Daggers in the Dark, Two Suns and New Friends IC Thread 58

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

(OOC: Colin and Serge and Nicole have just arrived at Jeffry's townhouse with Beatrice. Tragedy and Meridian are at the Verbena clinic ready to be discharged after a week of rest. Happy gaming all.)

Tragedy and Meridian you find yourself in a light filled dining room of a small clinic run by Verbena and some Choristers. The dining room is full of plants and dishes made of plants, herbs and fruit are laid out for the patients and staff, the clinic did not believe those who treated and those who received treatment should be separated where they ate. Tragedy you in particular have needed the week of rest offered by this clinic, after the fight to try to save your doomed Chantry you where full of Paradox and needed to have it flushed out of your Avatar or risk a fatal backlash, luckily nothing had to be cut out but the flushing still hurt like hell. Meridian you two have needed rest, while you was not as wounded as Tragedy loosing your friends and Chantry have been quite traumatic.

After the pair of you gave testimony to the Security Council of what had happened the Council paid for a week stay at the Verbena clinic. Here you have received healing both magical and mroe mundane holistic medicine, the Verbena and Choristers who work here do not really separate the two. You have gotten quality food, had access to meditation chambers, therapists and peace and quiet but now the week is at an end.

The two of you have been told that transportation back to earth have been arranged, and as you sit there eating breakfast a tall, slender man are shown into the large dining room. The man had sand colored hair in a long ponytail and he was wearing a linen tunic of pale green, a Verbena emblem carved from wood hung around his neck and a dagger and a sickle was worn at the belt of his washed out jeans. On his feet he had green socks and sandals, in short he looked like a old hippie.

Tragedy you knew this man, Amadeus Nassa you had studied with him a few years ago, later there had been some problems with his student Beatrice and he had moved to Boston where he became the leader of the local Verbena Coven.

Amadeus swept into the room he gave Tragedy a warm smile and put a long fingered hand on her shoulder.
"Child how are you doing, I am terribly sorry to hear about your Chantry and your Cabal."
He said, whatever or not the old mage was upset that the new Spring Chantry ahd been formed without the knowledge or consent of Boston's five established Chantries he did not let it show and he seamed to be genuinely sad for your loss. After a moment the old Verbena turned to Meridian and gave a deep bow.
"My dear I am Amadeus Nassa bani Verbena Deacon of Chantry Steelhaven Hall at your service. I have been asked to get the two of you back to Boston, and my party do indeed have a shuttle but I fear it might take a few days, I do have access to a place you can stay in the meantime though if that is of interest to you."

[Meridia Porter]

[The Verbena Clinic]

Meridia was still quite solemn despite the week of recovery and rest. Even if her body and pattern had been restored, not everything was so quickly healed. Tragedy would notice that despite the attention given, Meridia's hair was much messier than she liked to keep it usually. Whatever clothes had been provided would have visible creases around the sleeves in particular.

Her aura was looking stronger than it had when she first came in, very slowly returning to the soft blues that usually danced about her. The environment and support had been enough to help her partially, but her heart still ached at the loss that had struck so suddenly. The meditations helped, but fundamentally she just wasn't used to pain like this, not when she had only just started to feel truly safe at home.

"My dear I am Amadeus Nassa bani Verbena Deacon of Chantry Steelhaven Hall at your service. I have been asked to get the two of you back to Boston, and my party do indeed have a shuttle but I fear it might take a few days, I do have access to a place you can stay in the meantime though if that is of interest to you."

Forcing a polite smile, she inclines her head respectfully toward Amadeus, bringing her hands together in a generic sign of goodwill.

"Your kindness is very appreciated, Deacon Nassa. I'm eager to get back and see if there is anything to be salvaged at all after everything has been cleared out."

Her mind wanders before she catches herself.

"I should properly introduce myself! Meridia Porter, of the Sp-" Meridia stops completely in her tracks, then clears her throat.

"Meridia Porter," she starts again with only a slight waver in her voice, "It is an honour to meet you at last. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

[Warpmind]

[The Morgan House]

"Certainly Sir, I would off course expect extra pay for an extra trip. If you mean the prison under Horizon Chantry that should not be a problem, if you mean the Cultist ehm Dungeon I know where that is as well."
The driver said with a wry smile as Beatrice got out of the wagon and unlocked the door as she waited for the others to get in.

Colin nodded, "I mean the main Horizon Chantry prison, though we might visit the Cultists later. And of course you'll be paid, I meant if there's a meter running while we unload, like with Earthside taxis."

"Sure thing." Serge said getting out of the Carriage and going to help his cabal leader with his suitcase. "So this is the house we're staying at? And I assume that's the forbidden workshop back there Master Morgan didn't want us entering."

"Yes that was the workshop of Master Morgan's mother I believe. From the look if it the place look like it would have three hundred years ago he probably don't want anyone messing with his mother's things."
Beatrice said.
"Do you need any help with the luggage, I might not be at my best but I could carry something."

He nodded to Serge, "This is the house - and 'forbidden' is perhaps not the most appropriate term. It's private, though, and we should respect that. Hum..."
He made sure his luggage was stowed inside, and opened the briefcase to take out what looked like a small bag of candy, and stuck it in a pocket, "Alright... Nick, Let's get the crate inside, and then head off to see Kallan?"

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Concordia, Docks]

Colin's Post:

'Won't be for awhile, mind. Last I heard was that the none of the EOIs were accepted.' she replied, moving to start hauling the cargo onto the roof, which made sense due the fact she was tallest.

[Concordia]

Colin's Post:

'Course I have. Travelled across the States, me.' she replied, continuing to look out of the window. 'Just...' ending with an exasperated sigh, as though she simply couldn't find the words to sum up what she was feeling.

[Concordia, Morgan House]

Anja's Post:

Nicole got out of the coach with almost exaggerated caution, then looked around. Trying to get her bearings while seeing if the rest of their party had arrived yet.

Colin's Post:

A look to Colin here, wondering if she was going to be the other party for this dungeon-trip.

Anja's Post:

'Just stack it all on the side...' looking for a piece of concrete or something flat and not dirty to put the gear on. 'No point lugging until we find out where the stuff goes...'

Colin's Post:

'Well, I've got to be at...' she started, instinctively pulling out her cell to check the time. 'Wait. What is the time here?'

[Welcome, Meridia! RP tips; a) tagging the scene helps ID where PCs are, so we all know what our PC can or cannot see etc. b) quoting what you're replying to helps as sometimes the original post may be some way back, or occasionally on another page.]

[It seems I did, Warp. *blushes*. Let's handwave that bit that she was too busy unloading to notice it.]

[A chance to see if Concordia has cell coverage, and if so, how much smartphone operability.]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Verbena Clinic]

Meridia was still quite solemn despite the week of recovery and rest. Even if her body and pattern had been restored, not everything was so quickly healed. Tragedy would notice that despite the attention given, Meridia's hair was much messier than she liked to keep it usually. Whatever clothes had been provided would have visible creases around the sleeves in particular.

Her aura was looking stronger than it had when she first came in, very slowly returning to the soft blues that usually danced about her. The environment and support had been enough to help her partially, but her heart still ached at the loss that had struck so suddenly. The meditations helped, but fundamentally she just wasn't used to pain like this, not when she had only just started to feel truly safe at home.

You had both been provided a nice outfit for when you testified before the Security Outfit and two sets of clean clothes, the styles would be to your taste, one of the mages who brought you to Horizon used some old bits of paper and some dust from the floor to create clothes to your specifications, re shaping the material and shape of the materials.

Forcing a polite smile, she inclines her head respectfully toward Amadeus, bringing her hands together in a generic sign of goodwill.

"Your kindness is very appreciated, Deacon Nassa. I'm eager to get back and see if there is anything to be salvaged at all after everything has been cleared out."

Her mind wanders before she catches herself.

"Last I heard the Senior Enforcer Vittoria D'Angelo Hermes bani Guernicus of Lux Iternis was handling the investigation."
Amadeus said, his gray eyes darkening when he mentioned the Enforcer.
"However unannounced as your Chantry may be it's resources should belong to you and Tragedy."

"I should properly introduce myself! Meridia Porter, of the Sp-" Meridia stops completely in her tracks, then clears her throat.

"Meridia Porter," she starts again with only a slight waver in her voice, "It is an honour to meet you at last. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

Amadeus extended a long fingered hand towards Meridia.
"I am charmed Miss Porter, And yes I wish to that we had met under different circumstances. It is a tragedy what happened and unfortunately your misfortune do not stand alone, the Fallen have been far to active in Boston of late, we lost Raven from my Coven to a battle with them, and just on the way here our shuttle came under attack by a Nephanda, part of the reason why my group is here on Horizon is to try to bring more awareness to this problem."

[Jeffry's House]

Colin nodded, "I mean the main Horizon Chantry prison, though we might visit the Cultists later. And of course you'll be paid, I meant if there's a meter running while we unload, like with Earthside taxis."

"Well you have the Cultist villa and their Quarters at the Chantry but they also have a club in town."
The driver said with a chuckle.
"To Horizon Chantry then, I will wait...need any help with the bags while we wait?"

He nodded to Serge, "This is the house - and 'forbidden' is perhaps not the most appropriate term. It's private, though, and we should respect that. Hum..."
He made sure his luggage was stowed inside, and opened the briefcase to take out what looked like a small bag of candy, and stuck it in a pocket, "Alright... Nick, Let's get the crate inside, and then head off to see Kallan?"

The hallway into Master Morgan's house had three doors, all of them closed, the doors where blue but the hallway had the type of wood paneling popular in the 60's. Photographs and paintings hung in the hallway, some you recognized as Jeffry's students, but there where other people as well, among them a painting of a younger Jeffry standing among a group wearing fashions of several hundred years ago, perhaps this was his old Cabal. One of them where a Rebis, who's student had become a Etherite and made the shuttle.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Concordia]

Course I have. Travelled across the States, me.' she replied, continuing to look out of the window. 'Just...' ending with an exasperated sigh, as though she simply couldn't find the words to sum up what she was feeling.

A small dragon flew past the wagon sticking out it's tongue at Nicole, it was to young to be part of the mating dance that happened in the skies, it quickly veered of and vanished among the streets.

[Jeffry's House]

Nicole got out of the coach with almost exaggerated caution, then looked around. Trying to get her bearings while seeing if the rest of their party had arrived yet.

The rest did have things to do and probably would not be here for a while yet.

Just stack it all on the side...' looking for a piece of concrete or something flat and not dirty to put the gear on. 'No point lugging until we find out where the stuff goes...'

There was not much concrete here, there was a iron and wood bench outside of the house in the garden and then there was the floor right inside the front door in the hallway.

Well, I've got to be at...' she started, instinctively pulling out her cell to check the time. 'Wait. What is the time here?'

"It is 8 36 in in morning right now Ma'am."
The driver said. Your phone did detect a network though so it seamed you could use it.

(OOC: They do but not between Horizon and Earth.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Concordia, Docks]

"Yes certainly there is a large market for artifacts, talismans and wonders of all kinds but such things tend to be expensive was there something you wanted Serge?"
The young Verbena asked glancing over at Serge.

"I need some kind of shield. Some way to protect myself against hostile magick." Serge said. "Might've been able to actually help out against the Nephanda if I wasn't so afraid of dying in the process."

[Concordia]

"Yes that was the workshop of Master Morgan's mother I believe. From the look if it the place look like it would have three hundred years ago he probably don't want anyone messing with his mother's things."
Beatrice said.
"Do you need any help with the luggage, I might not be at my best but I could carry something."

He nodded to Serge, "This is the house - and 'forbidden' is perhaps not the most appropriate term. It's private, though, and we should respect that. Hum..."
He made sure his luggage was stowed inside, and opened the briefcase to take out what looked like a small bag of candy, and stuck it in a pocket, "Alright... Nick, Let's get the crate inside, and then head off to see Kallan?"

The hallway into Master Morgan's house had three doors, all of them closed, the doors where blue but the hallway had the type of wood paneling popular in the 60's. Photographs and paintings hung in the hallway, some you recognized as Jeffry's students, but there where other people as well, among them a painting of a younger Jeffry standing among a group wearing fashions of several hundred years ago, perhaps this was his old Cabal. One of them where a Rebis, who's student had become a Etherite and made the shuttle.

"Hey, so about the fact that we're parting ways." Serge said after helping get Colin's luggage into the house. "I know you've already alluded to it before, but we should all be a little more careful. Now that a certain colorful individual knows that we're to stop his plans, i wouldn't be surprised if he tries to deal with us individually."

[Meridia Porter]

[Verbena Clinic]

"Last I heard the Senior Enforcer Vittoria D'Angelo Hermes bani Guernicus of Lux Iternis was handling the investigation."

Amadeus said, his gray eyes darkening when he mentioned the Enforcer.

"However unannounced as your Chantry may be it's resources should belong to you and Tragedy."

Meridia tilts her head slightly in curiosity when Vittoria's name is mentioned, clearly some history she wasn't yet privvy to between the two.

"I can only apologise for our disregard to the standards you have. We were eager, reckless and inconsiderate. Things might have turned out differently if we hadn't just..." Meridia releases her thoughts with a sigh and tugs at the sleeves of her tunic sweater, further stretching the material.

"I just want to pick up a few keepsakes, so we have something. There's nothing much left for me there."

Amadeus extended a long fingered hand towards Meridia.

"I am charmed Miss Porter, And yes I wish to that we had met under different circumstances. It is a tragedy what happened and unfortunately your misfortune do not stand alone, the Fallen have been far to active in Boston of late, we lost Raven from my Coven to a battle with them, and just on the way here our shuttle came under attack by a Nephanda, part of the reason why my group is here on Horizon is to try to bring more awareness to this problem."

Meridia offers her hand almost shyly. Although she easily glides into most grips, she doesn't necessarily have a firm grasp of her own, at least she doesn't wince at the often customary squeeze. Just a few moments of contact would be enough for Meridia's primal infusion to brush over Amadeus' skin.

"I'm truly sorry for your own loss, I can't imagine how much chaos and damage these... People are causing." she is particularly wary of how her touch is received, trying to draw her hand back possibly a little too early to be completely polite.

"If there is anything I can do for you, anything that would help in your efforts, please let me know." Meridia turns her focus back to Tragedy, hoping she hasn't made too much of a show of herself so far in front of the Deacon already.

[Warpmind]

[Concordia, Docks]

'Won't be for awhile, mind. Last I heard was that the none of the EOIs were accepted.' she replied, moving to start hauling the cargo onto the roof, which made sense due the fact she was tallest.

Colin nodded thoughtfully, helping shift the crate from above, "Worth keeping in mind... can't afford it now, but you never know."

[Concordia]

'Course I have. Travelled across the States, me.' she replied, continuing to look out of the window. 'Just...' ending with an exasperated sigh, as though she simply couldn't find the words to sum up what she was feeling.

A small dragon flew past the wagon sticking out it's tongue at Nicole, it was to young to be part of the mating dance that happened in the skies, it quickly veered of and vanished among the streets.

He smiled thinly, "Yet you seem so put off by the local fauna. Even the mundane parts of it, like a perfectly ordinary horse."

[Concordia, Morgan House]

"Well you have the Cultist villa and their Quarters at the Chantry but they also have a club in town."
The driver said with a chuckle.
"To Horizon Chantry then, I will wait...need any help with the bags while we wait?"

He nodded to Nicole's crate, "Why, thank you, Miss Bouchard's crate of merchandise is a little unwieldy."

A look to Colin here, wondering if she was going to be the other party for this dungeon-trip.

He gave her a quick nod.

The hallway into Master Morgan's house had three doors, all of them closed, the doors where blue but the hallway had the type of wood paneling popular in the 60's. Photographs and paintings hung in the hallway, some you recognized as Jeffry's students, but there where other people as well, among them a painting of a younger Jeffry standing among a group wearing fashions of several hundred years ago, perhaps this was his old Cabal. One of them where a Rebis, who's student had become a Etherite and made the shuttle.

"Hey, so about the fact that we're parting ways." Serge said after helping get Colin's luggage into the house. "I know you've already alluded to it before, but we should all be a little more careful. Now that a certain colorful individual knows that we're to stop his plans, i wouldn't be surprised if he tries to deal with us individually."

He nodded, "Why don't you two kids familiarize yourselves with the house a bit, find vacant bedrooms, maybe put the kettle on... and you're right, I don't want Bee in particular to go out without a responsible adult present, and the same goes for you and myself. While I can take care of myself, the legal protections in November are, well... questionable."

'Well, I've got to be at...' she started, instinctively pulling out her cell to check the time. 'Wait. What is the time here?'

"It is 8 36 in in morning right now Ma'am."
The driver said. Your phone did detect a network though so it seamed you could use it.

He gave Nicole a wry grin, "I believe Master Nassa patched our phones into the Concordia network before we left, but don't try to phone home. Even if you get through, the roaming charges will bankrupt you harder than the American healthcare system."

[Tragedy]

[Verbena Clinic]

The past couple days Tragedy was feeling better, still suffering from migraines; it intensity was considerably less than the first days at the clinic.  It took two detox sessions, but she hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. She picked a strawberry from her bowl and bit into the berry, experiencing the sudden burst of the sweet juice.  Tragedy looked at Meridia, she’d been quiet since the incident and a little distant “After breakfast, would you like me to brush your hair out?” in a monotone pitch.  Trying to get her Chantry-sister engaged “Your aura seems to be returning but remember what happened the last time you were soft blue.  Kyle knocked a tray of greasy bacon on the floor and Trish slipped on it.  Spent the next four months on crutches.” with a wry smile only being slightly serious at the moment.

Tragedy looked up, seeing a familiar face approaching, the mage spoke with a slightly louder volume “May the Paradox blast me, what a welcomed sight”. She stood up to greet her former teacher “What a sight for sore eyes, Master you look like a trestle of Mandevilla” referring to the color of his tunic.  When the master got closer, Tragedy gave him a quick hug before realizing her usual doldrum facade was being exposed.

Amadeus put a long fingered hand on her shoulder. "Child how are you doing, I am terribly sorry to hear about your Chantry and your Cabal."

Tragedy frowned as she lowered her head in shame. Slightly louder than a whisper she replied “I’m feeling better master, but I failed you and my chantry.”

"I should properly introduce myself! Meridia Porter, of the Sp-"

The moment Meridia cut herself from presenting the name of the Chantry, was as blunt as the Megarians against Rome, covering war pigs with flammable oily pitch and sparking the flames to ravage what little confidence Tragedy clung to as she dealt with the shame of her failure.  

Meridia Porter," she starts again with only a slight waver in her voice, "It is an honor to meet you at last. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

Meridia completed her introduction, Tragedy was relieved that she already knew Deacon Nassa, she was afraid she wouldn’t have had the strength to provide a formal introduction after the painful reminder.  Every small detail seemed to be magnified when involving that battle.  

"I am charmed by Miss Porter, And yes I wish that we had met under different circumstances. Last I heard the Senior Enforcer Vittoria D'Angelo Hermes bani Guernicus of Lux Iternis was handling the investigation. However unannounced as your Chantry may be, its resources should belong to you and Tragedy. It is a tragedy what happened and unfortunately your misfortune do not stand alone, the Fallen have been far too active in Boston of late, we lost Raven from my Coven to a battle with them, and just on the way here our shuttle came under attack by a Nephanda, part of the reason why my group is here on Horizon is to try to bring more awareness to this problem."

"I can only apologize for our disregard to the standards you have. We were eager, reckless and inconsiderate. Things might have turned out differently if we hadn't just, I just want to pick up a few keepsakes, so we have something. There's nothing much left for me there."

Tragedy's eyes widened with Meridia's comment, but chose to wait before responding to it.

"I'm truly sorry for your own loss, I can't imagine how much chaos and damage these... People are causing.  If there is anything I can do for you, anything that would help in your efforts, please let me know."

Meridia turns her focus back to Tragedy, hoping she hasn't made too much of a show of herself so far in front of the Deacon already.

Softly with a broken tone in her voice “Thank you Master Amadeus for helping us out and bringing us home. We'll pick up the pieces and find a better location that doesn't step on any toes. The little time we've been together, I think we've made a connection and I don't want to lose that. However if youn chantry ever needs assistance the same offer applies as limited as our abilities would be.”

When Meridia and Tragedy found time to themselves, the Goth would return to the point of contention. "I don't say we were eager, reckless, or inconsiderate. You and I were the least experienced in the Chantry, Trish and Kyle had years more experience and they should have guided both of us in the protocol of creating a Chantry. Our failure was being gullible and naive." she paused for a moment attempting to regulate her emotions "We are also guilty of not asking enough or the right questions when they recruited us into this half-baked scheme."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Concordia]

Colin's Post:

'Last time I saw horses, they had 'tashed cops on top, who were trying to trample people or crack their skulls with big sticks.' the Etherite replied sharply.

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

Colin's Post:

'Eh, this is a fresh SIM. Only a couple have the number.' she replied, not looking up as she manually changed the time on the device. 'The meet-greet stage at TimeStop is at 12.30. As long as I'm back here in enough time to change and stuff...' giving a little nod, pocketing her cell and shedding her coat in what appeared to be one single movement.

'Suggest we put all the gear by that bench there, sort it out later.' she replied, moving over to the luggage rack on the coach. Rapidly started to pass the various items off it to whoever was there to take items, Beatrice being handed Nicole's soft rifle-case if she'd went over to assist. Once done, she had cheered up a little; the [for her] mild exertion helping her stretch out after the trip.

'We going now, then?' giving a frown to Colin, retrieving her coat.

[Nick was much more thinking of the phone apps and suchlike. And thought I'd move that scene on a little bit.]

[Welcome, Tragedy ! RP tips; a) tagging the scene helps ID where PCs are, so we all know what our PC can or cannot see etc. b) quoting what you're replying to helps as sometimes the original post may be some way back, or occasionally on another page.]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Concordia, Docks]

"I need some kind of shield. Some way to protect myself against hostile magick." Serge said. "Might've been able to actually help out against the Nephanda if I wasn't so afraid of dying in the process."

"Getting some magickal protection is not a bad idea. However it will not solve all your problems, I protected myself, so did Mr Wainwright, my Mentor and Master Morgan, that do not mean a hostile spell can not get through or that we where not scared, being effective in combat do not mean not being scared, I have been a few times I was terrified, what matters is being able to master that fear."
Beatrice said softly.

[Jeffry's house]

"Hey, so about the fact that we're parting ways." Serge said after helping get Colin's luggage into the house. "I know you've already alluded to it before, but we should all be a little more careful. Now that a certain colorful individual knows that we're to stop his plans, i wouldn't be surprised if he tries to deal with us individually."

"Very true so no one go anywhere alone just like Master Morgan said."
Beatrice agreed with a nod.
"We have to watch out for one another."

He nodded to Nicole's crate, "Why, thank you, Miss Bouchard's crate of merchandise is a little unwieldy."

The driver got down from his perch and helped out with the crate.

He nodded, "Why don't you two kids familiarize yourselves with the house a bit, find vacant bedrooms, maybe put the kettle on... and you're right, I don't want Bee in particular to go out without a responsible adult present, and the same goes for you and myself. While I can take care of myself, the legal protections in November are, well... questionable."

"I will put the tea on."
Beatrice said.
"I do not like the idea of you walking around in Concordia alone at this time though Colin, though I agree I certainly will not as there are many who is not happy that I am still a mage."

'Suggest we put all the gear by that bench there, sort it out later.' she replied, moving over to the luggage rack on the coach. Rapidly started to pass the various items off it to whoever was there to take items, Beatrice being handed Nicole's soft rifle-case if she'd went over to assist. Once done, she had cheered up a little; the [for her] mild exertion helping her stretch out after the trip.

'We going now, then?' giving a frown to Colin, retrieving her coat.

"Very well I will help keep an eye on things then until you return."
Beatrice said.
"I also doubt the spirits of the house will let anyone take anything from a guest at the estate."

[Verbena Clinic]

Meridia tilts her head slightly in curiosity when Vittoria's name is mentioned, clearly some history she wasn't yet privvy to between the two.

"I can only apologise for our disregard to the standards you have. We were eager, reckless and inconsiderate. Things might have turned out differently if we hadn't just..." Meridia releases her thoughts with a sigh and tugs at the sleeves of her tunic sweater, further stretching the material.

"I just want to pick up a few keepsakes, so we have something. There's nothing much left for me there."

"No child, this was not your fault, when tragedy happens there is always many could have, would have, should have but the one who caused this tragedy was the Nephandi, not any of you. I wish your young Chantry had gotten the chance to blossom, but it is best not to let your mind wander down those lines of what would have been different if you had made yourselves known to the rest of us, perhaps it would have been worse, it was not your fault."
Amadeus said softly.
"And I will make sure you get those keepsakes if I have to duel Master D'Angelo in the street to do so."
He promised and it sounded like the old Verbena would enjoy doing exactly that.

Meridia offers her hand almost shyly. Although she easily glides into most grips, she doesn't necessarily have a firm grasp of her own, at least she doesn't wince at the often customary squeeze. Just a few moments of contact would be enough for Meridia's primal infusion to brush over Amadeus' skin.

"I'm truly sorry for your own loss, I can't imagine how much chaos and damage these... People are causing." she is particularly wary of how her touch is received, trying to draw her hand back possibly a little too early to be completely polite.

"If there is anything I can do for you, anything that would help in your efforts, please let me know." Meridia turns her focus back to Tragedy, hoping she hasn't made too much of a show of herself so far in front of the Deacon already.

Amadeus clasped your hand and he did not seam to react much to your touch or if he did he hid it well, he let you draw your hand back when you wanted to. His hands was strong and you felt the many scars the blood witch had inflicted on himself with his rituals criss crossing his palms.
"Thank you. I wish we could pursue magick in peace and not in the middle of a never ending war."
He said bitterly then he sigh.
"Ah forgive me I intrude on your own grief, you are doing something already Miss Porter in testifying and in fact your description of one of your attackers...I was told a bit about what you had experienced by the Security Council, sound rather disturbingly close to the description of a Nephanda who attacked our ship as we traveled to Horizon."

Tragedy looked up, seeing a familiar face approaching, the mage spoke with a slightly louder volume “May the Paradox blast me, what a welcomed sight”. She stood up to greet her former teacher “What a sight for sore eyes, Master you look like a trestle of Mandevilla” referring to the color of his tunic. When the master got closer, Tragedy gave him a quick hug before realizing her usual doldrum facade was being exposed.

Amadeus returned the hug warmly, like many mages he treated his students like his children, the Order of Hermes even named them so referring to their students as filius or filia and their Mentor as pater or mater.
"It is good to see you kid."

Tragedy frowned as she lowered her head in shame. Slightly louder than a whisper she replied “I’m feeling better master, but I failed you and my chantry.”

"No kid the Nephandi are to blame not you, this is a tragedy and we will find the ones who did this and pay them back, if you feel you have failed anyone the decide that you will make it up to them by finding these bastards and ending them so they will not have the chance to do the same to anyone else, in fact we might have run into the same Nephanda who was one of your attackers and she will have to be found, if you feel up to it do you want to help?"

The moment Meridia cut herself from presenting the name of the Chantry, was as blunt as the Megarians against Rome, covering war pigs with flammable oily pitch and sparking the flames to ravage what little confidence Tragedy clung to as she dealt with the shame of her failure.

Meridia Porter," she starts again with only a slight waver in her voice, "It is an honor to meet you at last. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

Meridia completed her introduction, Tragedy was relieved that she already knew Deacon Nassa, she was afraid she wouldn’t have had the strength to provide a formal introduction after the painful reminder. Every small detail seemed to be magnified when involving that battle.

Softly with a broken tone in her voice “Thank you Master Amadeus for helping us out and bringing us home.”

"That I will help is a given you are my magickal child, however it might take a few days as a group from my Chantry are here on various business, if you need a place to stay though I am sure my Cabalmate Jeffry would not mind if I brought the two of you to where the rest of us are staying, then we will bring you back to Boston as soon as we can...also I am sure Beatrice would love to catch up with you."
The old Verbena said warmly.

(OOC: I suspect it was Master Sharaya and not Master Nassa fixing the phones. And well apps that neccesitate contact with earth will not work, so no google for example, or internet past the local nets, but things that function on their own that will work.)

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Concordia, Docks]

"Getting some magickal protection is not a bad idea. However it will not solve all your problems, I protected myself, so did Mr Wainwright, my Mentor and Master Morgan, that do not mean a hostile spell can not get through or that we where not scared, being effective in combat do not mean not being scared, I have been a few times I was terrified, what matters is being able to master that fear."
Beatrice said softly.

"I don't need to solve all my problems. I just need to solve two. Some way to get my magick past an opponents wards. And some way to to prevent magick getting to me. Then I could actually be of some help to my Cabal." Serge said, his eyes still on the page as he continued to draw. "I'd rather be scared while doing something useful rather scared and doing nothing helpful at all."

[Concordia, Morgan House]

He nodded, "Why don't you two kids familiarize yourselves with the house a bit, find vacant bedrooms, maybe put the kettle on... and you're right, I don't want Bee in particular to go out without a responsible adult present, and the same goes for you and myself. While I can take care of myself, the legal protections in November are, well... questionable."

"Before you leave. You should probably take this." Serge pulling out a piece of paper from his sketchbook and handing it over to his cabal leader.

The picture depicted the Nephanda they had recently fought, with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a band t shirt, walking amongst the ethereal backdrop of the Umbra. "A picture would probably help in case you want to ask about our recent assailant. More importantly, it allows me to teleport to your location at any time. In case you need me in a hurry. Or I need to get to you in a way a phone doesn't allow."

"Very true so no one go anywhere alone just like Master Morgan said."
Beatrice agreed with a nod.
"We have to watch out for one another."

"I will put the tea on."
Beatrice said.
"I do not like the idea of you walking around in Concordia alone at this time though Colin, though I agree I certainly will not as there are many who is not happy that I am still a mage."

"I'll go explore the house. There's probably lot more interesting things to see." Serge said, waving his cabalmates good bye and then entering into the house properly.

[Tragedy]

[Verbena Clinic]

No kid the Nephandi are to blame not you, this is a tragedy and we will find the ones who did this and pay them back, if you feel you have failed anyone the decide that you will make it up to them by finding these bastards and ending them so they will not have the chance to do the same to anyone else, in fact we might have run into the same Nephanda who was one of your attackers and she will have to be found, if you feel up to it do you want to help?"

"That I will help is a given you are my magical child, however it might take a few days as a group from my Chantry are here on various business, if you need a place to stay though I am sure my Cabal-mate Jeffry would not mind if I brought the two of you to where the rest of us are staying, then we will bring you back to Boston as soon as we can...also I am sure Beatrice would love to catch up with you."
The old Verbena said warmly.

Tragedy took in a breath, her mood lightened up when Amadeus comforted her and demonstrated his continued confidence in her. When he prosed whether she was willing to help in one of his projects, a slight smile broke through the dark and moody exterior "You bet your backside I want to help Master. Let me know what is needed of me. Staying with Master Jeffry and Beatrice is more than acceptable as long as we're not an inconvenience on them."

[Meridia Porter]

[Verbena Clinic]

Tragedy looked at Meridia, she’d been quiet since the incident and a little distant “After breakfast, would you like me to brush your hair out?” in a monotone pitch.  Trying to get her Chantry-sister engaged “Your aura seems to be returning but remember what happened the last time you were soft blue.  Kyle knocked a tray of greasy bacon on the floor and Trish slipped on it.  Spent the next four months on crutches.” with a wry smile only being slightly serious at the moment.

Meridia had run a hand through her hair absentmindedly at this comment, up to the point where her fingers caught slightly but were freed with a tug and a wince. "I think I might have been getting a bit too relaxed around here..." She seemed to react positively to that, manging a slight wry grin of her own even through the inherent pain that any memories brought right now. At the arrival of Amadeus, Meridia had perked up, taking on a new energy, seeming to stiffen slightly and become a little more distant once again.

"And I will make sure you get those keepsakes if I have to duel Master D'Angelo in the street to do so."He promised and it sounded like the old Verbena would enjoy doing exactly that.

"I appreciate that, truly."

"Ah forgive me I intrude on your own grief, you are doing something already Miss Porter in testifying and in fact your description of one of your attackers...I was told a bit about what you had experienced by the Security Council, sound rather disturbingly close to the description of a Nephanda who attacked our ship as we traveled to Horizon."

"Grief is easier to bear when shared. We all have too much weight on our shoulders these days, I know I've been wallowing in it enough lately." Meridia shrugs slightly, she is desperately trying to keep a straight face and not doing an amazing job of it.

"I just hope those statements can help deal with this, before anyone else gets hurt. And as wonderful as this place is, there are too many plates spinning right now for me to just languish here forever." She is thinking of all the preperations she had been making, and those who would be relying on her.

To Tragedy When Alone:

[Warpmind]

[Concordia]

'Last time I saw horses, they had 'tashed cops on top, who were trying to trample people or crack their skulls with big sticks.' the Etherite replied sharply.

Colin frowned, then nodded, "Ah, that's a rather... different context than most have to deal with. I understand."

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

"Very true so no one go anywhere alone just like Master Morgan said."
Beatrice agreed with a nod.
"We have to watch out for one another."

He nodded to Bee, "Which is why I'll bring Nicole."

"Before you leave. You should probably take this." Serge pulling out a piece of paper from his sketchbook and handing it over to his cabal leader.

The picture depicted the Nephanda they had recently fought, with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a band t shirt, walking amongst the ethereal backdrop of the Umbra. "A picture would probably help in case you want to ask about our recent assailant. More importantly, it allows me to teleport to your location at any time. In case you need me in a hurry. Or I need to get to you in a way a phone doesn't allow."

He accepted the picture and folded it up neatly in his inside pocket, "Thank you - I'll let you know if I need help. In a pinch, please call on your Grandmentor's muscle, rather than showing up alone, alright?"

"I will put the tea on."
Beatrice said.
"I do not like the idea of you walking around in Concordia alone at this time though Colin, though I agree I certainly will not as there are many who is not happy that I am still a mage."

"I'll go explore the house. There's probably lot more interesting things to see." Serge said, waving his cabalmates good bye and then entering into the house properly.

He nodded, "I'm not going alone, though - and I'll also keep my alarms at the ready."

'Eh, this is a fresh SIM. Only a couple have the number.' she replied, not looking up as she manually changed the time on the device. 'The meet-greet stage at TimeStop is at 12.30. As long as I'm back here in enough time to change and stuff...' giving a little nod, pocketing her cell and shedding her coat in what appeared to be one single movement.

'Suggest we put all the gear by that bench there, sort it out later.' she replied, moving over to the luggage rack on the coach. Rapidly started to pass the various items off it to whoever was there to take items, Beatrice being handed Nicole's soft rifle-case if she'd went over to assist. Once done, she had cheered up a little; the [for her] mild exertion helping her stretch out after the trip.

'We going now, then?' giving a frown to Colin, retrieving her coat.

"Very well I will help keep an eye on things then until you return."
Beatrice said.
"I also doubt the spirits of the house will let anyone take anything from a guest at the estate."

He nodded, "The spirits should be decent sentinels. And yes, Nick, we'll head out, best speed."

On the carriage ride, Colin quickly cast his Spider-Sense and checked on the strength of his Parma before they reached the prison.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Concordia]

Colin's Post:

'Though that was like, the first time I got a proper look at one. And smell.' she admitted. 'That skin looks way thinner than from far away.'

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

Colin's Post:

'You trust the kids at home alone, Pop?' she quipped sarcastically, with a little smirk.

Colin's Post:

Giving a little shrug, she climbed back into the coach. Once they were off again, she tried to settle into the seat. 'So, what's this trip about then?'

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Concordia, Docks]

I don't need to solve all my problems. I just need to solve two. Some way to get my magick past an opponents wards. And some way to to prevent magick getting to me. Then I could actually be of some help to my Cabal." Serge said, his eyes still on the page as he continued to draw. "I'd rather be scared while doing something useful rather scared and doing nothing helpful at all."

"I fear Searge that if you are waiting for those to things to happen perfectly then you will not be useful for a long while, that is really what magickal battles is about, protecting against the effects of others, and trying to get your own magick past their defenses, mages have been working on that for years. The entire Order of Hermes was based around a rote to do the former, you can find things that help, but still quite often you will find mages who brush of your magick as if it was nothing or who cut right through your defenses."
Beatrice said.
"All we can do is our best and try. And you are useful Serge with what you can do."

[Concordia, Morgan House]

"I'll go explore the house. There's probably lot more interesting things to see." Serge said, waving his cabalmates good bye and then entering into the house properly.

"I will go with you."
Beatrice said. You got into the hallway with all of the pictures, there where three closed doors, one at the end of the short hallway and one on either wall.
"Which door do you want to take?"
Beatrice asked.

[Verbena Clinic]

Tragedy took in a breath, her mood lightened up when Amadeus comforted her and demonstrated his continued confidence in her. When he prosed whether she was willing to help in one of his projects, a slight smile broke through the dark and moody exterior "You bet your backside I want to help Master. Let me know what is needed of me. Staying with Master Jeffry and Beatrice is more than acceptable as long as we're not an inconvenience on them."

"I am sure Beatrice will love to see you again. Jeffry's house is not large but I am sure we can fit the two of you in so it should be no trouble. As for what needs doing, it should be discussed in private as there are many ears on Horizon, I trust you though, you are my apprentice and if you trust her I also trust your Cabalmate but I do not know the rest in this room, suffice to say I want to deal with the threat of the Nephandi and water our Coven's tree with their life blood."
The old Verbena declared and in a Verbena clinic none seamed to much be bothered about a deceleration that he wanted to feed his enemies to a magickal tree.

"I appreciate that, truly."

Amadeus nodded at that.

"Grief is easier to bear when shared. We all have too much weight on our shoulders these days, I know I've been wallowing in it enough lately." Meridia shrugs slightly, she is desperately trying to keep a straight face and not doing an amazing job of it.

The old Verbena looked at the younger mage and just nodded, there was little he could say to offer her comfort but he did give a warm smile to say that her grief was valid and she did not have to put on a brave face.

"I just hope those statements can help deal with this, before anyone else gets hurt. And as wonderful as this place is, there are too many plates spinning right now for me to just languish here forever." She is thinking of all the preperations she had been making, and those who would be relying on her.

"Very well, then if you gather your things ladies and when you are ready I can show you where my Cabalmate's house is and once we are there I can fill you in about what have been going on in Boston which I believe is related to the tragedy which have struck your fledgling Chantry.
Amadeus replied with a nod.

(OOC: I feel a headache coming on so I will just reply to the other posts tomorrow, it have been a long day.)

[Warpmind]

[Concordia]

'Though that was like, the first time I got a proper look at one. And smell.' she admitted. 'That skin looks way thinner than from far away.'

Colin nodded thoughtfully, "Horses that are accustomed to humans are generally nice and friendly, but they are ridiculously strong. Police horses, though... the humans are the badly domesticated ones there."

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

'You trust the kids at home alone, Pop?' she quipped sarcastically, with a little smirk.

He chuckled, "I trust Beatrice. She'll keep Serge in check. If she has to nail him to the floor, which I doubt will become necessary."

Giving a little shrug, she climbed back into the coach. Once they were off again, she tried to settle into the seat. 'So, what's this trip about then?'

He soured a bit, "Going to see Kallan, find him badly maimed by Green's interrogation methods, and getting Green indicted while we haul Kallan off to the Etherite clinic, hopefully in time to save his life and sanity for questioning... I think we're getting the timing just right, but... there's a bit of wiggle room, either way."

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Concordia, Docks]

"I fear Serge that if you are waiting for those to things to happen perfectly then you will not be useful for a long while, that is really what magickal battles is about, protecting against the effects of others, and trying to get your own magick past their defenses, mages have been working on that for years. The entire Order of Hermes was based around a rote to do the former, you can find things that help, but still quite often you will find mages who brush of your magick as if it was nothing or who cut right through your defenses."
Beatrice said.
"All we can do is our best and try. And you are useful Serge with what you can do."

"Your right. All we can do is our best. Still, there's no harm in trying to improve our best little by little. Our enemies are getting stronger and stronger. I can't keep relying on my Chantry. Cause on days where you guys aren't there...." Serge said solemnly, "Let's just hope that Concordia at least sells something that stop me from getting shanked in an alleyway." he added with a chuckle, not wanting to bog down Bea with depressing conversation, "Wonder if they have fancy food in Concordia....?"

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

He accepted the picture and folded it up neatly in his inside pocket, "Thank you - I'll let you know if I need help. In a pinch, please call on your Grandmentor's muscle, rather than showing up alone, alright?"

"Darn. My dreams of teleporting in to save the day have been dashed." Serge said with a chuckle, "But yeah, don't worry. I'll call on my Grandmentor if you guys need the help."

He chuckled, "I trust Beatrice. She'll keep Serge in check. If she has to nail him to the floor, which I doubt will become necessary."

"Hahahaha. That's funny and doesn't at all burn a hole in my heart." Serge said chuckling nervously.

"I will go with you."
Beatrice said. You got into the hallway with all of the pictures, there where three closed doors, one at the end of the short hallway and one on either wall.
"Which door do you want to take?"
Beatrice asked.

"That's a great question. Full of power and mystery. At our fingertips is the ability to shape the future itself. The greatest power we have as humans. The power of choice." Serge announced as if to an invisible audience. "Well we have to save the door at the end of the hallway for last. That's just the rules. So it's a choice between the left one and the right one. Ehhhh, let's go with this one.." he said picking the left door on the left wall, walking over to it and opening it to see what was inside.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Concordia, Docks]

"Your right. All we can do is our best. Still, there's no harm in trying to improve our best little by little. Our enemies are getting stronger and stronger. I can't keep relying on my Chantry. Cause on days where you guys aren't there...." Serge said solemnly, "Let's just hope that Concordia at least sells something that stop me from getting shanked in an alleyway." he added with a chuckle, not wanting to bog down Bea with depressing conversation, "Wonder if they have fancy food in Concordia....?"

Beatrice did not seam depressed by the conversation, she seamed to accept that she would never be perfect, that there would always be someone better, more powerful and smarter and all she could do was her best but she nodded non the less.
"Well trying to find something to help is not a bad idea, as for food, well yes now granted I was not in a shape to try much of it when last I was here but you can find anything from regular hamburgers to dinosaur pai here, or food infused with Quintessence but that is expensive."

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

He nodded to Bee, "Which is why I'll bring Nicole."

Beatrice nodded to that.
"Keep him safe please Nick."

He nodded, "I'm not going alone, though - and I'll also keep my alarms at the ready."

"Good."
The young Verbena replied.
"Well I guess I will see if Master Morgan have anything but coffee in his cabinet...in fact just to be sure could you pick up some tea on your way back Colin?"

He nodded, "The spirits should be decent sentinels. And yes, Nick, we'll head out, best speed."

You saw what looked like a bear made out of star fog sitting in the garden and a angel with white wings and armor perched on the roof, the bear just looked but the angel lifted their hand and waved at you.

He chuckled, "I trust Beatrice. She'll keep Serge in check. If she has to nail him to the floor, which I doubt will become necessary."

"Hahahaha. That's funny and doesn't at all burn a hole in my heart." Serge said chuckling nervously.

"Me and my 43 kilos can sit on him."
Beatrice said with a chuckle and a twinkle in her brown eyes.

"That's a great question. Full of power and mystery. At our fingertips is the ability to shape the future itself. The greatest power we have as humans. The power of choice." Serge announced as if to an invisible audience. "Well we have to save the door at the end of the hallway for last. That's just the rules. So it's a choice between the left one and the right one. Ehhhh, let's go with this one.." he said picking the left door on the left wall, walking over to it and opening it to see what was inside.

You went though the left door and got into another short hallway, this had more paintings on the wall and a small table with a old fashioned dial telephone in a corner, there was two more doors, one was open and seamed to lead to a large kitchen.
"Ohh the kitchen I will head in there and put the tea on."
Beatrice bounced.
"You can check out the other room in this hallway I suspect it is the dining room."

[On the way to Horizon Chantry]

On the carriage ride, Colin quickly cast his Spider-Sense and checked on the strength of his Parma before they reached the prison.

You got your protections cast and got into the carriage, the driver waited for Nicole as well before heading out towards Chantry Horizon.

Giving a little shrug, she climbed back into the coach. Once they were off again, she tried to settle into the seat. 'So, what's this trip about then?'

The carriage started moving, heading towards the castle at the center of the city. If this was a fantasy world and someone asked where are the mages at everyone would point at the thing. It was a medieval castle with shining spires and plenty of tall towers, because off course there where towers.

[Warpmind]

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

"Darn. My dreams of teleporting in to save the day have been dashed." Serge said with a chuckle, "But yeah, don't worry. I'll call on my Grandmentor if you guys need the help."

Colin grinned, "You can still teleport in to save the day - I just ask that you not do so alone."

"Good."
The young Verbena replied.
"Well I guess I will see if Master Morgan have anything but coffee in his cabinet...in fact just to be sure could you pick up some tea on your way back Colin?"

He nodded, "Ah, one moment..."
He quickly opened his briefcase and took out a small box, before closing the case again, "Here, one unopened box of Yorkshire Gold, just in case. And I'll see if I have the opportunity to pick up some tea on the way back. Hm, might want to call Amadeus about that, too, if he doesn't have his hands full."

"Hahahaha. That's funny and doesn't at all burn a hole in my heart." Serge said chuckling nervously.

"Me and my 43 kilos can sit on him."
Beatrice said with a chuckle and a twinkle in her brown eyes.

He gave Serge a thin smile, "I don't think it will be a necessary concern, really - but Bee has been here before, and knows more about what is dangerous here that wouldn't be back home... It is an alien world with two suns, after all, so don't go frolicking outside without sunblock."

You saw what looked like a bear made out of star fog sitting in the garden and a angel with white wings and armor perched on the roof, the bear just looked but the angel lifted their hand and waved at you.

He waved back to the angel, "See? The angel is friendly, and the bear is... oh, right, you don't see them, do you? They seem to be quite ready to respond to trespassers."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Concordia, Morgan's House]

He nodded, "Ah, one moment..."
He quickly opened his briefcase and took out a small box, before closing the case again, "Here, one unopened box of Yorkshire Gold, just in case. And I'll see if I have the opportunity to pick up some tea on the way back. Hm, might want to call Amadeus about that, too, if he doesn't have his hands full."

"I can call my Mentor."
Beatrice said and she picked out a small crystal ball out of her pocket and spoke into it before accepting the box from Colin.
"Always prepared eh? But anyway my Mentor will pick up some tea if he get the chance, I check if there is any groceries we will need as well."

He gave Serge a thin smile, "I don't think it will be a necessary concern, really - but Bee has been here before, and knows more about what is dangerous here that wouldn't be back home... It is an alien world with two suns, after all, so don't go frolicking outside without sunblock."

"Well to be honest first time I visited Horizon I was out of it with Paradox and the second time I was on trial for being a Widderlainte and that ended with me being Branded so...I did not exactly go sightseeing."
The young Verbena said with a shudder.
"But I have read quite a bit about this place. Also the suns here is far less damaging than the sun back home, and considerably less bright. I am not so sure it can give you cancer."

He waved back to the angel, "See? The angel is friendly, and the bear is... oh, right, you don't see them, do you? They seem to be quite ready to respond to trespassers."

The angel settled back down on the roof to hold vigil and the bear just continued sniffing around the garden, now and again glancing at the newcomers.

[Meridia Porter]

[Verbana Clinic]

"Very well, then if you gather your things ladies and when you are ready I can show you where my Cabalmate's house is and once we are there I can fill you in about what have been going on in Boston which I believe is related to the tragedy which have struck your fledgling Chantry.
Amadeus replied with a nod.

"I didn't have a chance to really pack before we were carted away. I'll just go fetch a change of clothes and we'll have to just see about recovering some of my symbols once the dust has cleared."

Merdia raises an eyebrow at Tragedy, almost playfully now that she's really noticing how down she still looks.

"If there's anything you need to grab, I'll come with you?" Meridia

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Verbana Clinic]

"I didn't have a chance to really pack before we were carted away. I'll just go fetch a change of clothes and we'll have to just see about recovering some of my symbols once the dust has cleared."

Merdia raises an eyebrow at Tragedy, almost playfully now that she's really noticing how down she still looks.

"If there's anything you need to grab, I'll come with you?" Meridia

"Very well I will leave it to you two to get your things. I need to pick up a few things in the herb shop a few doors down so I will be back here in ten minutes and meet you here in the dining room."
Amadeus said.
"If there is anything you need that you do not have we can pick them up along the way, you mentioned symbols Miss Porter, are they your foci? I am sure we can find something you can use somewhere on Horizon."

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