would hate it." Serge said after some thought. "Most definitely. But man did I love those shows."

"Noted."

"Indeed so and all of it in quarters."
The Artificer said sounding amused.

"It works for the city. "

"Watch. When I become a famous artist and my drawings sell for thousands we'll make that money even quicker. Like in 59 years." Serge joked with a smile on his face.

He chuckled. "Did you factor in the inflation rate?" he teased.

[Chicago, Rose's office]

"Well I grew up Christian an I am more used to Christian ceremonies so I would probably have to say that, but I am less concerned with exactly how we do this than that Adele get some sort of ritual to mark her passing, to mark that she did live and did matter."
Deaconess Rosa said solemnly.

"I wouldn't say I follow the faiths anymore, but I do know the rituals also. Whatever you feel is more comfortable for you, ma'am. Let me know and I will make the time."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Cabal Meeting]

"At least, it is not supposed to decay at an accelerated rate like that. Things die, things are unmade, but new things are made, and created from old things. Qlippothic magick is not within the normal cycle, it is not normal entropy, it is no thing."

"And that is why Bee's magick give her so much Paradox. Well at least we have a way to fight against this."
Bruce said then he sigh.
"Nephandi really are fucked up even in their magick."

"It works for the city. "

"True that."
Bruce said and he grinned.

[Chicago, Rose's office]

"I wouldn't say I follow the faiths anymore, but I do know the rituals also. Whatever you feel is more comfortable for you, ma'am. Let me know and I will make the time."

Maeline nodded at that.
"I will ask Sister Ragnhild to hold a small ceremony for the child then and talk with a stonecutter about a grave marker, you wanted one with little stone doves on top yes, and the girl's name on the marker?"
She asked.
"We probably have to give the stonecutter a few weeks to get the marker ready but I am sure the ceremony can be done pretty soon."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[RI Roadtrip]

Adley's Post:

'Well... chances of one of them being present at the game is kinda low.' Nicole admitted. 'But, you don't get it - the chances of someone knowing me being at the game is higher, and one knowing of me higher still. Folk kinda remember if they ever knew a gal who's scraping 190 [cm], and I've got loads of cousins and shit.' looking a little sour at this. 'This means the chance of somebody spotting me, it being later mentioned to a second cousin and that going along the line to the ears of my sisters or something is actually decent.'

'Seeing them again? Well... they say almost dying makes you take stock of your life and shit, and in this case it was getting some... whatyoucallit?' a little frown '-closure, that's it. But... there's so much I've gotta explain away, so much I can't say.' giving a sigh. 'And a crap liar, me, specially with them. Whatever story I spin, they'll think the truth is much worse, and won't fucking let up 'till I spill. Plus, don't want to put 'em in danger or anything.' poise and tone making it clear the large woman was pretty worried about this topic.

[*annoyed cough* Her. Not him. Does she need to flash Adley her lady bits to remind?]

[Chantry]

Anja's Post:

'We'll work out the chain 'o command' shit when we get there. Colin might want that spot.'

Anja's Post:

A nod to this.

'Anything else?' Nicole said, looking at the group.

[Serge's Adventure]

Serge's Post:

A shrug to this, the Etherite clearly not considering the name itself as important.

Serge's Post:

'Coat gave me the idea for the arm, actually.' Nicole replied, seemingly ignoring Serge's repeated request. 'Visible, but just fades into the background. I'm not sure it would work for you... 'cos it was designed around me. See these sleeve cuffs? To throw out guestimate of height. The hang of it when buttoned up-' doing so quickly '-done in a way that smooths out hips and twins enough that I've been ID'd as a guy.' tone making it clear Nicole was quite possessive of her "toy".

[FYI Great One; PM awaiting. Main part regarding XP spend.]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole] (Chantry)

'We'll work out the chain 'o command' shit when we get there. Colin might want that spot.'

"As you wish Miss Bouchard and I have heard Mr Wainwright is quite handy in a fight."
Hildegard said and she nodded.

A nod to this.

'Anything else?' Nicole said, looking at the group.

"No I think that is all we need to deal with for now."
Hildegard said.
"Ehm one thing Anna, Colin's apprentice said she had something she was going to deliver to you and she was looking for you last I spoke with her, it might be something Colin needs."
Fran said.

(OOC: Ah yes off course sorry I completely forgot while visiting my mother, I will get to it today."

[Nicole Bouchard]

Anja's Post:

A short pause. 'If anyone sees her - or anyone else looking to do a delivery - send them to the garage. We all meet up there in five. Advise to go to the bathroom, have a quick drink or whatever before going, as we could be there half the night. Oh, and perhaps a coat.'

[As I said before, there was no rush. And as the 'updating' is complete, we've gone back to the relatively light questions again.]

[Warpmind]

[Cabal Meeting, 10 AM, Wednesday September 30th]

"And then I guess you also get reality on your side since reality want to exist rather than be destroyed by the Fallen's odd magick."
Bruce commented.

"At least, it is not supposed to decay at an accelerated rate like that. Things die, things are unmade, but new things are made, and created from old things. Qlippothic magick is not within the normal cycle, it is not normal entropy, it is no thing."

"And that is why Bee's magick give her so much Paradox. Well at least we have a way to fight against this."
Bruce said then he sigh.
"Nephandi really are fucked up even in their magick."

Colin nodded thoughtfully, "It's possible to come back from that side, though - fortunately, it's not a one-way road. In fact, I suppose it could be argued that Qlippothic magic is a reversal of the normal progression cycle, trying to go backwards to the primordial void, rather than forward to the natural heat death of the universe..."

"Perhaps but the other way actually fixes the disturbances to the fabric of the Tellurian. I'm sure that other technique will be handy too though."

Bruce raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

He smiled wryly, "Quite so. The latter technique is, in any case, not precisely viable unless one has rather huge supplies of Tass at hand, like the fuel tanks of an Ethership..."

"Yu Die recommended some Wuxia tv shows to me as well. I'm definitely want to look those up. Martial artists in an elegant ballet of fists and fury? Sign me the hell up!" Serge said with a smile.

"I have never watched those types of shows."

"I loved Dragon Ball Z. Highlight of my childhood's. The same can be said for many of my classmates. You...you...you would hate it." Serge said after some thought. "Most definitely. But man did I love those shows."

"Noted."

He nodded, "I'll not be quite as drastic as Serge in my assessment... I don't think you'd hate it, Adley, but I don't think you would favour it particularly highly, either... Most likely, I'd guess unenthusiastic indifference."

"Ah no...off course not it is none of my business anyway, forgive my curiosity Adley."
The Orphan said apologetically.

"Ouch I have never had a lumbar puncture but I do not think I would want one either, poor kid. I hope he is okey."
Bruce commented.
"Hopefully things came of the experiment though and if you said the boy had agency then I assume this was all voluntary and that should help to ensure it was not to traumatic."

He nodded, "Precisely... I never pressured him, and he had the freedom to say stop at any time, and we'd do so. It was quite important that we let him hold the reins for that one; he'd previously... not been given a say in meatball surgery done to him... I'll let him share any further details when and if he feels like doing so, but he's a strong kid, who's been through a fair bit of trauma."

Serge chuckled at that. "It's easy to name me. I'm the only one that needs to accept it. We need 9 other people to accept the name of the cabal. That might take a bit of time."

"True enough."

"True that."
Bruce said and he grinned.

He nodded, "Which is why that topic has been closed for now."

"Pardon, the copy I saw first was in French. I should not have assumed based on the setting, I suppose that accounts for the good 'translations' though. Do forgive me."

He nodded, "Quite so; I do hear the French translation was relatively well received, since the French weren't quite happy with the, hm, antagonists, French though they were."

"I do have scars...they just disappear when I wake up." Serge said with a smirk.

Bruce gave a sigh at that.
"Scars like the ones Colin mention are not cool Serge, they are not something to strive for."

He frowned and shook his head quietly.

Bruce got a dark look in his eyes and nodded.
"Yeah that...reduce the amusement value."
He muttered.
"Poor Bee."

"Please let's not talk about that..."

He nodded.

"Nothing is impossible."
Bruce said.
"But we can not cover or ass for every eventuality."

"Unsurprisingly, I prefer to stay intact all around thank you."

"Is the earlobe really that sensitive though? Do not most women and quite a few men poke holes in them, even as kids?"
Bruce protested.
"That would not be so popular if it was really sensitive."

He shrugged, "I do believe they're an erogenous zone for many, rather like nipples, which are also fairly often pierced... And on that basis, I would hazard it would be roughly as painful to have the earlobe ripped off."

"Indeed so and all of it in quarters."
The Artificer said sounding amused.

"It works for the city. "

He grinned, "Great, so when I go to the bank to deposit the Cabal funds, they'll think I've been robbing payphones and parking meters..."

"Wonderful; at that rate we'll have enough funds to go to Horizon in about sixty years. And there goes my advance. Dammit."

"Watch. When I become a famous artist and my drawings sell for thousands we'll make that money even quicker. Like in 59 years." Serge joked with a smile on his face.

He chuckled. "Did you factor in the inflation rate?" he teased.

He glanced from Adley to Serge, "Right, so which one of you will I be signing up for a quarter or two tomorrow, then?"

[Abandoned Junkyard]

"Well that is good that the others survived, where you in a war when you got shot down?"
The girl asked.
"And you got magick from it, and yeah hospitals suck, I hate the smell."

He nodded, "Bit of a conflict in a country with a lot of sand... And wouldn't you know, twelve years later, you Americans went back there for a rematch."

"I assume they can really kick ass then?"
Karin asked.

He nodded, "Yes, they can... unfortunately, our faction does not have any of those on our side, so we have to work quite a bit harder to develop comparable firepower... But, we're inventive and have more creative options in design, so we're not too much at a disadvantage, as such."

"I will get started on a few more sets then."
Bruce said as he grabbed the wire.
"How are our situation, are we getting back up from home?"

He nodded, "Chief's informed and interrogating one of our... guests in the basement, Master Sharaya is on the case, and Nicole should be back there shortly to pick up reinforcements. If you have anything you want sent along, you'd best send a message back to someone trusted quickly."

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Cabal Meeting]

He nodded, "I'll not be quite as drastic as Serge in my assessment... I don't think you'd hate it, Adley, but I don't think you would favour it particularly highly, either... Most likely, I'd guess unenthusiastic indifference."

"I don't know. I can imagine him getting actively angered by it. Indifference is also likely. Confusion though...that's a given. Will probably wonder why everyone is yelling."

Bruce gave a sigh at that.
"Scars like the ones Colin mention are not cool Serge, they are not something to strive for."

He frowned and shook his head quietly.

Serge said simply nodded and said nothing more, deciding not to further dig himself into an already deep enough hole.

He chuckled. "Did you factor in the inflation rate?" he teased.

"God I hate economics so much." Serge said bitterly. "Fine, 65 years."

He glanced from Adley to Serge, "Right, so which one of you will I be signing up for a quarter or two tomorrow, then?"

"Why must you bankrupt a child Mr. Wainwright." Serge said with a mock shake of his head.

[Going to the Library]

"Well Danielle is sort of both, a zombie a a ghost I mean, she is a ghost that came back and reanimated or possessed her own body."
Kyle said and he smiled and he blushed again.
"An her soul or dark side or something live in her cat."

"So her name is Danielle." Serge said to himself. "Did she tell you why she decided to come back to the world of the living? Unfinished buisiness? That seems to be common among ghosts."

You just had to write up the title of the book, your name and the date.
"That sounds good, I will show the way."
Kyle said as he picked up his stack of books and left the library.
"Okey how do you like your cocoa? I like mine sweet but not everyone do, and do you like whipped cream on top?"

"Sweet. Can't think of any other way. Whipped cream though. That's some luxury right there. Wouldn't mind some of that." Serge said picking up his own stack of books and walking alongside the widderslainte.


[Serge's Adventure]

'Coat gave me the idea for the arm, actually.' Nicole replied, seemingly ignoring Serge's repeated request. 'Visible, but just fades into the background. I'm not sure it would work for you... 'cos it was designed around me. See these sleeve cuffs? To throw out guestimate of height. The hang of it when buttoned up-' doing so quickly '-done in a way that smooths out hips and twins enough that I've been ID'd as a guy.' tone making it clear Nicole was quite possessive of her "toy".

"Hummm I see. You know...." Serge said taking a careful look at the sleeves and design of the jacket. "If I wore this while doing your arm, it would make things a lot easier. Especially if you want the effects to be similar. I could get a feel for what you want. Plus imagine that beautiful symbolism. Making your stealth arm while wearing your stealth coast. What do you say?". It appeared Serge wouldn't let up so easily.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Serge's Post]

Serge's Post:

'Not sure it would make your job easier having the sleeves hanging over your hands.' Nicole replied, giving a raised eyebrow. 'But suppose you could try it on for a moment.' taking it off and handing over to the Estatic.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Serge's Adventure]

'Not sure it would make your job easier having the sleeves hanging over your hands.' Nicole replied, giving a raised eyebrow. 'But suppose you could try it on for a moment.' taking it off and handing over to the Estatic.

"Yes!" Serge said taking the coat eagerly and trying it on. Nicole was quite accurate and the young Ecstatic looked like a small child wearing his father's adult-sized coat.

"Hahaha. This is sweet. Beware evil-doers! Serge Yager, master assassin is on your tail. Hidden amongst the crowds like a ghost in the shadows." Serge pronounced flopping his overly large sleeves around somehow looking even less intimidating than before.  

"So how do you activate it? Is it a button, a code word, or does it just do its stuff automatically?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole] (Chantry)

A short pause. 'If anyone sees her - or anyone else looking to do a delivery - send them to the garage. We all meet up there in five. Advise to go to the bathroom, have a quick drink or whatever before going, as we could be there half the night. Oh, and perhaps a coat.'

"I can send Freddy a message she probably have the girl's number so she can send her down to the garage."
Fran said as she pulled her phone out and started tapping away.
"Ok do I go with you then for the rifle?"
The Euthanathos asked.
"And then I can drop by Freddy's room for the cuffs."
She said and Bianca frowned.
"I will ask the Chief for a dose or two of that bloody serum."
She commented.
"Very well we meet back up in the garage then?"
Hildegard asked.

[Cabal Meeting, 10 AM, Wednesday September 30th]

Colin nodded thoughtfully, "It's possible to come back from that side, though - fortunately, it's not a one-way road. In fact, I suppose it could be argued that Qlippothic magic is a reversal of the normal progression cycle, trying to go backwards to the primordial void, rather than forward to the natural heat death of the universe..."

Bruce nodded at this but he clearly ha nothing to add and he said nothing.

He smiled wryly, "Quite so. The latter technique is, in any case, not precisely viable unless one has rather huge supplies of Tass at hand, like the fuel tanks of an Ethership..."

"Howdid you get your hands on the Tass supplies of a Ethership?"
The Orphan asked sounding surprised.

He nodded, "Precisely... I never pressured him, and he had the freedom to say stop at any time, and we'd do so. It was quite important that we let him hold the reins for that one; he'd previously... not been given a say in meatball surgery done to him... I'll let him share any further details when and if he feels like doing so, but he's a strong kid, who's been through a fair bit of trauma."

"Well if he have had traumatic experiences then it is doubly important that he is made to feel safe and in control and that nothing is done against his will, at least while it is possible, his upcoming trial will be rough on him, I hear that the Security Council on Horizon is not kind."
Bruce said and frowned.

He nodded, "Which is why that topic has been closed for now."

The large Orphan just nodded at that.

He shrugged, "I do believe they're an erogenous zone for many, rather like nipples, which are also fairly often pierced... And on that basis, I would hazard it would be roughly as painful to have the earlobe ripped off."

"Is not piercing nipples a bit more of a deal than the earlobe, I mean four and five year old little girls, sometimes younger happily do it."
Bruce commented still not convinced.

He grinned, "Great, so when I go to the bank to deposit the Cabal funds, they'll think I've been robbing payphones and parking meters..."

"Well you can always tell them the truth that it is a sarcasm jar."
Bruce said wryly.

[Abandoned Junkyard]

He nodded, "Bit of a conflict in a country with a lot of sand... And wouldn't you know, twelve years later, you Americans went back there for a rematch."

Karin looked at you then she nodded.
"Must have sucked."
She commented.

He nodded, "Yes, they can... unfortunately, our faction does not have any of those on our side, so we have to work quite a bit harder to develop comparable firepower... But, we're inventive and have more creative options in design, so we're not too much at a disadvantage, as such."

"So you can have these insane battles with space ships in the spirit world then?"
The teenager asked.
"I don't know if that is terrifying or really, really cool."

He nodded, "Chief's informed and interrogating one of our... guests in the basement, Master Sharaya is on the case, and Nicole should be back there shortly to pick up reinforcements. If you have anything you want sent along, you'd best send a message back to someone trusted quickly."

"Hum...well I am wearing my armor but I have a gun, in the safe in my room that would be useful to have."
Bruce said.
"I have enchanted the bullets they pack a punch."

[Going to the Library]

"So her name is Danielle." Serge said to himself. "Did she tell you why she decided to come back to the world of the living? Unfinished buisiness? That seems to be common among ghosts."

"Yeah she said she came back to care for her pet cat, after Danielle, which indeed is her name, died in a fire her family would have put the kitten down, so she came back, grabbed her cat and left."
Kyle said and he smiled fondly.
"Which is a sort of unfinished business I guess."

"Sweet. Can't think of any other way. Whipped cream though. That's some luxury right there. Wouldn't mind some of that." Serge said picking up his own stack of books and walking alongside the widderslainte.
"Sweet. Can't think of any other way. Whipped cream though. That's some luxury right there. Wouldn't mind some of that." Serge said picking up his own stack of books and walking alongside the widderslainte.

Kyle lead the way to an apartment which looked exactly like yours and like yours it was furnished with some old bits and bobs until proper furniture could be installed.
"I am going to Ikea today to get some furniture, just sit down for a moment then and I will make the cocoa."
Kyle said as he put the books down on a old table that looked to be from the 1970's before he went into the kitchen and started finding a pot and some ingredients.

[Serge's Adventure]

"So how do you activate it? Is it a button, a code word, or does it just do its stuff automatically?"

Nothing much happened as you pulled the coat on, you where just wearing a to big and to heavy coat.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Chantry]

Anja's Post:

'Might be an idea... think I'll find it a bit too much to carry everything.' Nicole replied to Fran, giving a nod. 'Move out, everyone.'

[Does the coat need to be 'activated' - couldn't it simply be activated by wearing it? Or perhaps something particular has to be done to activate?]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole] (Chantry)

Everyone moved out to their tasks, Fran finished her text message then she said.
"I will get the cuffs, then run over to your room for the rifle then."
She said before heading towards the stairs.

(OOC: Well the coat was not a talisman was it, so it is one of Nicole's focus, a way for her to work magick though she might not see it like that so she would have to be involved in making it work, but exactly how she do that is up to you, might be enough for her to adjust it to get it to lay right and fold the right way.)

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Chantry]

A nod to Fran, then headed up to her apartment [unless anyone had anything else to ask].

[Strictly speaking, it's a Device. But generally, it's a talisman, not an Instrument. I'm thinking that perhaps it is 'activated' by a little quirk which the maker picked up on but Nick doesn't realise she has, and so it's still active when Serge gives it a try?]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole] (Chantry)

You got up to your apartment, no one had something else to say. You passed a few of the Chantry members on your way up the stairs and own the hall, they gave you polite nods but no one stopped or had anything particularly to say to you.

(OOC:Oh well if it is a talisman then it should work for anyone so then it should give the same effect for Serge as for her, I remembered it wrong, ignore what I wrote then he would have the same effect then with the coat as Nicole herself have.)

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Serge's Adventure]

Serge's Post:

The coat was made from heavy leather, though surprisingly supple. The lining was made of that odd fabric often seen in athleticwear; as well as the several large pockets normally on coats of this type, Serge will spot a secret one inside - large enough for say a pistol to be hidden.

Serge's Post:

'Hmm... you look much less stupid than by all rights you should.' Nicole commented, looking at Serge with a curious look on her face.

[How tall is Serge? You've not actually ever said that in his personal sub-forum.]

[Chantry]

Anja's Post:

On getting back to her apartment, Nicole gave a sigh and got to work; quickly getting ready for returning to the junkyard.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole] (Chantry)
You got the needed supplies gsthered together quickly. When you where allmost done you heard a knock at your door, probably Fran coming for the rifle.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Chantry]

'Door's open!' Nicole will call out on hearing the knock.

The visitor will find the Etherite sat on the couch; clad in a grubby tank-top and a pair of leather trousers, arm in all it's ceramic glory, the owner busy feeding several clips and with a large glass of something which looked a little like milk beside her. The old wooden footlocker had been dumped in the centre of the room, open and full of weapons, ammo and similar.

[Adley]

[Cabal Meeting]

"And that is why Bee's magick give her so much Paradox. Well at least we have a way to fight against this." Bruce said then he sigh. "Nephandi really are fucked up even in their magick."

"Indeed."

Colin nodded thoughtfully, "It's possible to come back from that side, though - fortunately, it's not a one-way road. In fact, I suppose it could be argued that Qlippothic magic is a reversal of the normal progression cycle, trying to go backwards to the primordial void, rather than forward to the natural heat death of the universe..."

"That's not quite right, I think. At least that is not how I understand it. Let me try to explain why I feel there is a significant difference. The primordial void still has potential to be all things while it is being nothing; it is a chaos state where there is possibility but no organization of forms. It is an emptiness that can be filled and emptied again. In some beliefs, it is something of the gap created when heaven was separated from earth and was the first thing to exist. Taking from the same cosmology as the word Qlippoth, such a primordial state would be more similar to the Ein Sof, which is endless and infinite, a state before manifestation, beyond the thoughts of man. This 'empty' space was necessary for creation to have come to be, like letting a breath out before you take another one in allows you to breathe. Or the way the zero marks on a page hold a place for something else to be added or subtracted or how a dot on a page before a line curve partitions a new space. What the Nephandi want is more of an eternal, existential void, no-thing. Never. Not, without the possibility to ever breathe again. Erasing the zero so there can not be a place. Non-differentiation with non-existence. This is a key difference. It is not just a reversal of the cycle, it is an inversion of the possibility of being-ness, which is a tendency of our Tellurian to unfold in all it's manifested forms - no cycle at all. The tree of life casts a shadow from the time when creation was first made from the world of forms into the higher reaches, and these are called qlippoth, the husks. These Qlippoth have no ability for potentially being anything ever and are impure. The reason this term is applied to Nephandi's magick seems to be that such magick destroys reality through negation, not just reducing it to parts. I think it reaches beyond the veils that we say cover the most extant reaches, that are beyond that which our Universe is, reaching downwards, a place which is Not a place, which has /nothing/ no time, no potential, no one, to the unspeakable and seemingly even beyond the veil that is the Ein, the upper limit of the Absolute - to 'where' the caul shows those that go through it, which I think is not so much a place as an unbirthing chamber that cuts one off from their links to the Tellurian itself. Then it spits the inverted ones back out here, into the manifested world, torn up. Likewise their magick then tears everything up."

He nodded, "I'll not be quite as drastic as Serge in my assessment... I don't think you'd hate it, Adley, but I don't think you would favour it particularly highly, either... Most likely, I'd guess unenthusiastic indifference."

"Hate requires much energy after all."

"I don't know. I can imagine him getting actively angered by it. Indifference is also likely. Confusion though...that's a given. Will probably wonder why everyone is yelling."

"Or maybe I will be more understanding of them sounding as if they're yelling."

He nodded, "Quite so; I do hear the French translation was relatively well received, since the French weren't quite happy with the, hm, antagonists, French though they were."

"I'm sure."

He grinned, "Great, so when I go to the bank to deposit the Cabal funds, they'll think I've been robbing payphones and parking meters..."

"Just say it is your kid's piggy bank."

"God I hate economics so much." Serge said bitterly. "Fine, 65 years."

He glanced from Adley to Serge, "Right, so which one of you will I be signing up for a quarter or two tomorrow, then?"

"Why must you bankrupt a child Mr. Wainwright." Serge said with a mock shake of his head.

"Does it count if you're not in earshot?"

[Chicago, Rose's office]

"I will ask Sister Ragnhild to hold a small ceremony for the child then and talk with a stonecutter about a grave marker, you wanted one with little stone doves on top yes, and the girl's name on the marker?"
She asked.
"We probably have to give the stonecutter a few weeks to get the marker ready but I am sure the ceremony can be done pretty soon."

He nodded, and drew out a basic shape of what he had seen as best as he could to show her."Something like this," he said, showing her.

[RI Roadtrip]

'Well... chances of one of them being present at the game is kinda low.' Nicole admitted. 'But, you don't get it - the chances of someone knowing me being at the game is higher, and one knowing of me higher still. Folk kinda remember if they ever knew a gal who's scraping 190 [cm], and I've got loads of cousins and shit.' looking a little sour at this. 'This means the chance of somebody spotting me, it being later mentioned to a second cousin and that going along the line to the ears of my sisters or something is actually decent.'

"I get it, you're fairly easy to pick out of a crowd. But what I'm not sure about is what you want to do about it. If you're in the area at all, and it's quite possible that you may be aside from this trip, then this issue is not going to go away. So, what would you like to do about it, if anything can be done?"

'Seeing them again? Well... they say almost dying makes you take stock of your life and shit, and in this case it was getting some... whatyoucallit?' a little frown '-closure, that's it. But... there's so much I've gotta explain away, so much I can't say.' giving a sigh. 'And a crap liar, me, specially with them. Whatever story I spin, they'll think the truth is much worse, and won't fucking let up 'till I spill. Plus, don't want to put 'em in danger or anything.' poise and tone making it clear the large woman was pretty worried about this topic.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't like lying either, but in this case it can protect them, I agree. Just focus on the things that are true that you can tell them. It may not be the whole truth because of various reasons, but it's better than not giving them any reason at all for your absence. If they're going to think things are much worse at any rate, then there is only so much you can do about that. I understand your concern here, though I'm not sure of the details, naturally."

// Adley knows, his player made a typo is all

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Cabal Meeting]

"Or maybe I will be more understanding of them sounding as if they're yelling."

"This can be an experiment. What are Adley's first emotion while watching an average episode of Dragon Ball Z? Excitement? Disgust? Confusion? Understanding? Will he react differently to different episodes? So many variables..." Serge said with a faraway look.

[Going to the Library]

"Yeah she said she came back to care for her pet cat, after Danielle, which indeed is her name, died in a fire her family would have put the kitten down, so she came back, grabbed her cat and left."
Kyle said and he smiled fondly.
"Which is a sort of unfinished business I guess."

"She came back to the world of the living to take care of her cat? Damn, that must be one awesome cat." Serge, eyes wide with surprise. "But wait. Didn't you say that her dark side lives in the cat? How does that work?"

Kyle lead the way to an apartment which looked exactly like yours and like yours it was furnished with some old bits and bobs until proper furniture could be installed.
"I am going to Ikea today to get some furniture, just sit down for a moment then and I will make the cocoa."
Kyle said as he put the books down on a old table that looked to be from the 1970's before he went into the kitchen and started finding a pot and some ingredients.

Serge took a seat nearby and glanced at his surroundings, enjoying seeing what sort of things Kyle had placed within it. "Huh. I'm also going to Ikea today. With Rosa when she's done with her classes. I think a bunch of people are." Serge commented. "Ahhh, Ikea. That swedish giant. Love their tiny pencils. I've taken my fair share of those."

[Serge's Adventure]

'Hmm... you look much less stupid than by all rights you should.' Nicole commented, looking at Serge with a curious look on her face.

"Really? Thanks!" Serge said choosing to take that as a compliment. "I certainly feel sneakier while wearing this coat. Wonder if I can focus my magick through it. Could have a lot more fun with it." the ecstatic said raising his arms in scarecrow fashion and glancing at the sleeves hanging off of his arms. "Wanna see if I can do something cool?"

(OOC: Sorry. I probably should've mentioned that somewhere on it. Serge is around 5'10)

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Nicole] (Chantry)

'Door's open!' Nicole will call out on hearing the knock.

"You have a interesting way of preparing your ammo."
Fran said as she entered your room an saw you.
"You si something about a rifle?"

[Cabal Meeting]

"Indeed."

Bruce nodded at that.
"I worry about her, she might get hurt with how much Paradox she attracts."
He said with a frown.

"That's not quite right, I think. At least that is not how I understand it. Let me try to explain why I feel there is a significant difference. The primordial void still has potential to be all things while it is being nothing; it is a chaos state where there is possibility but no organization of forms. It is an emptiness that can be filled and emptied again. In some beliefs, it is something of the gap created when heaven was separated from earth and was the first thing to exist. Taking from the same cosmology as the word Qlippoth, such a primordial state would be more similar to the Ein Sof, which is endless and infinite, a state before manifestation, beyond the thoughts of man. This 'empty' space was necessary for creation to have come to be, like letting a breath out before you take another one in allows you to breathe. Or the way the zero marks on a page hold a place for something else to be added or subtracted or how a dot on a page before a line curve partitions a new space. What the Nephandi want is more of an eternal, existential void, no-thing. Never. Not, without the possibility to ever breathe again. Erasing the zero so there can not be a place. Non-differentiation with non-existence. This is a key difference. It is not just a reversal of the cycle, it is an inversion of the possibility of being-ness, which is a tendency of our Tellurian to unfold in all it's manifested forms - no cycle at all. The tree of life casts a shadow from the time when creation was first made from the world of forms into the higher reaches, and these are called qlippoth, the husks. These Qlippoth have no ability for potentially being anything ever and are impure. The reason this term is applied to Nephandi's magick seems to be that such magick destroys reality through negation, not just reducing it to parts. I think it reaches beyond the veils that we say cover the most extant reaches, that are beyond that which our Universe is, reaching downwards, a place which is Not a place, which has /nothing/ no time, no potential, no one, to the unspeakable and seemingly even beyond the veil that is the Ein, the upper limit of the Absolute - to 'where' the caul shows those that go through it, which I think is not so much a place as an unbirthing chamber that cuts one off from their links to the Tellurian itself. Then it spits the inverted ones back out here, into the manifested world, torn up. Likewise their magick then tears everything up."

Bruce looked at you while you spoke and he was silent for a while before he finally said.
"I am a simple man Adley I am not going to pretend I understood all that but what i did understand where terrifying. So the Nephandi do not just want to destroy this world, or unmake it but to estroy the possibility that there will be anything but nothing, that is worse than destruction, I mean with destruction and death, you ha a past, what you did and who you where mattered but with just...nothing."
The Artificer shuddered.
"And their magick is linked to that because they where showed such a state n the Caul? How can you show someone that...how is that possible and how fucked up must you be if you where?"
He said then he looked at Adley a worried look in his eyes.
"Do Bee want to end reality as well or rather for it to have never been?"
He asked.
"Is such a thing what our Cabalmate is searching for?"

[Chicago, Rose's office]

He nodded, and drew out a basic shape of what he had seen as best as he could to show her."Something like this," he said, showing her.

Deaconess Rose accepted the drawing and looked at it then she nodded.
"Very well with your permission then Mr Roth Hicks I will take this to the stonecutter and have the grave marker made."

[Going to the Library]

"She came back to the world of the living to take care of her cat? Damn, that must be one awesome cat." Serge, eyes wide with surprise. "But wait. Didn't you say that her dark side lives in the cat? How does that work?"

"What can I say she love her pet and she did not want her to get put down, seams as good a reason as any to come back from the dead."
Kyle said.
"She is a kind woman. As for her dark side, I am not completely sure how it works, she said that when she became a Risen she had to find a host for her shadow, and it always find a host in what the new Risen most loves, she calls the cat her Conduit."

Serge took a seat nearby and glanced at his surroundings, enjoying seeing what sort of things Kyle had placed within it. "Huh. I'm also going to Ikea today. With Rosa when she's done with her classes. I think a bunch of people are." Serge commented. "Ahhh, Ikea. That swedish giant. Love their tiny pencils. I've taken my fair share of those."

There was a stack of books, a PSP and a cookie jar on the table and a magazine about gaming, other than that there was nothing that probably belonged to Kyle, he had not had time to put any personal touch on the apartment yet.
"Yeah, I mean I do need some things and Master Morgan is kind enough to get me some furniture."
He said and nodded as he started making the cocoa.
"Yeah Ikea is great, also hopefully I will be allowed to get our stuff from home soon as well."

[Adley]

[Cabal Meeting]

"This can be an experiment. What are Adley's first emotion while watching an average episode of Dragon Ball Z? Excitement? Disgust? Confusion? Understanding? Will he react differently to different episodes? So many variables..." Serge said with a faraway look.

He gave him a blank look. "Well, seeing as this experiment is not apt to be harmful, just a slight waste of time, I might be inclined to try it over our pizza night."

Bruce looked at you while you spoke and he was silent for a while before he finally said.
"I am a simple man Adley I am not going to pretend I understood all that but what i did understand where terrifying. So the Nephandi do not just want to destroy this world, or unmake it but to estroy the possibility that there will be anything but nothing, that is worse than destruction, I mean with destruction and death, you ha a past, what you did and who you where mattered but with just...nothing."
The Artificer shuddered.
"And their magick is linked to that because they where showed such a state n the Caul? How can you show someone that...how is that possible and how fucked up must you be if you where?"
He said then he looked at Adley a worried look in his eyes.
"Do Bee want to end reality as well or rather for it to have never been?"
He asked.
"Is such a thing what our Cabalmate is searching for?"

"It seems you understood just fine. It is not just destruction, it is utter annihilation. As far as I have spoken with them, they do not want a cycle of rebirth to occur. While things decay, there is hope that a new world can also be created. Some people believe this has happened many times, and that this continues to happen in cycles. But the Nephandi from what I understand do not want anything ever again, and this is where we have a foot in the door with their human selves that are still tied to this world. Or, perhaps to parts of their avatar that do in fact remember something, on rare occasion. Most that I have spoken with do not want the world to end now, but after they are done experiencing things. I have challenged that this can be selfish, that the avatar does not belong to any one of us, that the world is not our playtoy alone. Some Nephandi want personal undoing only, not for others or the world, and while I feel that is /still/ a huge loss, because the Nephandi are eroding us one avatar at a time, they are less apt to try to ruin everything for everyone all at once. Ad so it makes a different kind of fight, though one that is still important, perhaps critical. Those that go in that caul most often do not come out again the way they went in, they become broken, an important link severed, something essential forgotten, what we call inverted. In speaking of their new urge, they find this annihilation a source of extreme beauty, as one would fine the upper reaches of creation beautiful. They are returned to the manifested world feeling agony, scared and hurt, and they turn that outwards to the world, and lash out and find pleasure in exerting pain on the world that they feel rejected them, though they may not have even known it going in, they rejected it themselves, that is the tragedy. Oh they may still find their personal affections, but over time, some of them get it into their heads to take everything down on their time. Those that fight with their avatar over it's new urge to descend have a hard time and may not be numerous. Who knows how many reincarnations they go through feeling such a way but I feel that fight is very important."

[Chicago, Rose's office]

Deaconess Rose accepted the drawing and looked at it then she nodded.
"Very well with your permission then Mr Roth Hicks I will take this to the stonecutter and have the grave marker made."

"Of course," he said with a nod. "Ma'am, is there anything you wish to ask me, or speak with me about?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Cabal Meeting]

"It seems you understood just fine. It is not just destruction, it is utter annihilation. As far as I have spoken with them, they do not want a cycle of rebirth to occur. While things decay, there is hope that a new world can also be created. Some people believe this has happened many times, and that this continues to happen in cycles. But the Nephandi from what I understand do not want anything ever again, and this is where we have a foot in the door with their human selves that are still tied to this world. Or, perhaps to parts of their avatar that do in fact remember something, on rare occasion. Most that I have spoken with do not want the world to end now, but after they are done experiencing things. I have challenged that this can be selfish, that the avatar does not belong to any one of us, that the world is not our playtoy alone. Some Nephandi want personal undoing only, not for others or the world, and while I feel that is /still/ a huge loss, because the Nephandi are eroding us one avatar at a time, they are less apt to try to ruin everything for everyone all at once. Ad so it makes a different kind of fight, though one that is still important, perhaps critical. Those that go in that caul most often do not come out again the way they went in, they become broken, an important link severed, something essential forgotten, what we call inverted. In speaking of their new urge, they find this annihilation a source of extreme beauty, as one would fine the upper reaches of creation beautiful. They are returned to the manifested world feeling agony, scared and hurt, and they turn that outwards to the world, and lash out and find pleasure in exerting pain on the world that they feel rejected them, though they may not have even known it going in, they rejected it themselves, that is the tragedy. Oh they may still find their personal affections, but over time, some of them get it into their heads to take everything down on their time. Those that fight with their avatar over it's new urge to descend have a hard time and may not be numerous. Who knows how many reincarnations they go through feeling such a way but I feel that fight is very important."

Bruce looked at you and then he sigh.
"That is actually really sad, not just horrifying but really sad, to want for non existence and destruction rather than creation. But how can we fight it? We can fight the Nephandi and stop them, but when they take someone, when someone Fall that...well I know you guys say there are ways to recover from it but damn I am nto sure I believe that before I see it."
The Orphan said and he shook his head.
"But yeah it is all sad, I can not imagine wanting oblivion like that, I want to create something, something lasting and meaningful that will still be here when I am gone, leave a legacy, I can not imagine wanting to just be gone."

[Chicago, Rose's office]

"Of course," he said with a nod. "Ma'am, is there anything you wish to ask me, or speak with me about?"

"I ehm...yes I would like to ask if you remember anything about being Dylan, I understand if that is not something you would want to share but I would like...to know what you remember of him."
The Deaconess said sadly.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[RI Roadtrip]

Adley's Post:

'It means... my hand has been fucking forced.' Nicole finally answered, giving a sigh. 'That I'm gonna have to make a decision... and if that's "get back in contact", have to do it soon.'

Adley's Post:

'"Sticking to the things that are true" ends up with me telling a story which has many "scene missing" cards like Homer's recalling of a night out.' Nicole said, a little exasperated. 'I have a fake name, covered in ink, sixty pounds heavier, twelve years of "scene missing" cards and left this place with a guy who shot someone in a liquor store. There's a good chance that several times cops went to say "Nick's been up to shit again - have you seen or heard from her?" too.'

[Serge's Adventure]

Serge's Post:

'Erm... okay?' Nicole replied suspiciously, moving across the room and pulling down a cardboard box, then opened the black crate below.

[Chantry]

Anja's Post:

'Do I?' Nicole replied, looking at Fran. 'Do you do it by candlelight and while in your birthday suit, then?' giving a little grin, then grabbing the glass and gulping down around a quarter of it.

'The rifle... yeah, the Mosin I used on the Fallen last month.' getting up off the couch and moving across the room. 'Not had time to fix that scope on yet, so sorry.' unearthing the weapon and giving it the once-over. 'Hmm... better get rid of this.' she muttered, flexing out a finger on her mechanical hand, a blade popping out.

'That... whatshername - the Verbena?' Nicole said to Fran, slicing into the tape at the butt with her finger-blade, giving a quick description of Rozzo. 'Is she gonna be a problem? Looked like she wanted to smack something around, and was unsure if it was me or the vamps.'

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