Re: A Most Dangerous Gas, Angry Guests and Time Troubles IC Thread 46

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

It can be impractical yes then again if the general fear of me among the Awakened keep someone from not playing with the time line then I accept it."
The Paradox Spirit replied.
"Fear like everything else can be a tool if used right."

Colin nodded, "Undeniably true - but it's rather like being afraid of sharks. There's not really any good reason to fear sharks unless you actively go into their waters and draw their attention."

"It depends, most who get...punished by Rune Feather have friends able to travel the Umbra and seek her lair out, they can then release their friend's Avatar from the cocoon it is kept in and the soul will return to it's host, but I guess there are some who have been kept captive there for a very long time."
Wrinkle replied before he sipped his tea again.

He let out a brief sigh of relief, one he hadn't even realized he was holding, "Oh, that's good, then... sealing away souls permanently would be bad. Hum, I suppose she'd be upset if someone came by to cut loose the ones that have been held there without anyone coming for them?"

((Aaand at that point, I'll wait for S7trife. ))

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Abandoned Hospital]

Anja's Post:

'Wasn't planning it.' she replied gruffly, pulling the end of the duct tape to start securing the prisoner to the chair.

Anja's Post:

'Well, not like I can do anything about it...' ending with a shrug.

[Which is the critical flaw with 'Anglo capitalism' - general inability to do long-range investment. True enough, BT had been looking into mobiles since the 50s and it's other first competitor - Vodaphone - was a spin-off from the military comms tech (so the MoD had basically funded it). The other two providers simply started out on the London market, which was rich and fairly easy to serve.]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Abandoned Hospital]

Wasn't planning it.' she replied gruffly, pulling the end of the duct tape to start securing the prisoner to the chair.

The prisoner seamed to relax a little, he sat still as you taped him to the chair he did not say anything else though.

'Well, not like I can do anything about it...' ending with a shrug.

"Yeah...I guess so but for now let us just do our jobs until the guys back home figure out a way that you can fight back."
Fran said with a sigh.
"Fucking Nephandi."

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin nodded, "Undeniably true - but it's rather like being afraid of sharks. There's not really any good reason to fear sharks unless you actively go into their waters and draw their attention."

"That is a fair point, however if fear of sharks keep you out of waters where you should not swim, then that fear is rather useful no?"
The Paradox Spirit replied.

He let out a brief sigh of relief, one he hadn't even realized he was holding, "Oh, that's good, then... sealing away souls permanently would be bad. Hum, I suppose she'd be upset if someone came by to cut loose the ones that have been held there without anyone coming for them?"

"Rune Feather is animistic in nature, other than stealing the souls of errant mages other than hunting crickets and caterpillars she is really just a giant spider, so it is probably a safe bet she will defend her lair, but it is possible to get past her."
Wrinkle replied.
"And I agree the souls still kept in captivity probably should be released, at least the ones with long dead hosts who need to go to the Well of Souls to be reborn."

(OOC: Yes that is probably a good idea.)

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Kyle's Room]

"That is admirable Sir."
Stephen said and he nodded approvingly. Kyle smiled.
"Ok...well I am sure the finished picture will be just awesome Sir."
He said as the game he was playing went back into a random encounter, some more starting monsters to be beat up appeared.

"Yay." Serge said cheerily, glad to have done something that had gotten the approval of the stuffy Hermetic. He continued to sketch his drawing as he watched Kyle play. "Anthropomorphic animals always have a special feel towards them. To place animals in the shoes of humans, always has a certain appeal to it. There's something charming about it."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Kyle's Room]

"Yeah antropomorphic animals can be cool. I can not say I have a huge relation to them other than from cartoons I have watched as a kid but they can be cool."
Kyle agreed.
"And recreating a book cover with a images of the cats of a household is a neat idea, I am sure it will turn out as a cool picture."
The young Hermetic said with a grin.

[Adley]

[Usptairs SH]

Narim gave you a warm, reassuring smile. Adjan nodded.
"We will find the ones doing this and we will kill them."
The Euthanathos said simply. Narim nodded.
"We will all keep you safe Adley and Miss Bouchard as well.

AJ's solution seemed to be 'find them and kill them before they kill you.' Which sounded simpler, but given this person could screw with time, was bound to be harder that. "Have you been enchanting any lucky bullets? Might need some for this guy."

Ppening up, he grinned, "Please, Amicus, come in. Would you like a cup of tea, as well?"

He was looking a little bit nervous, since he knew this wasn't something that he could fight and he was wary of spirits that held immense power after all. It was one thing to fight something impossible for his loved ones and another to meet an infamous paradox spirit over tea. Surprisingly, the latter concerned him more, in some ways than the former, having no idea how to approach the situation. While he'd entertained the idea that maybe Wrinkle would have left by now, the feeling was still /there/ and so he knew that not to be the case. When Colin opened the door, he looked at him plaintively. "Uh....it better be a strong one..." he said, coming inside.

Adley will see a impossibly old man, tall, thin and hunched over, wearing a wrinkly suit with wisps of white hair falling to his shoulders and skin so wrinkly he looked to be over a hundred sitting at Colin's table eating a cookie and having tea. The man stood as Adley came in though, and he gave a polite nod of his head.
"Good evening to you."
He said in his old, creaky voice, Static power emminating from him like a flood.

"Good...evening to you also, sir," he said, the slam of energies from the spirit nearly disarming him. He rubbed at one of his arms, as if the hairs on it were suddenly all standing on end. "It appears there seems to be some kind of problem with my past and that of a cabalmate..."

// Adley's bday is August, born in 1987 I forgot to subtract the half year (yay math) like a dum. Then he'd be a bit younger than Nic, younger than Colin, probably Richard and Bruce. Not sure how old Bee, Jon and Tane are, though.

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"That is a fair point, however if fear of sharks keep you out of waters where you should not swim, then that fear is rather useful no?"
The Paradox Spirit replied.

Colin smiled wryly, "Unfortunately, I must quote the Spartan ephors in their second response to Philip the Second of Macedonia - 'If.' Unfortunately, you and I both know that people do stupid things when they are afraid, like deciding to get a bigger boat to hunt the shark... And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Rune Feather is animistic in nature, other than stealing the souls of errant mages other than hunting crickets and caterpillars she is really just a giant spider, so it is probably a safe bet she will defend her lair, but it is possible to get past her."
Wrinkle replied.
"And I agree the souls still kept in captivity probably should be released, at least the ones with long dead hosts who need to go to the Well of Souls to be reborn."

He sighed, "Well, long-term goals, I suppose..."

"Ah don't mind if I do, and yes the cookies was quite delicious I am sure your apprentice will enjoy them."
Wrinkle said before he took another cookie and nibbled on it.

He grinned, "Well, she's not complained about the previous batches."

He was looking a little bit nervous, since he knew this wasn't something that he could fight and he was wary of spirits that held immense power after all. It was one thing to fight something impossible for his loved ones and another to meet an infamous paradox spirit over tea. Surprisingly, the latter concerned him more, in some ways than the former, having no idea how to approach the situation. While he'd entertained the idea that maybe Wrinkle would have left by now, the feeling was still /there/ and so he knew that not to be the case. When Colin opened the door, he looked at him plaintively. "Uh....it better be a strong one..." he said, coming inside.

He grinned, showing Adley inside and closing the door, "Of course. Earl Grey, then? There is sugar and a small helping of cookies on the table, let me just get the kettle."

Adley will see a impossibly old man, tall, thin and hunched over, wearing a wrinkly suit with wisps of white hair falling to his shoulders and skin so wrinkly he looked to be over a hundred sitting at Colin's table eating a cookie and having tea. The man stood as Adley came in though, and he gave a polite nod of his head.
"Good evening to you."
He said in his old, creaky voice, Static power emminating from him like a flood.

"Good...evening to you also, sir," he said, the slam of energies from the spirit nearly disarming him. He rubbed at one of his arms, as if the hairs on it were suddenly all standing on end. "It appears there seems to be some kind of problem with my past and that of a cabalmate..."

He nodded, strolling back into the kitchen to boil up the water for another cup, scooping out a hearty measure of tea for Adley, "Yes, the bloody Fallen Chronomancer is attacking you and Miss Bouchard, directly this time, unlike how he tried to compel our friend, the time spirit, to kill Anna. Speaking of which, I've asked her to come up, too, because I think we might be able to trace the working against your timeline, and let her work her magic to slow the bastard down. To stop it fully, though, we might need to ask your Pater to send Miss Bouchard home early, to get the two of you to work in unison to somehow intercept the threat in the past..."
He glanced toward Wrinkle, "Does that sound about accurate, Sir?"


((OOC: Late-stage Capitalism, or put in another way, "fucking white people"... Because you know whoever's making a profit running telecoms companies, it's mostly pasty-white Boomers...))

((OOC2: If Adley's *not* younger than Colin, when Adley was born in 1987, something pretty messed up is going on, since Colin was born in 1970. ))

[Adley]

[Casa Wainwright]

He grinned, showing Adley inside and closing the door, "Of course. Earl Grey, then? There is sugar and a small helping of cookies on the table, let me just get the kettle."

"Sure, that sounds...fine..."

He nodded, strolling back into the kitchen to boil up the water for another cup, scooping out a hearty measure of tea for Adley, "Yes, the bloody Fallen Chronomancer is attacking you and Miss Bouchard, directly this time, unlike how he tried to compel our friend, the time spirit, to kill Anna. Speaking of which, I've asked her to come up, too, because I think we might be able to trace the working against your timeline, and let her work her magic to slow the bastard down. To stop it fully, though, we might need to ask your Pater to send Miss Bouchard home early, to get the two of you to work in unison to somehow intercept the threat in the past..."

"I hope you mean your daughter, and not the spirit?" he said with a wry look. "Are you sure it's a good idea to send us back to fix our our um, past selves? I really don't understand any of this...I'm sorry, this is completely overwhelming me," he admitted, thinking of his mom calling him again.

// Hey now with all the time magick he's got going on, let's be hoping Colin doesn't end up his own Grandfather : P

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"I hope you mean your daughter, and not the spirit?" he said with a wry look. "Are you sure it's a good idea to send us back to fix our our um, past selves? I really don't understand any of this...I'm sorry, this is completely overwhelming me," he admitted, thinking of his mom calling him again.

He grinned wryly, "Of course I mean Anna, yes. The time spirit is, after all, on an errand most crucial; it'd be bad form to call her here before that is completed."
He turned serious, "We might not have to send you back, but I suspect we need you both here, working together to pinpoint when the timeline is attempted changed, and intercept the working itself, or... perhaps send a message you'll both see, a warning to your younger selves to avoid the threat. And I don't blame you, preventing one's own murder years in the past would be overwhelming and hard to make sense of for anyone..."

((OOC: That would make for one hell of a Wrinkle... ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Usptairs SH]

AJ's solution seemed to be 'find them and kill them before they kill you.' Which sounded simpler, but given this person could screw with time, was bound to be harder that. "Have you been enchanting any lucky bullets? Might need some for this guy."

"I have enchanted bullets to do more damage...but if you want some lucky bullets I can do that, just drop back here for them on your way back and I will get right on that."
Adjan offered.

[Casa Wainwright]

"Good...evening to you also, sir," he said, the slam of energies from the spirit nearly disarming him. He rubbed at one of his arms, as if the hairs on it were suddenly all standing on end. "It appears there seems to be some kind of problem with my past and that of a cabalmate..."

"Indeed so young man, it appear that one of the Nephandi are trying to send his missions back to when you and your Cabalmate was young to finish you of before you become a problem...now this happening will cause quite a...mess in my ordered timeline so we can not have that now can we."
Wrinkle said and he fixed you with his little, dark bead eyes.
"Keep in mind though there is a limit to how much I am allowed to help."

Colin smiled wryly, "Unfortunately, I must quote the Spartan ephors in their second response to Philip the Second of Macedonia - 'If.' Unfortunately, you and I both know that people do stupid things when they are afraid, like deciding to get a bigger boat to hunt the shark... And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Indeed, like with all tools fear must be managed well and used the right way, if one get to heavy handed with any method it can lead to ruin, however in and of itself fear can be a most useful tool."
The Paradox Spirit replied.

He sighed, "Well, long-term goals, I suppose..."

"Indeed so Mr Wainwright."
Wrinkle agreed and he sipped his tea.

He grinned, "Well, she's not complained about the previous batches."

"Surely she would have no reason to, it seams you are a man who knows your way around a kitchen Mr Wainwright."
Wrinkle said approvingly.

He nodded, strolling back into the kitchen to boil up the water for another cup, scooping out a hearty measure of tea for Adley, "Yes, the bloody Fallen Chronomancer is attacking you and Miss Bouchard, directly this time, unlike how he tried to compel our friend, the time spirit, to kill Anna. Speaking of which, I've asked her to come up, too, because I think we might be able to trace the working against your timeline, and let her work her magic to slow the bastard down. To stop it fully, though, we might need to ask your Pater to send Miss Bouchard home early, to get the two of you to work in unison to somehow intercept the threat in the past..."
He glanced toward Wrinkle, "Does that sound about accurate, Sir?"

"That is a quite accurate summary my good man."
The Paradox Spirit agreed.

"I hope you mean your daughter, and not the spirit?" he said with a wry look. "Are you sure it's a good idea to send us back to fix our our um, past selves? I really don't understand any of this...I'm sorry, this is completely overwhelming me," he admitted, thinking of his mom calling him again.

"You should probably have a seat Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle said.
"Well that is one way to try to solve the situation, working in the past to stop the attempt at you and Miss Bouchard's life."

At this time there was a soft knock on the door and then Anna opened it slightly and glanced in nervously.
"Ehm...dad...should I come in?"

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Abandoned Hospital]

Anja's Post:

Once she tested the bonds to make sure they were tight, she then placed over the guy's mouth with a clear "just business" demeanour. Which was a little reassuring until you realised that a torturer could also have the same mindset.

Before leaving the room, she'll make sure there is no sharp implements or whatever to allow the guy to escape.

Anja's Post:

Nicole nodded. 'You do the job in front of you...'

[Adley is 360 days younger than Nick is.]

[Yes. For the telecoms companies are mainly blue-chips and one of their main shareholders are pension funds. Problem is, most pensioners have *no idea* how grasping and uncaring the fund managers are in their name. In fact they're some of the worst, for they're usually pretty faceless entities.]

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Kyle's Room]

"Yeah antropomorphic animals can be cool. I can not say I have a huge relation to them other than from cartoons I have watched as a kid but they can be cool."
Kyle agreed.
"And recreating a book cover with a images of the cats of a household is a neat idea, I am sure it will turn out as a cool picture."
The young Hermetic said with a grin.

"They've always appeared in every aspect of my life. Its kinda hard to be a 90's kid without having nostalgic feeling towards a couple." Serge said with a smile as he continued to draw while also watching as Kyle played through the game.

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"Surely she would have no reason to, it seams you are a man who knows your way around a kitchen Mr Wainwright."
Wrinkle said approvingly.

Colin chuckled, "Well, knowing our way around the stove does run in my family, but what flavour of cookie one favours is, and will always be, a matter of taste."

"Indeed so young man, it appear that one of the Nephandi are trying to send his missions back to when you and your Cabalmate was young to finish you of before you become a problem...now this happening will cause quite a...mess in my ordered timeline so we can not have that now can we."
Wrinkle said and he fixed you with his little, dark bead eyes.
"Keep in mind though there is a limit to how much I am allowed to help."

He smiled thinly, "Much like the Oracles, restricted to warning and guidance at the most... unless a correction is unavoidable, correct?"

"You should probably have a seat Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle said.
"Well that is one way to try to solve the situation, working in the past to stop the attempt at you and Miss Bouchard's life."

He frowned as he poured Adley's tea, bringing the steaming cup over to the table and sitting back down with his own, "That option brings an added risk of a Paradox; crossing into your own timeline and meeting yourself seems like an unpalatable risk. Though there are situations where I might consider that risk worth it under the circumstances... it might be safer to not be seen by your past selves."

At this time there was a soft knock on the door and then Anna opened it slightly and glanced in nervously.
"Ehm...dad...should I come in?"

He smiled, "Come in, Sweetie, here are cookies. It's safe, he's here because the timeline, and we, are under attack, and you might be able to... annoy the Chronomancer who's doing it while we mount a counterattack. Plus, we're having tea and cookies, and those are best enjoyed in peace, right?"
He turned to Wrinkle, "My daughter, Anna, but I suppose you already know you'll get to know her, too, hmm?"

[Adley]

[Narim's Rooms]

"I have enchanted bullets to do more damage...but if you want some lucky bullets I can do that, just drop back here for them on your way back and I will get right on that."
Adjan offered.

"Well, I don't know what we're going to need to do, but having luck on our side would be nice."

[Casa Wainwright]

He grinned wryly, "Of course I mean Anna, yes. The time spirit is, after all, on an errand most crucial; it'd be bad form to call her here before that is completed."

"It is? Well, perhaps not something I need to know, right now though..."

He turned serious, "We might not have to send you back, but I suspect we need you both here, working together to pinpoint when the timeline is attempted changed, and intercept the working itself, or... perhaps send a message you'll both see, a warning to your younger selves to avoid the threat. And I don't blame you, preventing one's own murder years in the past would be overwhelming and hard to make sense of for anyone..."

"I'm a bit out of my own depth. Well, my mom called and said that she saw my /tombstone/ and all my pictures from after that were gone, and of course she freaked out and called me and convinced herself someone was playing a joke on her." He shook his head. "I tried to ask her what the date on it was but it was almost as if she couldn't quite know? She said it was before college though, so before I was awakened. What a cheap shot!" he added with a scowl.

"Indeed so young man, it appear that one of the Nephandi are trying to send his missions back to when you and your Cabalmate was young to finish you of before you become a problem...now this happening will cause quite a...mess in my ordered timeline so we can not have that now can we."
Wrinkle said and he fixed you with his little, dark bead eyes.
"Keep in mind though there is a limit to how much I am allowed to help."

"Oh, erm, of course," he said, a bit relieved that he wasn't there as punishment directly for them or Colin, at least. "Thank you sir." The look the spirit gave him was unnerving to say the least, as if the spirit could see something wrong with him as clearly as dandruff on a dark coat.

"You should probably have a seat Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle said.
"Well that is one way to try to solve the situation, working in the past to stop the attempt at you and Miss Bouchard's life."

He frowned as he poured Adley's tea, bringing the steaming cup over to the table and sitting back down with his own, "That option brings an added risk of a Paradox; crossing into your own timeline and meeting yourself seems like an unpalatable risk. Though there are situations where I might consider that risk worth it under the circumstances... it might be safer to not be seen by your past selves."

"Yes, sir," he said to Wrinkle as he told him to sit. Sitting was about the last thing he wanted to do while he felt so antsy, but he dutifully sat down at the table and tried not to be overwhelmed by Wrinkle. It would be rude. "I guess that the problem is we might make things more tangled up trying to fix it right?" He glanced up at Colin as a cup was put in front of him and reached out to add sugar and cream. "Okay, so if it can't be us, you need us to know 'when'..." He nodded. "I mean, do you need to bring Nicole out of the fight? I'm worried that's exactly what they want to happen so that the fight goes poorly, as well as a whole bunch of retrograde things happen too. You could use me to find out the when, if it's the same time for both of us? Or is it different times?" He occupied himself with making tea, trying to settle himself and utterly failing.

At this time there was a soft knock on the door and then Anna opened it slightly and glanced in nervously.
"Ehm...dad...should I come in?"

He smiled, "Come in, Sweetie, here are cookies. It's safe, he's here because the timeline, and we, are under attack, and you might be able to... annoy the Chronomancer who's doing it while we mount a counterattack. Plus, we're having tea and cookies, and those are best enjoyed in peace, right?"
He turned to Wrinkle, "My daughter, Anna, but I suppose you already know you'll get to know her, too, hmm?"

He looked up as Anna entered, and nodded to her. Tea and cookies with a paradox spirit, he was attempting to seem casual as he could but the presence of the spirit was unnerving.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Abandoned Hospital]

Once she tested the bonds to make sure they were tight, she then placed over the guy's mouth with a clear "just business" demeanour. Which was a little reassuring until you realised that a torturer could also have the same mindset.

Before leaving the room, she'll make sure there is no sharp implements or whatever to allow the guy to escape.

The prisoner gave you a scared look, but he did not fight and there did not seam to be anything sharp near him.

Nicole nodded. 'You do the job in front of you...'

"Agreed...so let us secure these prisoners for now and let the guys at home work this problem, and when there is something you can do to help they will let us know."
Fran said and she gave you a reassuring smile.

[Kyle's Room]

They've always appeared in every aspect of my life. Its kinda hard to be a 90's kid without having nostalgic feeling towards a couple." Serge said with a smile as he continued to draw while also watching as Kyle played through the game.

"Yeah animal characters was in allot of 90's and 80's cartoons, and before that as well really."
Kyle agreed.
"For me I have a connection to many of those characters as I grew up watching the shows but I never really had a deep connection to the concept itself if that makes sense."

[Narim's Room]

"Well, I don't know what we're going to need to do, but having luck on our side would be nice."

"Very well then I will start enchanting those bullets and you can pick them up shortly my friend."
Adjan said with a nod.
"It can not hurt to have a bit more luck, especially now."
He said and he seamed glad to have something he could do to help.

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin chuckled, "Well, knowing our way around the stove does run in my family, but what flavour of cookie one favours is, and will always be, a matter of taste."

"Well that is a good skill to have Mr Wainwright."
The Paradox Spirit agreed.
"And yes we all have individual tastes but these cookies really are quite delicious."

He smiled thinly, "Much like the Oracles, restricted to warning and guidance at the most... unless a correction is unavoidable, correct?"

"Yes very much so. I am a guardian of the Consensus, I can not overstep my role as such."
Wrinkle agreed with a nod.

He frowned as he poured Adley's tea, bringing the steaming cup over to the table and sitting back down with his own, "That option brings an added risk of a Paradox; crossing into your own timeline and meeting yourself seems like an unpalatable risk. Though there are situations where I might consider that risk worth it under the circumstances... it might be safer to not be seen by your past selves."

"It will risk Paradox yes and I can not condone that but it will be less of disturbance than if Mr Roth Hicks and Miss Bouchard dies in the past, even so not contaminating the timeline is preferable, that is includes letting past selves know future information."
The old man said and he gave you a meaningful look.
"I mean we know no one who is in the habit of doing that do we."
He said and he raised an eyebrow and sipped his tea again.

He smiled, "Come in, Sweetie, here are cookies. It's safe, he's here because the timeline, and we, are under attack, and you might be able to... annoy the Chronomancer who's doing it while we mount a counterattack. Plus, we're having tea and cookies, and those are best enjoyed in peace, right?"

Anna carefully stepped into the apartment.
"I can try my best dad."
She muttered and she looked at Adley and gave him a friendly look then she looked at Wrinkle nervously.
"Ehm...yeah...cookies good..."
She managed the young Orphan looking rather terrified.

He turned to Wrinkle, "My daughter, Anna, but I suppose you already know you'll get to know her, too, hmm?"

"Indeed I have seen the young lady...many times in the river of time."
Wrinkle said and he stood again his old bones creaking.
"Come, come little one, right now you have nothing to fear from me."
The Paradox Spirit said and Anna swallowed hard and curtsy.
"H...how do you do Sir, nice to meet you I am Anna Wainwright."
She said and Wrinkle chuckle.
"So polite...so polite good good...and you may call me Wrinkle...now please sit, we will one day frustrate one another terribly but today is not that day child."
He said as Anna sat down at the edge of a chair nervously.

I'm a bit out of my own depth. Well, my mom called and said that she saw my /tombstone/ and all my pictures from after that were gone, and of course she freaked out and called me and convinced herself someone was playing a joke on her." He shook his head. "I tried to ask her what the date on it was but it was almost as if she couldn't quite know? She said it was before college though, so before I was awakened. What a cheap shot!" he added with a scowl.

"The Fallen is quite known for employing cheap shots Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle said with a slight chuckle.
"But yes I felt the Paradox the Chronomancer got from your mother's reaction to the change in the timeline..."

"Oh, erm, of course," he said, a bit relieved that he wasn't there as punishment directly for them or Colin, at least. "Thank you sir." The look the spirit gave him was unnerving to say the least, as if the spirit could see something wrong with him as clearly as dandruff on a dark coat.

The Paradox Spirit kept his eyes on you for a while longer then he went back to sipping his tea.

Yes, sir," he said to Wrinkle as he told him to sit. Sitting was about the last thing he wanted to do while he felt so antsy, but he dutifully sat down at the table and tried not to be overwhelmed by Wrinkle. It would be rude. "I guess that the problem is we might make things more tangled up trying to fix it right?"

"Yes there is a danger of that and that must be avoided."
Wrinkle replied simply.
"And still doing nothing ensure the timeline will be disturbed.

He glanced up at Colin as a cup was put in front of him and reached out to add sugar and cream. "Okay, so if it can't be us, you need us to know 'when'..." He nodded. "I mean, do you need to bring Nicole out of the fight? I'm worried that's exactly what they want to happen so that the fight goes poorly, as well as a whole bunch of retrograde things happen too. You could use me to find out the when, if it's the same time for both of us? Or is it different times?" He occupied himself with making tea, trying to settle himself and utterly failing.

"I can say as much that it is the same time for the both of you, it is one disturbance, so it must be a time when you where both together in the same location."
The Paradox Spirit said.
"Further advice on what actions to take I am not allowed to give."

He looked up as Anna entered, and nodded to her. Tea and cookies with a paradox spirit, he was attempting to seem casual as he could but the presence of the spirit was unnerving.

Anna looked just as nervous as you did as she gave you a polite nod and sat down.
"Hi Mr Roth Hicks."
She muttered but she constantly glanced fearfully at the old man just a few feet away.
"Ehm...good evening."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Abandoned Hospital]

Anja's Post:

After making sure the man had precious little chance of escaping, Nicole shut the door and walked over to the group. 'Okay; your turn, same drill.'

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"Well that is a good skill to have Mr Wainwright."
The Paradox Spirit agreed.
"And yes we all have individual tastes but these cookies really are quite delicious."

Colin grinned, "And it is even better now that I've found suppliers on Horizon for some of the extinct ingredients in the old cookbooks... Pity I can't simply reintroduce them on Earth without some impractical questions being asked. Well... I suppose a chance rediscovery could yet be carefully arranged, in some long-forgotten monastery garden or something like that..."

"It is? Well, perhaps not something I need to know, right now though..."

He smiled thinly, "They're off to save the doctor, remember?"

"I'm a bit out of my own depth. Well, my mom called and said that she saw my /tombstone/ and all my pictures from after that were gone, and of course she freaked out and called me and convinced herself someone was playing a joke on her." He shook his head. "I tried to ask her what the date on it was but it was almost as if she couldn't quite know? She said it was before college though, so before I was awakened. What a cheap shot!" he added with a scowl.

"The Fallen is quite known for employing cheap shots Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle said with a slight chuckle.
"But yes I felt the Paradox the Chronomancer got from your mother's reaction to the change in the timeline..."

He smiled wryly, "Let us all take that as an object lesson in responsible Chronomancy - drastically changing past events is going to hurt a lot more than, say, creating a stable loop... not that that's not going to sting, either... Hum, so if we managed to get more people who know them to look up the fates of my Cabalmates, we could disrupt the Nephandus' peace and quiet?"

"It will risk Paradox yes and I can not condone that but it will be less of disturbance than if Mr Roth Hicks and Miss Bouchard dies in the past, even so not contaminating the timeline is preferable, that is includes letting past selves know future information."
The old man said and he gave you a meaningful look.
"I mean we know no one who is in the habit of doing that do we."
He said and he raised an eyebrow and sipped his tea again.

Colin carefully adopted an innocent expression, "I can say quite sincerely that no-one around this table has sent information to the past yet... Though in the future, I'm sure someone will reach the conclusion that the price that must be paid is well worth making sure we not only keep the river of time flowing, but make a few minor improvements in the flow... Though that discussion is surely one we'll return to... on a few occasions."

"Yes, sir," he said to Wrinkle as he told him to sit. Sitting was about the last thing he wanted to do while he felt so antsy, but he dutifully sat down at the table and tried not to be overwhelmed by Wrinkle. It would be rude. "I guess that the problem is we might make things more tangled up trying to fix it right?"

"Yes there is a danger of that and that must be avoided."
Wrinkle replied simply.
"And still doing nothing ensure the timeline will be disturbed.

He smiled wryly, "First things first, see if we can unravel the Nephandus' working, or at least slow it down... If we can stop it at the source, the disruption should be reduced to something near a minimum, should it not?"

He glanced up at Colin as a cup was put in front of him and reached out to add sugar and cream. "Okay, so if it can't be us, you need us to know 'when'..." He nodded. "I mean, do you need to bring Nicole out of the fight? I'm worried that's exactly what they want to happen so that the fight goes poorly, as well as a whole bunch of retrograde things happen too. You could use me to find out the when, if it's the same time for both of us? Or is it different times?" He occupied himself with making tea, trying to settle himself and utterly failing.

"I can say as much that it is the same time for the both of you, it is one disturbance, so it must be a time when you where both together in the same location."
The Paradox Spirit said.
"Further advice on what actions to take I am not allowed to give."

He hesitated, "If we were to look up old obituaries on the internet, would that make the ripples in time hit us sooner? Locating the altered records should not necessarily be the greatest of problems, as such, but, well... there's the issue with the weight of observed events..."

Anna carefully stepped into the apartment.
"I can try my best dad."
She muttered and she looked at Adley and gave him a friendly look then she looked at Wrinkle nervously.
"Ehm...yeah...cookies good..."
She managed the young Orphan looking rather terrified.

He looked up as Anna entered, and nodded to her. Tea and cookies with a paradox spirit, he was attempting to seem casual as he could but the presence of the spirit was unnerving.

Anna looked just as nervous as you did as she gave you a polite nod and sat down.
"Hi Mr Roth Hicks."
She muttered but she constantly glanced fearfully at the old man just a few feet away.
"Ehm...good evening."

He gave Adley a look, and a quiet nod; the worried glint in Adley's eyes was quite clearly reflected in Colin's, though the source of concern might not be the exactly same... Still, put on a brave face under the circumstances.

"Indeed I have seen the young lady...many times in the river of time."
Wrinkle said and he stood again his old bones creaking.
"Come, come little one, right now you have nothing to fear from me."
The Paradox Spirit said and Anna swallowed hard and curtsy.
"H...how do you do Sir, nice to meet you I am Anna Wainwright."
She said and Wrinkle chuckle.
"So polite...so polite good good...and you may call me Wrinkle...now please sit, we will one day frustrate one another terribly but today is not that day child."
He said as Anna sat down at the edge of a chair nervously.

He grinned, "Courage, Sweetie. Now, here's my first idea, we work together to look for the disruptive, artificial timeline that's being woven around Adley and Nicole - it should not be too hard to spot, I think. Next, Anna, I want you to concentrate on it, and annoy and hamper the Chronomancer to your heart's content. I don't think you'll necessarily be able to stop him, but right now, it's a question of buying time until Nicole comes back, and we can try something a little more decisive together."
He looked over at Adley, "Unfortunately, I don't think the little stunt we pulled at the Mercere Chantry would be a good idea; we'd risk creating too many potential timelines coexisting instead of preventing the false one from being superimposed on the one we know."

[Adley]

[Narmi's rooms]

"Very well then I will start enchanting those bullets and you can pick them up shortly my friend."
Adjan said with a nod.
"It can not hurt to have a bit more luck, especially now."

"Thanks...."

[Casa Wainwright]

He smiled thinly, "They're off to save the doctor, remember?"

"Ah, right. Too much going on..."

"It will risk Paradox yes and I can not condone that but it will be less of disturbance than if Mr Roth Hicks and Miss Bouchard dies in the past, even so not contaminating the timeline is preferable, that is includes letting past selves know future information."
The old man said and he gave you a meaningful look.
"I mean we know no one who is in the habit of doing that do we."
He said and he raised an eyebrow and sipped his tea again.

Colin carefully adopted an innocent expression, "I can say quite sincerely that no-one around this table has sent information to the past yet... Though in the future, I'm sure someone will reach the conclusion that the price that must be paid is well worth making sure we not only keep the river of time flowing, but make a few minor improvements in the flow... Though that discussion is surely one we'll return to... on a few occasions."

He looked at Colin and shook his head. Then after an awkward pause, he said, "Well...let me know what I can do to help then...without making it worse."

"The Fallen is quite known for employing cheap shots Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle said with a slight chuckle.
"But yes I felt the Paradox the Chronomancer got from your mother's reaction to the change in the timeline...

He smiled wryly, "Let us all take that as an object lesson in responsible Chronomancy - drastically changing past events is going to hurt a lot more than, say, creating a stable loop... not that that's not going to sting, either... Hum, so if we managed to get more people who know them to look up the fates of my Cabalmates, we could disrupt the Nephandus' peace and quiet?"

"Maybe it's an act of desperation. Not that the motive at this point is going to help any..."

"I can say as much that it is the same time for the both of you, it is one disturbance, so it must be a time when you where both together in the same location."
The Paradox Spirit said.
"Further advice on what actions to take I am not allowed to give."

He hesitated, "If we were to look up old obituaries on the internet, would that make the ripples in time hit us sooner? Locating the altered records should not necessarily be the greatest of problems, as such, but, well... there's the issue with the weight of observed events..."

He frowned. "What if it made it worse? Because we know what's going on? My mom didn't, so she didn't believe it was possible...but we do."

He smiled wryly, "First things first, see if we can unravel the Nephandus' working, or at least slow it down... If we can stop it at the source, the disruption should be reduced to something near a minimum, should it not?"

"Yeah, I'd rather not die in my own past..."

Anna carefully stepped into the apartment.
"I can try my best dad."
She muttered and she looked at Adley and gave him a friendly look then she looked at Wrinkle nervously.
"Ehm...yeah...cookies good..."
She managed the young Orphan looking rather terrified.

He gave Anna a sympathetic look and pushed the plate of cookies over.

He grinned, "Courage, Sweetie. Now, here's my first idea, we work together to look for the disruptive, artificial timeline that's being woven around Adley and Nicole - it should not be too hard to spot, I think. Next, Anna, I want you to concentrate on it, and annoy and hamper the Chronomancer to your heart's content. I don't think you'll necessarily be able to stop him, but right now, it's a question of buying time until Nicole comes back, and we can try something a little more decisive together."
He looked over at Adley, "Unfortunately, I don't think the little stunt we pulled at the Mercere Chantry would be a good idea; we'd risk creating too many potential timelines coexisting instead of preventing the false one from being superimposed on the one we know."

"I don't think that would work either, and even if it might I really don't understand time magick at all so it would have to be someone else. But it makes sense that this possibility they're trying to force needs to be nipped in the bud. Our Euthanatos friend suggests the best course of action is to take out the chronomancer. But it would be pretty hard to find someone who can hide whenever or act in whatever now they want...we should get some help with this."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Abandoned Hospital]

After making sure the man had precious little chance of escaping, Nicole shut the door and walked over to the group. 'Okay; your turn, same drill.'

The woman did not reply but she came out, her hands over her head, she was a short woman with short, light brown hair, pale skin and brown eyes, she was wearing jeans and a band tshirt and she gave you and the rest a nervous look as she left the room she had been hiding in.

[Narmi's rooms]

"Thanks...."

"No problem at all I am just glad to be able to help in some way."
Adjan said honestly.

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin grinned, "And it is even better now that I've found suppliers on Horizon for some of the extinct ingredients in the old cookbooks... Pity I can't simply reintroduce them on Earth without some impractical questions being asked. Well... I suppose a chance rediscovery could yet be carefully arranged, in some long-forgotten monastery garden or something like that..."

"Just be careful how this will affect reality."
The Paradox Spirit replied sternly.

He smiled wryly, "Let us all take that as an object lesson in responsible Chronomancy - drastically changing past events is going to hurt a lot more than, say, creating a stable loop... not that that's not going to sting, either... Hum, so if we managed to get more people who know them to look up the fates of my Cabalmates, we could disrupt the Nephandus' peace and quiet?"

"It is possible yes."
The Paradox Spirit said, careful about what advice he was giving out.

Colin carefully adopted an innocent expression, "I can say quite sincerely that no-one around this table has sent information to the past yet... Though in the future, I'm sure someone will reach the conclusion that the price that must be paid is well worth making sure we not only keep the river of time flowing, but make a few minor improvements in the flow... Though that discussion is surely one we'll return to... on a few occasions."

The spirit just looked at you.
"And I am quite sure some of these wrinkles are due to you Mr Wainwright, but be that as it may I am not here for you right now but to try to prevent further harm to the river of time."

He smiled wryly, "First things first, see if we can unravel the Nephandus' working, or at least slow it down... If we can stop it at the source, the disruption should be reduced to something near a minimum, should it not?"

"Yes if the Nephandus can be stopped that should prevent any disruption at all, it is not enough to just slow him down though he will need to be stopped."
Wrinkle replied.

He hesitated, "If we were to look up old obituaries on the internet, would that make the ripples in time hit us sooner? Locating the altered records should not necessarily be the greatest of problems, as such, but, well... there's the issue with the weight of observed events..."

"You are not sleepers so no seeking out this information should not make the ripples hit you sooner."
The Paradox Spirit replied.

He grinned, "Courage, Sweetie. Now, here's my first idea, we work together to look for the disruptive, artificial timeline that's being woven around Adley and Nicole - it should not be too hard to spot, I think. Next, Anna, I want you to concentrate on it, and annoy and hamper the Chronomancer to your heart's content. I don't think you'll necessarily be able to stop him, but right now, it's a question of buying time until Nicole comes back, and we can try something a little more decisive together."

"I am trying to be brave dad."
Anna said nervously before she took a cookie.
"But yeah I can do that I have my new Wave of Anoyance rote it is designed to do just that, slow down a working, not stop it outright but slow it down, I can try that if you give me a target."
The little girl agreed.

"Maybe it's an act of desperation. Not that the motive at this point is going to help any..."

"The Fallen Chronomancer's motivations are not my forte Mr Roth Hicks and like you said it is rather unimportant at the moment."
Wrinkle said with a nod.

He frowned. "What if it made it worse? Because we know what's going on? My mom didn't, so she didn't believe it was possible...but we do."

"You are not sleepers so looking up this information will not make it worse Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle assured you.

He gave Anna a sympathetic look and pushed the plate of cookies over.

Anna took a cookie with a look of thanks in her eyes she still looked rather terrified though.

"I don't think that would work either, and even if it might I really don't understand time magick at all so it would have to be someone else. But it makes sense that this possibility they're trying to force needs to be nipped in the bud. Our Euthanatos friend suggests the best course of action is to take out the chronomancer. But it would be pretty hard to find someone who can hide whenever or act in whatever now they want...we should get some help with this."

"Well that would be the Euthanathos way to solve a problem."
Anna said as she nibble on her cookie.
"All I have heard is that this Chronomancer is part of the Labyrinth and that he really don't like cats, but that do not help us find him, to bad we don't know where he is if we did Mr Yager could just make him think he was in a Cat Cafe or something, I am sure that would trip his spellcasting up...phobias can be really annoying."
The young Orphan commented.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Kyle's Room]

"Yeah animal characters was in allot of 90's and 80's cartoons, and before that as well really."
Kyle agreed.
"For me I have a connection to many of those characters as I grew up watching the shows but I never really had a deep connection to the concept itself if that makes sense."

"I get you. They were usually the only company I had around, so they hold a special place in my heart. And being an artist I have to learn about what make these sorts of character concepts tick. What about them attracts us. These types of characters and all others." Serge said with a nod.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Kyle's Room]

"Well I guess that we do not all the time Sir, humanizing animals I guess, it makes us feel less alone but when we talk to our cats and dogs and imagine they have human responses."
Stephen replied and Kyle nodded.
"Yeah that is possible...also some of the forms of wer creatures are rather like the half human half animal creatures in cartoons, like the war from of the werewolf that Mr Wainwright showed us a picture of."
The young Hermetic replied as he played the game in the background.

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"Just be careful how this will affect reality."
The Paradox Spirit replied sternly.

Colin nodded, "As I said, it would have to be a chance rediscovery, somewhere people wouldn't have searched thoroughly in a long time. And that sort of thing is not entirely unprecedented, either; why, only this year, there was a bird found in... er... one of the South East Asian countries, I think; it had been thought extinct for decades. Someone accidentally rediscovering a plant somewhere it would likely have been present historically is not far-fetched. I would want to avoid the personal attention, though."

"It is possible yes."
The Paradox Spirit said, careful about what advice he was giving out.

He nodded, "Well, there's something..."

He looked at Colin and shook his head. Then after an awkward pause, he said, "Well...let me know what I can do to help then...without making it worse."

He smiled wryly, "Work in progress. Though I don't think 'making it worse' is a realistic outcome, in context."

The spirit just looked at you.
"And I am quite sure some of these wrinkles are due to you Mr Wainwright, but be that as it may I am not here for you right now but to try to prevent further harm to the river of time."

He nodded, "I'd prefer, as I grow in power, to avoid harm to the river of time, as well. Or at least, cause the minimum possible, and mend what can be mended."

"Yes if the Nephandus can be stopped that should prevent any disruption at all, it is not enough to just slow him down though he will need to be stopped."
Wrinkle replied.

"Yeah, I'd rather not die in my own past..."

He nodded, "If we can stop it from here, right now, that would be best, but I would not want to create false expectations, either; impeding things may well be the best we can do as of yet."

"You are not sleepers so no seeking out this information should not make the ripples hit you sooner."
The Paradox Spirit replied.

He frowned. "What if it made it worse? Because we know what's going on? My mom didn't, so she didn't believe it was possible...but we do."

"You are not sleepers so looking up this information will not make it worse Mr Roth Hicks."
Wrinkle assured you.

He nodded, "And on the flip side of that, us looking it up won't hammer the bastard with more Paradox, either..."

"I am trying to be brave dad."
Anna said nervously before she took a cookie.
"But yeah I can do that I have my new Wave of Anoyance rote it is designed to do just that, slow down a working, not stop it outright but slow it down, I can try that if you give me a target."
The little girl agreed.

He nodded, "Good, that's another step in the right direction."
He glanced at Wrinkle, "Your presence... won't hamper her work in that regard, will it?"

"I don't think that would work either, and even if it might I really don't understand time magick at all so it would have to be someone else. But it makes sense that this possibility they're trying to force needs to be nipped in the bud. Our Euthanatos friend suggests the best course of action is to take out the chronomancer. But it would be pretty hard to find someone who can hide whenever or act in whatever now they want...we should get some help with this."

"Well that would be the Euthanathos way to solve a problem."
Anna said as she nibble on her cookie.
"All I have heard is that this Chronomancer is part of the Labyrinth and that he really don't like cats, but that do not help us find him, to bad we don't know where he is if we did Mr Yager could just make him think he was in a Cat Cafe or something, I am sure that would trip his spellcasting up...phobias can be really annoying."
The young Orphan commented.

He smiled wryly, "Well, he's not wrong about that, but until we get to raid the Labyrinth, he's going to be a bit outside our reach, meaning we have to work fast to hamper him before we can go in for the decisive blow."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin nodded, "As I said, it would have to be a chance rediscovery, somewhere people wouldn't have searched thoroughly in a long time. And that sort of thing is not entirely unprecedented, either; why, only this year, there was a bird found in... er... one of the South East Asian countries, I think; it had been thought extinct for decades. Someone accidentally rediscovering a plant somewhere it would likely have been present historically is not far-fetched. I would want to avoid the personal attention, though."

"I can not dictate what you should or should not do Mr Wainwright if you try then you will discover soon enough if the Consensus will agree with your ploy."
Wrinkle replied.
"Let us just hope it do not end with us having to have a less...polite conversation."
He warned darkly.

He nodded, "I'd prefer, as I grow in power, to avoid harm to the river of time, as well. Or at least, cause the minimum possible, and mend what can be mended."

"Yes well unfortunately damage are done to the river of time by your actions non the less."
The Paradox Spirit replied darkly.

He nodded, "If we can stop it from here, right now, that would be best, but I would not want to create false expectations, either; impeding things may well be the best we can do as of yet."

"I agree my good man if this miscreant can be stopped in the present then that is preferable, but I have my doubts that it is be an effective strategy to rely on."
Wrinkle replied.

He nodded, "And on the flip side of that, us looking it up won't hammer the bastard with more Paradox, either..."

"Unfortunately that is so Mr Wainwright."
The spirit agreed.

He nodded, "Good, that's another step in the right direction."
He glanced at Wrinkle, "Your presence... won't hamper her work in that regard, will it?"

"I hope so dad, I will do what I can at least."
Anna said as she ate a bit of the cookie.
"I am not sure, I am rather Static by nature."
Wrinkle replied.
"But once my warning are delivered I am not planning on staying for long."

He smiled wryly, "Well, he's not wrong about that, but until we get to raid the Labyrinth, he's going to be a bit outside our reach, meaning we have to work fast to hamper him before we can go in for the decisive blow."

"Did you want me to try to cast my Wave of Annoyance now dad?"
Anna asked.
"What do I even aim for?"

(OOC: And now to hopefully kill my friends in MtG. )

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Abandoned Hospital]

Anja's Post:

'Welcome to my fucking hill.' Nicole replied, looking at her with a demeanor which made it clear she was poised to tackle her to the ground on the first sign of any funny business. 'Assume the position by the wall so you can be searched.'

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Abandoned Hospital]

The Nephanda looked at you for a moment then she nodded and turned around to put her hands against the wall.
"As you wish."
She said, it was clear she was cooperating but she did not look very scared of you.
"Do you want me to send my bugs away first?"
She offered.
"They will eventually leave on their own if they are not given new orders but if they bother you I can speed things up."

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