Re: The Lord of the Labyrinth, Sunday ritual and stopping a Gilgul IC thread 4

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Napkins? Yeah sure I know how to use them...I just do not always bother to."
Freddy said with a grin.
"And no they did not bring us any."
The young Virtual Adept gets out of her car and locks it then she grins.
"You really are British aren't you?"
She mutters as she join you in walking toward the main airport building.
"Yeah, it is cold but nice, however lately nice have never lasted."

[Warpmind]

Colin shrugged, almost apologetically. "It comes with being born in Britain, I suppose. But one does have to try to uphold a certain... reputation."

[Adley]

Adley put the papers on his mentor's desk and listened to the one-sided exchange. He sat down, the news growing worse by the Word. By the time his mentor hung up he'd already set fire to something out of sheer anger, a bad sign to be sure.

"Damned it!" He exclaimed and leaned back in his chair. You know the very nice group of Spirit Master that where here last night, well two of them have gone missing and D'Angelo have asked us to help us find them...and make a guess as to what other Spheres than Spirit the two missing magi happen to be quite skilled at."

"So I heard. Shit." He frowned slightly. "On top of it, it's been how many hours since they could have been picked up by now? Six?" He shook his head. "Were they the only magii in the group that lived on Horizon?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin:

Colin shrugged, almost apologetically. "It comes with being born in Britain, I suppose. But one does have to try to uphold a certain... reputation."

"Well nothing wrong with a man who have manners I guess."
Freddy said and chuckled as you walk into the airport. Once there is is easy to find the luggage area since you where there two days ago. Right next to luggage retrial there is a Starbucks.
"Should we just get a cup of coffee or something and find a bench to sit on and wait?"
Freddy suggests and points at the coffee shop.

Adley:

"Well the two missing magi spent the night at Lux Itineris, they just went out this morning, one of them apparently have a relative that live at Chantry Westchapel that she planned to visit, but she never arrived,, the other one wanted to see Boston and went out about at the same time. The other four are still at Lux Itineris."
Your mentor said and sigh.
"Well no most of them are from Horizon, only D'Angelo herself and Thomas Mayer live on Earth, the two who are missing though where born on Horizon like me and they have never been on Earth before, which is why D'Angelo should have taken care of them, they do not know Paradox like we do."
Jeffry said and sipped his coffee.
"We do not have time for more trouble but we need to deal with this, if it had been only one of them that had gone missing I might be inclined to think Paradox had gotten them, but two...no someone disappeared them, and considering both are proficient with Time..."
The old war mage leaned back in his chair.
"I need to speak with George, I want you to take someone with you, I do not want anyone to go out alone right now, and go to Chantry Westchapel and speak with a man by the name of Josef Padilla, that is the relative of the missing Master Duvalier, it is a long shot but he going to visit this relative is the only lead we have so we have to at least speak with the man, perhaps we can gain some more knowledge of where Miss Duvalier could have vanished from and when, then come back for our meeting with Mr Wainwright about Miss Larson."
The old Hermetic sigh again.
"It seams this will be yet another busy day mea filius."

[Adley]

"That means the Nephandi must be keeping an eye on Lux Iternis, as well as us, or have been using their method of finding Time magii to pick them up. Yes, I'm inclined to assuming they took them, at this point."

"I need to speak with George, I want you to take someone with you, I do not want anyone to go out alone right now, and go to Chantry Westchapel and speak with a man by the name of Josef Padilla, that is the relative of the missing Master Duvalier, it is a long shot but he going to visit this relative is the only lead we have so we have to at least speak with the man, perhaps we can gain some more knowledge of where Miss Duvalier could have vanished from and when, then come back for our meeting with Mr Wainwright about Miss Larson."

"Very well. Who is available right now, do you know? Or should I just start knocking on doors? I don't suppose you have a phone number for Mr Padilla or the Chantry? Or are you getting the feeling that it would be best go in person?"

"It seams this will be yet another busy day mea filius."

"I have come to expect nothing less anymore."

//Does Adley know where Westchapel is and how to get there/in? He ever been there before?

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Or something sounds good. Perhaps some hot chocolate? My treat this time?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley:

"That means the Nephandi must be keeping an eye on Lux Iternis, as well as us, or have been using their method of finding Time magii to pick them up. Yes, I'm inclined to assuming they took them, at this point."

"Yes, well I find it more likely they have a method to find those who study Time, but we can not ignore the possibility that they are keeping an eye on both us and Lux Iternis, in either case yes, I believe it is a strong possibility that the Nephandi took the missing Masters of the Art."
Your mentor said, he seamed concerned and thoughtful.
"I feel like I am stumbling around in the dark, we need to get more information on these bastard, I want to know what the Nephandi are up to, other than a welcoming ceremony Sunday."

"Very well. Who is available right now, do you know? Or should I just start knocking on doors? I don't suppose you have a phone number for Mr Padilla or the Chantry? Or are you getting the feeling that it would be best go in person?"

"I set Adjan to do a rote to cleanse the ritual room that...was used last night to avoid the Resonance of that act settling in the walls, he should be done by now, if you go to visit Westchapel ask him to go with you, he both have good manners for when visiting another Chantry and he know how to pull his weight in a fight. Now as for phone number, I have the number for Westchapel but not for Mr Padilla."
Jeffry say and notes a phone number down on a piece of paper and hands it to you.
"I do not know what would be best, one always have to be careful with what one say on those damned machines, one never know who is listening, but it is quicker."

"I have come to expect nothing less anymore."

"Hopefully once we deal with the Nephandi infestation things will calm down. Damned it I was supposed to start teaching you how to get by with hand gestures and words today...well it will have to weight, hopefully I can squeeze it in sometimes during the day."
Jeffry said with an apologetic smile.
"Well at least the days are not boring."

(OOC: You know that Westchapel is in an old, abandoned factory far West in the city, you know the address but you have never been there, though some of it's mages have visited Steelhaven and you have met some of those, including the old Chorister that your new spider spirit friends scared half to death.)

Colin:

"Hot chocolate...well that sounds lovely, thank you."
Freddy say and smiles.
"I like marshmallows in mine, why don't you go and buy some and I will find us a bench to sit on."

[Tane Karyak]

As for what have happened, D'Angelo and the Spirit Masters came for Beatrice though when some of her manuverings where uncovered another judge took over, Milton Tolle. The PCs could not stop them from beginning the rite of Gilgul on Beatrice, but due to a legal technicality over precedent Adley managed to get documents to stop it, though the Verbena got badly hurt. Then everyone went to bed and it is now morning on Friday for Adley and Colin.

Does Tane know that?

[Warpmind]

Colin strolled into the Starbucks, bought two large hot chocolates (with marshmallows?), and returned, handing one to Freddy. "Oh, come to think of it, best inform Chief Morgan..."
He quickly sent off a text message, "Three Technocrats came through a few minutes ago; apparently headed for the Umbral Port. Injuries suggest they've been in a scuffle."
Then he pocketed the phone and looked for a suitable bench, "Shall we, then?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane:

(OOC: No Tane do not know that since he spoke of running D'Angelo through with his nifty magick sword and Beatrice did not want him executed so she decided it is better to tell him later...however to get him back in the story I have an idea, let yes say Tane's rather active Avatar have felt what happened at Steelhaven in the night.)

The night from Thursday to Friday you slept uneasy, and you did not know why, there was something wrong, but what was hard to say. Coawa was out swimming, he was not happy unless he spent some time with his own kind in his shark form, the water got a little to cold for the wereharks this time a year for them to live in the water permanently, but not to cold to go for a swim, so at first you might be worried that your unease come from a fear that something have happened to your friend, but a few hours later the Rokea came back into the small apartment you share and you hear him going to his room and going to bed...your unease do not stop though. Finally you fall asleep but the next morning you can hear your Avatar speak in your mind.
"They tried to kill a soul tonight, I can feel it..."
You have been told your Avatar tend to be more active than most of it's kind so it is not that strange it have felt something, or that it would share it, you also feel that your Avatar was worried and wanted to help.

Colin:

The lady at the Starbucks hands you two large, hot cups, marshmallows will half melt and just be soft, sweet and taste like cream when put in shot chocolate.
"Yeah that is not a bad idea, he probably will ant to know about the top hats."
Freddy said and takes the cup you hands her.
"Thank you."

You get a message back from Chief Morgan.
"To Mr Wainwright.
Ok thank you for telling me, I wonder who they ran into, in either case it is best not to get involved unless an opening show present itself to get one of them alone. Be careful, the airport is neutral groups but you never know.
Jeffry Morgan."

Freddy nods and show you to a nice bench that sit a bit to the side and out of the crowd, but where you can still see the luggage retrieval area well.
"What about this one Colin?"

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled, "Perfect. Let's have a seat and, well... why don't you tell me the history of that revolver of yours? It's an old heirloom, going back several generations, correct?"

[Adley]

Your mentor said, he seamed concerned and thoughtful. "I feel like I am stumbling around in the dark, we need to get more information on these bastard, I want to know what the Nephandi are up to, other than a welcoming ceremony Sunday."

He frowned. If his pater thought -he- was stumbling around in the dark..."Helena thought they were up to something big, probably bigger than a welcome party. We need to be ready to intercept that car, if we can."

"I set Adjan to do a rote to cleanse the ritual room that...was used last night to avoid the Resonance of that act settling in the walls, he should be done by now, if you go to visit Westchapel ask him to go with you, he both have good manners for when visiting another Chantry and he know how to pull his weight in a fight. Now as for phone number, I have the number for Westchapel but not for Mr Padilla."Jeffry say and notes a phone number down on a piece of paper and hands it to you."I do not know what would be best, one always have to be careful with what one say on those damned machines, one never know who is listening, but it is quicker."

Adley nodded and took the paper, reading the number. Then he put it in his pocket. "It's quicker and then two magii aren't out running messages as well. Though...maybe we'll find something out with a face to face talk we wouldn't over the phone. Besides, with the way things are the fact he does not know me could make it problematic. Imagine if a stranger called up suddenly out of the blue and said, by the way, your relative is missing. I hope Adjan has a car...or there is one still in the lot."

"Hopefully once we deal with the Nephandi infestation things will calm down. Damned it I was supposed to start teaching you how to get by with hand gestures and words today...well it will have to weight, hopefully I can squeeze it in sometimes during the day." Jeffry said with an apologetic smile. "Well at least the days are not boring."

"I have a few words and gestures that I'd like to show the Nephandi," he muttered, and then pushed the folder over to him to put away. Leave it to his pater to remember he was on remedial training. "I will never complain of boredom again." Not that he had before.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin:

Freddy smiles then she nods.
"I am afraid the story is not terribly interesting, my great grandmother owned it first in my family, from what I was told her husband bought it for her, you see my great grandmother had a job, not may women did back then however she worked at the local post office as a clerk and my grandfather feared for my safety when walking home alone, then once my grandmother became a young woman she was given the gun for her protection, and she gave it to me right before she died. That is what I know of it, none of my family members used it for anything but target practice, but holding it reminds me of my grandmother. Now the piece looks older to me than my family though, I think my great grandfather bought it as an antique, I know nothing of who had it before my great grandmother, though it would be fun to find out."

Adley:

He frowned. If his pater thought -he- was stumbling around in the dark..."Helena thought they were up to something big, probably bigger than a welcome party. We need to be ready to intercept that car, if we can."

"Yes we do. I hope Mr Sharaya manage to find out something, and if we find the car we hit it hard, though I want at least one of the drivers alone for interrogation, now will Fallen it is always better to take them alive for...well you know why, but still a widderslainte years later is better than a living Nephandus today. However we need to know what they are planning so we need to get our hands on one of those that might know."

Adley nodded and took the paper, reading the number. Then he put it in his pocket. "It's quicker and then two magii aren't out running messages as well. Though...maybe we'll find something out with a face to face talk we wouldn't over the phone. Besides, with the way things are the fact he does not know me could make it problematic. Imagine if a stranger called up suddenly out of the blue and said, by the way, your relative is missing. I hope Adjan has a car...or there is one still in the lot."

"That is my concern as well, that Mr Padilla might not even be willing to talk with someone he do not know over the phone and talking on those machines it is easy to miss something, but yes it might take time we do not have to go in person...hum yes as far as I know Mr Terach do in fact have a vehicle."

"I have a few words and gestures that I'd like to show the Nephandi," he muttered, and then pushed the folder over to him to put away. Leave it to his pater to remember he was on remedial training. "I will never complain of boredom again." Not that he had before.

"Oh I have quite a few words and gestures for them, some of those words are even completely mundane."
Your mentor said with a wry smile before he took Gary's documents and put them back in the safe.
"I will make sure these get sent back to their rightful owners by the Mercere."
The old mage said then he sigh.
"A day of boredom mea filius, that would be a luxury indeed."

[Adley]

"That is my concern as well, that Mr Padilla might not even be willing to talk with someone he do not know over the phone and talking on those machines it is easy to miss something, but yes it might take time we do not have to go in person...hum yes as far as I know Mr Terach do in fact have a vehicle."

"Well, if Adjan also has a phone then you can always call us to change course," he said. "Still, I have to agree that Lux Iternis is far bigger than us and they're the ones that lost the man in the first place. We're already spreading our resources around as it is and they know it." He didn't like it but he couldn't put a finger on what it was that he didn't like the most: that Vittoria had called them up to help cover her ass or that the judge hadn't seen fit to provide escort to them in the first place. All of it added up to a mess and put two Masters in danger of being in the hands of the Nephandi.

The old mage said then he sigh. "A day of boredom mea filius, that would be a luxury indeed."

"We two are not fit for the lap of luxury. Enough time wasting then. I'll see if Mr Terach is available for a little call. Get back as soon as I can. Colin should be here sometime after two and then have to get our guests settled in." With that he got up, gave his mentor a short bow to excuse himself and hurried out of the office and towards the Euthanatos's apartment.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Well, if Adjan also has a phone then you can always call us to change course," he said.

Your mentor nods at that.

"Still, I have to agree that Lux Iternis is far bigger than us and they're the ones that lost the man in the first place. We're already spreading our resources around as it is and they know it." He didn't like it but he couldn't put a finger on what it was that he didn't like the most: that Vittoria had called them up to help cover her ass or that the judge hadn't seen fit to provide escort to them in the first place. All of it added up to a mess and put two Masters in danger of being in the hands of the Nephandi.

"Yes had had there been other circumstances I would have told D'Angelo to take care of her own mess, but given our Nephandi situation I do not trust that she will do so, as for her Chantry, yes they should be taking care of it, but since they know I can not in good conscience ignore this...well let us just say mea filius that once all this is done, words will be had."
Your mentor say and frown.

"We two are not fit for the lap of luxury. Enough time wasting then. I'll see if Mr Terach is available for a little call. Get back as soon as I can. Colin should be here sometime after two and then have to get our guests settled in." With that he got up, gave his mentor a short bow to excuse himself and hurried out of the office and towards the Euthanatos's apartment.

Your mentor just nods as you excuse yourself and leave his office. You walk towards Adjan's apartment but as you are on your way to it, so are he and you have just enough time to knock on his door and find that he is not there, turn to leave to see him ascend the stairs and walk towards you.
"Mr Roth Hicks, are you looking for me?"
The Euthanatos asks when he see you right outside his door.

[Warpmind]

Colin arched an eyebrow, "Your great-grandmother's time, that would be roughly around the 1930s, I believe? You'd probably be surprised, but I do believe the rate of employed women was largely comparable to the rate today. To a greater extent secretaries, cleaning ladies or seamstresses and the like, I suppose - the so-called 'traditional women's occupations' - but most women actually did have some work to supplement the household budget."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Yes she was a young housewife in the 1930's, my grandmother was born in 1931 I think."
Freddy said then she nodded.
"I did not know that, I have not read allot of history, I just know she worked at the post office and continued to work there even after her children was born as soon as they where old enough to go to school. In either case that is why she got the gun at least, to protect herself on her way home from work in the evenings. I do not know that much about her though, she died when I was...oh ten years old I believe. I only remember her as this old woman who smoked like a chimney, baked cookies and did not give a damn about what anyone else thought of her."
The young Virtual Adept said and smiles.

[Adley]

"Mr Terach. Yes I was, actually. Are you free for the next while? Chief Morgan wants me to go to Westchapel to talk to someone there. He suggested that I ask if you were available to go with me."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adjan looks at you and nods.
"I have free time yes, is it ok if I wash my hands first I have been cleaning in the ritual room."
The way the Euthanatos said it made it very clear he did not mean physical cleaning and also which ritual room he was talking about.
"Washing my hands really do not work against those kinds of energies but we all have our little illusions we like like to hold onto."
The death mage said then he sigh.
"Which reminds me...how is Beatrice? Is she up for a visit later or...are she to fragile right now?"
Adjan said, after all he trained with Beatrice on knife fighting regularly and knew the young Verbena fairly well, he did not look pleased over what had happened to her.

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled, "I would not be altogether surprised if your great-grandmother built heavy machinery, then, in the early 1940s... Then again, being already employed in the postal service, she probably had her hands full there already."

[Adley]

He nodded. "Of course, though we should try to make haste. I'll explain more." When he mentioned how Beatrice was he frowned, looking rather downcast. "She is not well. Though she comes to now and again, she is still in pain and panics, confused because she has the magick cuffs on and cannot tell if her avatar was sundered. But Master Telar said it was important she did not use any magick until it healed. She needs rest but it is hard for her to do so. I would ask Master Nassa when it might be good to see her, he has been keeping watch on her."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley:

Adjan nods he opens the door to his apartment and invites you in with a gesture of his hand. The Euthanatoi's apartment was simply decorated in black and white with black leather sofa and chairs and white walls. Here and there where black and white pictures in framed on the walls, and there where a big display case full of knives. The Eutanatoi go to his kitchen skink and quickly wash his hands then he sigh.
"Poor girl I do not blame her for being afraid, especially if she can not feel her Avatar, there must be a little voice in her mind that tell her that her loved ones lie to her to protect her, that well the ritual was completed."
Adjan said and sigh.
"I wish I could have protected her. Thank you she is my friend I would like to see her, but I would not want to do so if it will just cause her more stress."
The Euthanatos said angrily.
"That ritual should be used far more selectively. I mean since 1470 it have been done 75 times, and that is just on members of the Traditions, that do not include Nephandi prisoners and non Traditionalist widderslainte..."
Adjan say and sigh.
"But we should go, this probably not a topic you want to discuss right now. Please when you see Beatrice tell her hello from me."

Colin:

Freddy nodded.
"My great grandmother was involved in World War 2, that I know but my grandmother say that she never spoke of it, she just refused to, so I do not know what she did o what capacity or role she had. She was quite the lady in any case, I am quite fond of her."
The Virtual Adept said.
"But now I have told a bit about my family, what about yours? Any interesting forefathers and foremothers?"

[Warpmind]

Colin leaned back, sipping his chocolate, "Well, my parents live in Canterbury, and my sister moved to London where she's doing some undisclosed government work, I presume. I have an aunt in Whitstable; I have a rosebush she gave me, a Helen Cushing Rose. Father used to be a clockmaker, and mum used to be a schoolteacher. As for interesting ancestors, well... family legend does claim some Welsh ancestry in the fifth or sixth century... A Royal and Magical lineage, in fact; one Morgan LeFay, as she is called these days. Between then and now... well, at some point one of my ancestors built wagons, obviously, but it's largely been a family tradition of military service, with the obvious attrition over the past thousand years. I've had ancestors who died in China, India, the Middle East, Africa, America, France, Germany, and an awful lot at sea. I suppose it is fortunate that my family's largely been blessed with many children, now that I think about it. In fact, my parents were the first generation to stop at two children."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Freddy listen to you speak about your family then when she is done she asks.
"Do you have any contact with them? Your mundane family I mean? For me I visit for Thanksgiving and Christmas but I sort of try to keep them at a distance so they will not get involved, you know with the war and all."
The Virtual Adept say then she sigh.
"Well in either case I have two siblings, brothers...my father is a computer technician and my mother is a hematologist at a large hospital in Chicago. I have a butt load of aunts and uncles, including one aunt who tend to enjoy drinking bourbon and reading the Tarot, trying to hit the sweet spot of being soused where she is the most accurate with her readings, there is a bit of Hedge Magic there I reckon, other than that my mundane family are pretty normal, and we have not had a tendency to run around all over the world and getting killed either...in fact other than one uncle that got drunk as a skunk and decided to start working on the roof, resulting in him falling down and breaking his neck, I can not think of one family member of mine who have died of anything but natural causes."
Freddy gave a dry grin.
"Though the way things have been going lately with Nephandi and Technocrats and combinations of the two, chances are I will be the first."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Mostly, it's letters and packages. I've visited a few times since I moved here, but with distance and airport 'security' since 2001, the trip becomes more of an indignity than it is worth. The distance is, as you say, a safety measure, though the time zone difference does make it a little more awkward to have conversations. Well, that and the extortionate cost if international telephone calls."
He smiled a bit, "The Tarot is an interesting enough tool. I've tried my hand at it, but it seems to me a more effective aid to cold reading than to predict someone's future. I'm... not very good at cold reading, as it happens, or for that matter predicting anyone's future. At best, I can give the future a slight nudge in the right direction. Come to think of it, I wonder how truly random some of these automated Tarot readers are. Perhaps there is a bit of hedge wizardry involved, or even more sophisticated programming? It would, after all, be completely coincidental, should the predictions hit the mark with any accuracy, hmm?"

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