Re: June in Autumn, Sinister Plans and Chicago IC Thread 7

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Yes she have to."
Amadeus muttered though there where deep concern in his eyes, then he looked at you and nodded.
"One of us was wounded...yes I felt something, the Life Tree quivering if you will, thank the Spirits I would not have liked to loose a member of my Cabal and never would Beatrice."
The old mage said then he smiles.
"Ah if Thorn was at the docks the Prime of the Black Forest must have been in port, he helped create that ship..."
The Verbena said then he raised an eyebrow and gave Colin a skeptical look.
"Modern medicine?"
He asked.
"Ah thank you for bringing me his regards, and I understand that he have been busy, Beatrice will also probably appreciate a visit more when she have recovered a bit."
The old mage said then he nodded.
"So it was Phillipa riding the Pride then, I should have guessed."
He said with a smile.
"We are magickal relatives she and eye, my mentor was the apprentice of her mentor, making her my well in effect my aunt."
He said with a little grin.
"Ah well yes we do, our expertise are living things so it is natural that we make our Umbral crafts out of the same material we know how to work with."
Amadeus said.

The door to the Node room opened and Cita came out of the room, she gave the both of you a smile as she adjusted the strap for her computer bag over her shoulder.
"How is she Master Telar?"
Amadeus asked and Cita smiles.
"She is recovering, it will take time before she is well, but her Avatar do...well it do what an Avatar should in a Node so that is a good sign."

[Warpmind]

Colin grimaced, "Had there been a Verbena healer available at the time... but no, to save his life and brain functions, we were forced to resort to the Technocrat in office. Their regenerative serum is efficient, but disgusting and unethical in its production, it seems."
He shook his head, "No matter - he lives and will make a full recovery, it seems, and that's the important thing. And on that note, I had a horticultural question for you... Beatrice's branch on your tree seems to be a bit under the weather, I believe. There seemed to be one branch there that was not in the best shape; I can only guess it would be hers... Would it be possible to graft, say, the rose I gave her onto the branch, rather like a sympathetic focus to promote healing? It's a bit of an odd idea, I'll admit, but I don't think it's the strangest I've had this week."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin grimaced, "Had there been a Verbena healer available at the time... but no, to save his life and brain functions, we were forced to resort to the Technocrat in office. Their regenerative serum is efficient, but disgusting and unethical in its production, it seems."

"Technomack eh...well it is better than him dying."
The Verbena said with a disgusted look on his face.
"A Progenitor then I assume?"
He muttered.

He shook his head, "No matter - he lives and will make a full recovery, it seems, and that's the important thing. And on that note, I had a horticultural question for you... Beatrice's branch on your tree seems to be a bit under the weather, I believe.

Amadeus frowned.
"Yes, it withered leaving only a few healthy patches of wood when she was attempted...well..."
The Verbena said angrily, he would not soon forget his apprentice's horrid screams as the group of Spirit Masters sliced away at her Avatar.

There seemed to be one branch there that was not in the best shape; I can only guess it would be hers...

"Yes that is her branch."

Would it be possible to graft, say, the rose I gave her onto the branch, rather like a sympathetic focus to promote healing? It's a bit of an odd idea, I'll admit, but I don't think it's the strangest I've had this week."

"Well that rose you gave her have become important for Beatrice, she say it was a symbol that let her and her Avatar fight until the ritual could be stopped, since it have such a connection to her it would be possible that grafting into one her branch of the our Life Tree...could have positive effects on her and doing the grafting is not difficult, granted I probably will have to change the rose a bit to make it able to withstand the cold nights we get now."
Amadeus said.
"But it is worth and attempt at least."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "You might need to change less than you think - the bush I got the original cutting from stands, or at least stood on the northern coast of Kent. Not an area known for the most delicate of weather patterns. In any case, I need to receive a courier at the door, and sit down to refine and formalize a rote I cooked up on the fly earlier today. I've seen some swift insights in the past 48 hours, and I'm not sure whether it is that diamonds are created under pressure or that pearls are created from irritation, to be honest..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Amadeus nodded.
"Well then the rose might be able to withstand the weather outside this time a year."
He said then he nodded.
"Well do not let me keep you, I will let Beatrice know you stopped by...unless you want to see her yourself now, I think she have woken up. Also good luck with your rote."
The old mage said and smiles.

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled and nodded to Cita, "Naturally, I would like to see her now... Ah, I expect there's some security measures in place before I step inside?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"I will have to examine your possessions with Prime, I trust that you would never hurt Beatrice and the Mercere Mr Wainwright but I have no make sure someone have not tampered with your equipment."
Amadeus said kindly.

Cita gave you a smile.
"It might be quicker for me to do such a scan I have a program already set up on my phone I only need to press a button, if you are ok with it that is Mr Wainwright."
She said and Amadeus sigh and muttered.
"Technomancers..."
And all but rolled his eyes.

[Warpmind]

Colin arched an eyebrow, "Actually, as a precaution, Master Nassa, can you tell if I have some slow-acting poison in my system? As a precaution; I don't think Lady Arden would poison me, but I can't rule out the possibility of someone tampering with her tea... My equipment should be fine, but by all means, scan away."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Amadeus nodded he took his dagger and pricked his finger, then he put the knife away and put his other hand against your face and let the droplet fall to the floor, he studied it for a moment then he said.
"You are not poisoned Mr Wainwright, other than some long time fatigue you do seam to be in perfect health."
The verbena said before he put his foot on the droplet of blood on the floor and scraped at it to make it harder for someone to get a hold of it and use against him.

Cita pointed her phone at you and activated an app on her phone then she nodded.
"You should be fine to go in, there is nothing out of the ordinary in any of your items or in your general Resonance...sorry about this being necessary we just have to be sure this room stay secure for now."
She said then she opened the door from you.

Inside of the Node room you see Ingmar Rush, the Verbena was standing guard over the room itself, he had stayed after Amadeus returned so that Bruce would get the chance to get some lunch to bring back for everyone. In the bowl of the Node itself you see Beatrice and Susannah, covered in blankets though it was not cold in the room anymore thanks to a old heater that seamed to be doing it's thing without electricity for it was not plugged in anywhere. Beatrice was awake you see and while she looks tired she do smile when she see you. Susannah Florentine was still sleeping next to her. Micah sat in a corner, pale and drawn but now finally appearing to be sleeping, something the Mercere probably needed.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Under the circumstances, I'd likely demand an apology if you weren't this cautious... Oh, right, um, just in case..."
Colin drew his pistol, removed the magazine and checked for a chambered bullet before handing it over to Cita, "If you would kindly hold on to these for a few moments; I'd rather not bring my gun into the Node chamber itself... Seems rather like bringing it into a church, you know; bad form and all."
Stepping inside, he smiled at Beatrice, "Hello, there... You're looking a bit fresher today, aren't you?"
Scooping her gently up in a little hug, he continued, "Thorn Northwind sends his regards, and apologies for not coming to see you."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Cita took the weapon and nodded she put the magazine in one pocket and the weapon in one of the rooms of her computer bag, she seamed fairly used to handling weapons.
"A wise precaution Mr Wainwright."
She said in agreement.
"And oh yes then there is the bad form part of it off course."
The technomancer said, for her Quintessence was just that fuel for her rotes after all.

Beatrice looked up at Colin and nodded.
"The...Node helps."
She muttered.
"I feel calmer her, perhaps he is more at home near a Node."
The young Verbena said referring to her wounded Avatar.
"You saw Thorn...is he well?"
Beatrice said with a smile, she did care deeply for her Coven.
"That is ok...I sleep most of them time, there is not much...to see..."
The blood witch said softly.
"And now we are...down here because there was...a monster in the hallway...is everyone ok?"
Beatrice asked sounding concerned, she did look stronger down here, she was clearly still in pain but at least she could easier hold a conversation.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "He was injured at the airport; something of a complicated situation there. He's recovering, though - might have a bit of a headache for a while. And yes, there was a monster in the hallway... from what I understand, Mr. Gregario there being spooked was the worst of it; I'm sure someone who was there to fight it can give you more information, though. I never saw the thing, myself. Oh, and more good news, looks like I will be making Initiate rank in Prime once there's the peace and quiet to arrange an examination. I even worked out a new rote to drain Quintessence from, well, any available supply, such as a Node. Useful, if you need to get rid of tainted Quintessence without wanting to expose yourself to too much of it directly. Say, have you had anything to eat yet?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Thorn was hurt...that is not good."
Beatrice said and sounded concerned.
"Poor Mr Gregario..."
The blood witch said and glanced at the sleeping Mercere.
"You are an Initiate in Prime now Colin...congratulations..."
Beatrice said and managed a slight smile.
"That is good news...and your rote sounds useful...I would like to see it one day."
The Verbena said then she shook her head.
"I have not eaten...but I am not hungry."
She muttered.

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled, "I am not an Initiate yet, at least, not formally. I will try to teach you the rote once you're up and scampering about again, though. Anyway, I need to go - I have some preparations to make; receiving a courier at the door and write down some pertinent details on the rote for others to study. I'll see you in a while, dear."
He gently ruffled her hair and rose to leave.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Beatrice nodded she gave another weak smile, she was starting to tire again, pain and general exhaustion robbed her strength and while she was a little better she did not manage to talk very long at the time.
"I would like that when I am...better...to learn your rote..."
The Blood Witch said weakly.
"Good luck with writing down your rote...and it was nice to...see you Colin."
Beatrice said before she settled down in her temporary bed in the otherworldly created "bowl" in the middle of the room again and closed her eyes.

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled, "You too, Beatrice."
Stepping outside, he turned to Amadeus, "Has anyone arranged for some food delivered down here? Some chicken broth or similar soup seems the most appropriate."
Looking over at Cita, he added, "Oh, and my weapon, please."

[Adley]

"That is why mages like you and me, when they are found within my father's Order are discreetly given to the Traditions, mages like my father loose their magick as well...but he say then it is just a personal loss and not...a loss for the cycle as a whole."

He nodded at that. "Cycle as a whole...we'll talk more about that in time. I wish there was more time now, there never seems to be enough."

"If there is no other way, we will have to either bring Kyle or ask the man you got the papers that saves Miss Alexander for his help, though I would hate to inconvenience the man further, I would rather have a fully initiated member of the Order by my side when entering the Labyrinth than a scared child that have never seen combat. Let us just hope your recording works."

"Pater, that would mean essentially -bringing- them a widderslainte. There has to be some other way, even if it is temporary..." He sounded exasperated.

"When it comes to undoing magick I have some skill, if I may presume to say so myself, but I would have to look at the ward to know if I could get it down...and yes we do need to strengthen our own wards." The old mage said. "It seams there are no end to the things we must get to.

"It will be hard to get a look at it beforehand, I'd imagine...at least in a way that would allow you to measure it up."

"Well having the right alignments and correspondences can certainly strengthen a working. I will ask Mr Haagen about that, our resident Solificatus do seam to have the correspondences for magickal work well at hand and he should probably be able to shed some light on the issue." Jeffry agreed. "If we knew the length of their ritual, attacking them when they are well on their way and tired from the working might be a wise move."

"The ritual kicks off with a sacrifice to the strengthen the caul though, which would be better to prevent."

"Just like the Nephandi's magick, their language is the essence of destruction, in many ways instead of creating sound, it destroy silence, remember the Fallen are not creatures of creation mea filius, they lack all balance, all they do destroy, so when they speak, the possibility that their words do not ring get ripped apart and destroyed, it is a foul thing indeed."

"Destroy silence...yes, erasing the meaning of the words..." He shook his head.

"I would worry about the same thing, if we destroy the human name, of the child this monstrosity once was and should have been, do we chip away more of that fragile humanity, frankly I do not know..." Jeffry admitted. "But I do believe there is a danger of that happening yes."

"Hannah of course could not tell me the other name. She did say though that he is not as strong as he was when he...rejected her."

I believe Mr Danbrock is a member of the Maison Liban, and if so he have probably hated at least the Tremere long before his apprentice got turned into a Massasa, though I sympathize with him, loosing an apprentice is not easy..." Your mentor said and for a moment there was pain in his eyes then he forced his emotions aside and continued. "Maison Liban are Tremere Adley...

A frown slowly drew across his face as he listened. "I can't remember if you told me this already and I forgot, or it just..." He shook his head. "There is altogether too much cropping up that involves the damn Tremere." It was another puzzle.

"In either case having a talk with Mr Lenoe might be worth it, after all we know where he is, but I assume he will be sleeping until it gets dark so that will have to wait."

"Remember that he may frenzy if you try to unstake him," he said, and then repeated the vampire's instructions to his pater regarding being tied down in chains and so on. "He will also want to know what's happening to Tobias. I imagine it would be hard to suffer the stake again once he finds out his condition," he said sadly. "I do hope that he pulls through."

"Because, despite everything, Miss Larson still believe that her mother loves her, even if she is willing to help take her mother down and know the woman is evil she believe that in some ways the woman care for her, I am hesitant to crush that belief..."

Adley did not know what to say about that at first. He was right, he thought but what a damnable thing. "Well, there is also the fact that going in there may find her in a difficult situation of seeing some of her...friends and acquaintances attack us, some of them could die. June was perhaps her best friend, but it was very hard for her not to assist her. Yes, June's case was far more sympathetic than say Diego, but there are probably others in there that she has some feelings for that will come out of the woodwork to fight them."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley:

He nodded at that. "Cycle as a whole...we'll talk more about that in time. I wish there was more time now, there never seems to be enough."

"Well you are in the middle of a campaign in a war in a way, so I understand that you do not have time to spend chatting with me...sorry for taking up your time..."
Kyle said then she gave you a bright smile.
"Get out of here, give Larson a kick in the butt from me."

"Pater, that would mean essentially -bringing- them a widderslainte. There has to be some other way, even if it is temporary..." He sounded exasperated.

"I am open to suggestions Adley, but unless your phone trick works we will need a Fallen to open and close that door for us, so unless we manage to capture a Nephandus willing to betray their own Labyrinth, we might have little choice."
The old mage said and sigh.

"It will be hard to get a look at it beforehand, I'd imagine...at least in a way that would allow you to measure it up."

"I know mea filius, we have to play this by ear...I just do not like it, to much is riding on this attack being successful and we have so little to go on..."
Jeffry said sounding frustrated.

"The ritual kicks off with a sacrifice to the strengthen the caul though, which would be better to prevent."

"You do have a good point there...yes we can not allow that to take place, we can not afford to lose a Master of the Art if we can avoid it."
The old mage said and sigh again.
"Sorry I should have thought of that."
He said frustrated with himself and the fatigue that made it hard to keep all the details straight.

"Destroy silence...yes, erasing the meaning of the words..." He shook his head.

Jeffry nodded.
"Everything about the Nephandi is twisted and wrong."
The old mage muttered.

"Hannah of course could not tell me the other name. She did say though that he is not as strong as he was when he...rejected her."

"I suspect that what little is human in that monstrosity is slowly draining away."
Jeffry said sadly.
"However if the Caul is weak it might be easier to destroy but chances are we will have to get to it first."

A frown slowly drew across his face as he listened. "I can't remember if you told me this already and I forgot, or it just..." He shook his head. "There is altogether too much cropping up that involves the damn Tremere." It was another puzzle.

"I told you some of it but not all...and yes I am hearing the word Tremere far more often than I would like, I sincerely hope they are not involved in this whole mess as well."
Jeffry said and sipped his coffee.
"We have more than enough to deal with when it comes to the Nephandi, we do not need another enemy."

"Remember that he may frenzy if you try to unstake him," he said, and then repeated the vampire's instructions to his pater regarding being tied down in chains and so on.

"I am aware of that, securing him will not be and issue, worst case I will hold him down using Ars Auram, I am more concerned with causing the man more pain, he might be a vampire but still I do not like to cause suffering when I can avoid it, and removing the stake and then replacing it...will not be comfortable for him, not that he is not suffering just laying there as it is."
The old mage said.
"But if there is any chance he know something about his kind in Chicago we might have to give it a shot.

"He will also want to know what's happening to Tobias. I imagine it would be hard to suffer the stake again once he finds out his condition," he said sadly. "I do hope that he pulls through."

Jeffry's expression grew dark when the topic went to the young sick Orphan.
"Yes I hope so to...now as for Mr Lenoe he have already asked about the boy, he is conscious in the condition we have been keeping him in and Miss Day have spent some time with him, using eye movements have have been able to ask simple questions, I have not yet told him how serious Tobias' condition is though, however when I do if the vampire want to leave as per our promise to him I will let him leave, but as long as there is any hope for Tobias...it might be a blow he will not recover from if his undead friend go out and get himself killed."
Jeffry said and sigh.
"We are going to have to tell him the boy's condition soon anyway."

Adley did not know what to say about that at first. He was right, he thought but what a damnable thing. "Well, there is also the fact that going in there may find her in a difficult situation of seeing some of her...friends and acquaintances attack us, some of them could die. June was perhaps her best friend, but it was very hard for her not to assist her. Yes, June's case was far more sympathetic than say Diego, but there are probably others in there that she has some feelings for that will come out of the woodwork to fight them."

"Yes I know and that is a concern I also have, though I am more concerned about Miss Larson's reaction once the fighting is done, one thing is killing former allies in a battle where everyone are fighting for their lives, then it is kill or be killed...but afterwards if we take prisoners...that might be hard for her to handle."
Jeffry said and he glanced down into his coffee cup.
"It is easy to forget that she grew up with these Nephandi, they for all intents and purposes are her family."
The old mage said.
"You have spend more time with Miss Larson than me mea filius, if you think it is to big a risk to bring her with us for the strike on the Labyrinth I will follow your advice in that matter, but then having someone who know the layout will also be invaluable."

Colin:

Amadeus nods as you leave the Node chamber.
"Yes Mr King is up in the kitchen now to bring us all some lunch, I am not sure I will be able to get Beatrice to eat though, the only one who have been able to get her to take food since...the ritual is Mr Roth Hicks."
The old mage said in a concerned tone of voice.

Cita nods she hands you your gun and your ammunition before she says.
"Well gentlemen if you excuse me I have to go and check on Tobias, I need to monitor the boy's condition closely."

(OOC: Sorry for the late reply I have been out playing MtG with friends.)

[Warpmind]

((OOC: Not a problem - Sitting hunched over the keyboard all day and checking for updates isn't healthy for anyone, anyway. Need to leave the house now and then, after all. ))

Colin nodded, "Some delicate manipulation may well be called for. Perhaps Mr. Roth Hicks can be available to assist, if necessary. Alternatively... it might be deemed cheating a little, but I don't suppose you'd be able to use a touch of magic to nudge her appetite? They gave me some drugs to that effect once my face was... sufficiently reattached so as to not fall apart from chewing; it might be just the thing she needs."
He shook his head and accepted his gun back, reloading and securing it in his pocket, "Well, it's outside my field of expertise, in any case, and I need to be off. I'll be seeing you later, I expect. Oh, by the way Mi... Cita, you said the Heart's captain would be arriving soon, did you not? When would that likely be? I'm curious, because I did see a fairly large ship arrive today; one of ours, judging by the Mercere walking ashore. Afraid I didn't get too good a look at the rest of the disembarking passengers; I was a bit preoccupied at the time."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Amadeus sigh he glanced towards the Node and his apprentice.
"I am a Master of Mind Mr Wainwright, I can make Beatrice do just about anything I want, I am reluctant to force her though, one of the dilemmas when studying Mind is that one have to be careful not to overstep one's bounds."
The old magus said then he sigh.
"We will have to see, I do assume Mr Roth Hicks will visit her sometime today if time allows perhaps he can get some food into her then, if not then we will see that solutions might be found."
The Verbena said and glanced at your scars for a moment then he sigh.
"Though you might have more experience in handling traumas Mr Wainwright so perhaps I will follow your advice, I just do not want to press her to the point of abusing her."

"The Captain of the Heart will be arriving on Monday, I figured if Boston go down tomorrow we should not bring him down with us, though communicating with him he have offered to help our efforts...but being good friends with the man I am reluctant to put him in harms way, ironic since I made his Avatar into a war ship."
Cita said then she shrugged.
"The ship you saw was not the Heart, it is not a passenger vessel and have not been deployed into regular use yet."
The Virtual Adept added.

[Warpmind]

Colin shook his head, "I'm not talking about controlling her mind; that's cruel even with the best of intentions. I'm talking about giving her appetite, her sense of hunger a little nudge to get back to work, rather like massaging her leg to stimulate the blood flow. Oh, right, derailing from that, I never had the time to tell you before we headed out to save the Umbral port, did I? Miss Ravenblood left a, hm, personal article during her last recreational visit, and she will want it back."
He nodded to Cita, "Monday, right. Oh, I knew the passenger ship couldn't be the Heart; I've seen her, as you know. It's like comparing, oh, a gunship to a 767, really; they both fly, but you would not want to take the 767 into combat..."

[Adley]

"I am open to suggestions Adley, but unless your phone trick works we will need a Fallen to open and close that door for us, so unless we manage to capture a Nephandus willing to betray their own Labyrinth, we might have little choice." The old mage said and sigh.

"We're not even sure what the state of Mr Bachmier is at this point." And June got away, though not for his lack of trying to capture her. He looked somewhat past his mentor, thinking to himself, reminded of a conversation he had with Colin about 'missing pieces.' He felt that way now, as if he had an idea, but wasn't sure how to get it to work, or if it even would or more importantly, if he should, but at some level it seemed to make some sense. "Would it be necessary to have them entirely in the...same area though...what I mean is, what if we could bring their voice there to the gate, their words but not their whole person. Keep them safer, somehow. I wonder if that would work...or if it is similar to the phone."

"I know mea filius, we have to play this by ear...I just do not like it, to much is riding on this attack being successful and we have so little to go on..." Jeffry said sounding frustrated.

"We have more than we did a few hours ago," he said.

"You do have a good point there...yes we can not allow that to take place, we can not afford to lose a Master of the Art if we can avoid it." The old mage said and sigh again. "Sorry I should have thought of that." He said frustrated with himself and the fatigue that made it hard to keep all the details straight.

"I feel like my brain is full...worse than when I was cramming in all the things you taught me in my first year with you...and the consequences are all the worse. That's why I needed to tell you this right now, before something else came up."

"I told you some of it but not all...and yes I am hearing the word Tremere far more often than I would like, I sincerely hope they are not involved in this whole mess as well." Jeffry said and sipped his coffee.

"So some of them escaped...ah, something, not related to this directly. But brought to mind. Remember how I told you Master Nassa was giving Mrs Florentine an odd look? Well, as it happens, he...has an avatar companion that has become curious about her. And not in the way one would expect, but interested. So he's puzzled. I don't mean to spread his business but he was asking about her and I am not at liberty to say as much as he might like. With all the strange things happening lately though I think it bears your knowing about it."

"I am aware of that, securing him will not be and issue, worst case I will hold him down using Ars Auram, I am more concerned with causing the man more pain, he might be a vampire but still I do not like to cause suffering when I can avoid it, and removing the stake and then replacing it...will not be comfortable for him, not that he is not suffering just laying there as it is." The old mage said. "But if there is any chance he know something about his kind in Chicago we might have to give it a shot.

"Yes, it will definitely be painful," he frowned, thinking of his silent screams with a wince. He hadn't had the best shot when he staked him.

Jeffry's expression grew dark when the topic went to the young sick Orphan. "Yes I hope so to...now as for Mr Lenoe he have already asked about the boy, he is conscious in the condition we have been keeping him in...

"I see. Well, then we could ask him if we can unstake him to ask more questions, regarding the Tremere. Ask if he knows about anything in Chicago before resorting to removing it. I doubt he would like it, nor the topic of conversation but the man owes me a favor and if you think it is worth it, then I believe he would keep his word."

"Yes I know and that is a concern I also have, though I am more concerned about Miss Larson's reaction once the fighting is done, one thing is killing former allies in a battle where everyone are fighting for their lives, then it is kill or be killed...but afterwards if we take prisoners...that might be hard for her to handle." Jeffry said and he glanced down into his coffee cup. "It is easy to forget that she grew up with these Nephandi, they for all intents and purposes are her family." The old mage said.

"True. Still, she does know the risk her mother's plan poses. I find though that she might have a hard time dealing with the aftermath, if her reactions to June are anything to go by."

"You have spend more time with Miss Larson than me mea filius, if you think it is to big a risk to bring her with us for the strike on the Labyrinth I will follow your advice in that matter, but then having someone who know the layout will also be invaluable."

Adley sighed. "I must admit that my...judgement is not likely to be clear on this. My instinct to protect people in my care, whether it be simply my own natural tendency or enhanced by the umbrood, it has led me towards some outcomes that I would have rather avoided," he admitted. He didn't like to say he was losing perspective, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't invested in Hannah's well-being now. But it couldn't come above that of the chantry, nor stopping that woman, his own life was not put above that either. "In either event, she can tell us the layout of the place. Cons, if she goes she will be a target, may be used in the ritual, lose what sense of care she had from her mother, destroy her own avatar or have it Fall. She may have to deal with seeing her friends die, and then later have vivid memories to go with that. She is a fail-safe, so if she dies we may harm the caul but as you said, she also may be one of the few bits of light that are left in it...I am still not sure about how to deal with the caul. Cons, if she stays are that she is very strong willed and I am sure she will not -want- to stay, it will be hard to convince her. She is also a capable mage, and has immediate knowledge..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin:

Colin shook his head, "I'm not talking about controlling her mind; that's cruel even with the best of intentions. I'm talking about giving her appetite, her sense of hunger a little nudge to get back to work, rather like massaging her leg to stimulate the blood flow.

"I could possibly do that."
Amadeus said.
"She do need to eat, up until now I have focused on keeping her calm or trying to and helping her deal with the pain she is in. Damn it I hate to see her like this."

Oh, right, derailing from that, I never had the time to tell you before we headed out to save the Umbral port, did I? Miss Ravenblood left a, hm, personal article during her last recreational visit, and she will want it back."

There was not a hint of embarrassment on the old mage's face he simply nodded.
"Ah yes a piece of her undergarments, I will make sure she gets it back Mr Wainwright."
He said an nodded.
"A delightful woman is she not?"

He nodded to Cita, "Monday, right. Oh, I knew the passenger ship couldn't be the Heart; I've seen her, as you know. It's like comparing, oh, a gunship to a 767, really; they both fly, but you would not want to take the 767 into combat..."

"Well if it is the ehm 767 I think it is you are referring to, look like a science fiction space ship? A little flat, looks rather like the shape you get when you fry an egg...yes that one do have weapons but you do not want to take it into combat, it can fight off some Umbroods, a Technocratic war ship though not so much. That ship have been running on a regular schedule between some of the Tradition's most important realms for years."
Cita said then she nodded.
"Yes Monday unless we are going to take him up on his offer to help us in this fight, which like I said I am reluctant to do."

Adley:

"We're not even sure what the state of Mr Bachmier is at this point."

"No we do not, hopefully though he is fine, he do live on Horizon after all, but yes someone could have gone after him that is correct."

And June got away, though not for his lack of trying to capture her. He looked somewhat past his mentor, thinking to himself, reminded of a conversation he had with Colin about 'missing pieces.' He felt that way now, as if he had an idea, but wasn't sure how to get it to work, or if it even would or more importantly, if he should, but at some level it seemed to make some sense. "Would it be necessary to have them entirely in the...same area though...what I mean is, what if we could bring their voice there to the gate, their words but not their whole person. Keep them safer, somehow. I wonder if that would work...or if it is similar to the phone."

"It depends on the Umbrood. Uragi for example would not respond to anything recorded, there need to be a will behind it, I do think he would respond to someone talking over the phone though since then you also get the human component if you will. My little imp is not likely to respond to anything said to him which is not said in person, others might react to a recording just fine. If we are not bringing someone to the location our best shot is to join that space with another location and make a small portal though, just big enough to carry sound, that should work for most Umbrood I think."
Jeffry said as he considered the idea, then he poured himself some more coffee and looked at you to see if you wanted any more.

"We have more than we did a few hours ago," he said.

"That is correct, that we do..."
The old mage said and sigh.
"And every bit of information helps."

"I feel like my brain is full...worse than when I was cramming in all the things you taught me in my first year with you...and the consequences are all the worse. That's why I needed to tell you this right now, before something else came up."

"My mind seam to have gotten to the point where it at times remembers that it is three hundred years old."
Jeffry said with a bit of a wry grin.
"Yes telling me as soon as possible when the information is fresh in your mind was a good idea mea filius."

"So some of them escaped...ah, something, not related to this directly. But brought to mind. Remember how I told you Master Nassa was giving Mrs Florentine an odd look? Well, as it happens, he...has an avatar companion that has become curious about her. And not in the way one would expect, but interested. So he's puzzled. I don't mean to spread his business but he was asking about her and I am not at liberty to say as much as he might like. With all the strange things happening lately though I think it bears your knowing about it."

"Yes some of them escaped, only a handful, but yes some did."
The old mage said then he nodded.
"If Amadeus is a full reincarnation and did nothing to trigger that I almost suspected he had a Avatar companion...that this lesser soul is interested in Miss Florentine though, that is indeed strange."
Jeffry said then he nods.
"Well I do not think it is anything to worry about, but it do add to the long list of strange occurrences lately, what would an small, not fully incarnated Avatar want with a former mage?"

"Yes, it will definitely be painful," he frowned, thinking of his silent screams with a wince. He hadn't had the best shot when he staked him.

"Most Awakened have their weaknesses and most of those weaknesses are painful or traumatic to have exploited, it is as reality try to even things out with those who are blessed with greater power."
Jeffry said and nodded.
"We will try to not cause Mr Lenoe more pain than we have to, but I do believe he would rather hurt, than have Boston and possibly the world destroyed by the Nephandi so we will do what we must."

"I see. Well, then we could ask him if we can unstake him to ask more questions, regarding the Tremere. Ask if he knows about anything in Chicago before resorting to removing it. I doubt he would like it, nor the topic of conversation but the man owes me a favor and if you think it is worth it, then I believe he would keep his word."

"Yes that is a good idea, his communicating with eye movements are likely to be slow but asking if he know something first would spare him pain and us trouble if the answer is no."
Jeffry said as he tapped the top of his coffee cup as he considered.
"We can see if we can wake him to get an answer faster, at least a simple yes or no to whatever or not he have any information to share. I have not spent much time with vampires but from what I have been told, the more in control of themselves and human like they are the easier they are to wake up during the day, since we do need whatever information we can get as quickly we can so waiting five hours for darkness is not ideal."
The old mage commented.

"True. Still, she does know the risk her mother's plan poses. I find though that she might have a hard time dealing with the aftermath, if her reactions to June are anything to go by."

Jeffry nodded he sigh.
"I think I am going to ask Cita to talk with her, she was once a Technocrat."
The old Hermetic said and frowned.
"She have experienced what it is like to suddenly be on another side in this war...to have to fight and kill those who was once her allies and friends, she might have words that can console Miss Larson. But yes this will not be easy for Hannah, I never thought it would, she have grown up with these people, and while we only see Nephandi...monsters, mockery of mages...she see family and friends that she now suddenly have to turn against."

Adley sighed. "I must admit that my...judgement is not likely to be clear on this. My instinct to protect people in my care, whether it be simply my own natural tendency or enhanced by the umbrood, it has led me towards some outcomes that I would have rather avoided," he admitted. He didn't like to say he was losing perspective, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't invested in Hannah's well-being now. But it couldn't come above that of the chantry, nor stopping that woman, his own life was not put above that either.

"It is always a trade off mye filius, I know that when I put together a strike time to take out the Labyrinth, chances are at least a few of those we bring will die, it is a simple truth and I so want to avoid that, I want to protect them all, but if I do, then come Monday we will all be dead anyway...or living in hell literary."
Jeffry said as he looked at you.
"There is often a trade of on what one have to do to keep someone safe...and the desire to keep them safe from all harm."

"In either event, she can tell us the layout of the place. Cons, if she goes she will be a target, may be used in the ritual, lose what sense of care she had from her mother, destroy her own avatar or have it Fall. She may have to deal with seeing her friends die, and then later have vivid memories to go with that. She is a fail-safe, so if she dies we may harm the caul but as you said, she also may be one of the few bits of light that are left in it...I am still not sure about how to deal with the caul.

"She will then be taking part in fighting killing and capturing her friends yes and that might permanently psychologically scar."
Jeffry said in a concerned tone of voice.
"And we might be bringing Larson exactly what she want if we bring Hannah those are indeed concern, and yes she is a fail safe but one to use only if there are no other choice as we do not know how the Caul will react."
The old mage nodded then his expression turned dark.
"We deal with the Caul by getting to it, burning it's flesh and then I or another Master of Spirit rip it's spiritual parts to shreds, that is how you deal with a Caul."

Cons, if she stays are that she is very strong willed and I am sure she will not -want- to stay, it will be hard to convince her. She is also a capable mage, and has immediate knowledge..."

"Yes well, we are going to have a talk with her, the final decision if she stay or go is up to me, but I will let her weigh in on that."
Jeffry said and nodded.
"She can be useful to have on the strike team but there are also dangers to it."

[Adley]

If we are not bringing someone to the location our best shot is to join that space with another location and make a small portal though, just big enough to carry sound, that should work for most Umbrood I think."

"I would guess the trade off there is, depending where the other person is on the other side, if it could be used to track backwards..." He shook his head. "Worth checking out though as a backup, maybe by people that understand these things better than I do. June said she didn't know if it could work, the phone recording." He shook his head at the coffee. "Water, if you have it."

"We will try to not cause Mr Lenoe more pain than we have to, but I do believe he would rather hurt, than have Boston and possibly the world destroyed by the Nephandi so we will do what we must."

"Probably...one has to have a place to spend their undead years, after all."

"We can see if we can wake him to get an answer faster, at least a simple yes or no to whatever or not he have any information to share. I have not spent much time with vampires but from what I have been told, the more in control of themselves and human like they are the easier they are to wake up during the day, since we do need whatever information we can get as quickly we can so waiting five hours for darkness is not ideal."

"True enough."

I think I am going to ask Cita to talk with her, she was once a Technocrat." The old Hermetic said and frowned. "She have experienced what it is like to suddenly be on another side in this war..."

"Perhaps that might help. Then we can have our conversation, see what pans out. I do feel bad for Cita, she's been worked very hard as well. I am quite grateful for her help in all these matters that keep cropping up, all these people that need her care. And I just remembered, her other patients. And there's a plane coming in, the node cleansers...hell...I forgot what with the port." He rubbed his fingers along the bridge of his nose, tiredly. "I feel like there's something else I'm forgetting..."

Jeffry said as he looked at you. "There is often a trade of on what one have to do to keep someone safe...and the desire to keep them safe from all harm."

"You're right, of course." He spread his hands out and then let his arms drop again. "I'm letting you know that it's...well, difficult as you'd expect, I suppose. Or moreso, I am not precisely sure, having no comparison for anything like this week in my experience."

"She will then be taking part in fighting killing and capturing her friends yes and that might permanently psychologically scar."
Jeffry said in a concerned tone of voice.

He nodded at that. "We shall just have to see."

"And we might be bringing Larson exactly what she want if we bring Hannah those are indeed concern, and yes she is a fail safe but one to use only if there are no other choice as we do not know how the Caul will react."

"Yes, I don't like that."

"We deal with the Caul by getting to it, burning it's flesh and then I or another Master of Spirit rip it's spiritual parts to shreds, that is how you deal with a Caul."

"The trick is getting there...Colin's plan might assist...a distraction, someone sneak in another way...I want to talk to him about all this. I wish he was here," he said with a concerned look.

"Yes well, we are going to have a talk with her, the final decision if she stay or go is up to me, but I will let her weigh in on that."
Jeffry said and nodded. "She can be useful to have on the strike team but there are also dangers to it."

He nodded, then sat up as he remembered something. "Bergen's daughter."

[Warpmind]

Colin looked at Amadeus with a complete lack of expression, "I decline to make any statements on Miss Ravenblood that might reach Miss Adelbloom at a time when she may or may not be upset with me."
He nodded to Cita, "That sounds like the ship I saw; a large personnel carrier, minimally armed. A nice enough looking vessel, but hardly built for war."
He shook his head, "But, I have a delivery to receive; I will see you later."
Off to the front door...

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