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

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin bowed politely, "Your ancestry gives you a capricious nature, does it not? Rest well, and I will get started on your horseshoes next week. And thank you for the help."

"Yes it do...I am only fay blooded but still...human society are...difficult mages are easier but still hard to understand...well in either case I must rest yes...I...will get you the specifics for the horse shoes, good day Mr Wainwright."
Mara said, it was clear that spending two and a half hours with someone had worn her own mentally and she quickly walked towards the stairs and the safety and solitude of her chambers.

Then he sighed, and pulled up his phone to call Freddie as he headed for von Hess' apartment, "Freddie? It's Colin... I'm going to ask you for an unpleasant favour... There's a... person I need you to find in the building Miss Bergen is held... A defector from Iteration X. He will be vital for survival today, i fear; I'm going to have a word with the Chief about it as soon as I see him, but I have two other errands to run first... Do you know where he is at the moment?"

"Yes it is me...an unpleasant favor you say?"
Freddy said as she picked up the phone.
"Iteration X defector...why would a defector live so close to a Construct..."
She muttered her voice taking on a hard tone.
"Though I guess it is the last place they would look for someone who have left their ranks, I will see what I can do."
She said and sigh.
"Yeah I just spoke with the Chief, he is in Bergen's cell right now though, it seams him and Adley are going to try to get something out of him again."
Freddy informed you.
"I will get right on looking for that defector but if he have stayed alive and out of the Union's claws he will not exactly be in the phone book, the Technocracy are not kind to defectors."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Thank you... I just had another, hm, memory of the future. I'll tell you all about it later; for now... the ex-agent has numerous Primium implants making him quite resilient to magic - you might be able to locate him by finding a... how to put it... a blind spot in the building."
He sighed, "Well, I have to run - I need to fix me a light bite to eat, too; it's been a few hours since those sandwiches already. Time bubble; you know how that skews everything."
He made his way up to von Hess' apartment and gently knocked on the door. "Miss von Hess? I have a delivery for you..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Another memory? From the same time? You are alright right?"
Freddy asked she sounded worried.
"Hum...you are thinking about scrying on the building...yes I can try to do that, I should go somewhere else than Steelhaven to do so thought in case the Construct discover my rote and track it back here."
The Virtual Adept said.
"Yeah...time bubbels they are a mess but useful at times eh?"

You get to the Von Hess' door and Julia opens the door for you.
"Mr Wainwright..."
She said politely.
"A delivery for me?"

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Immediately prior - perhaps a day or two before the attack, likely no more... An old friend came by for dinner, and to remind me of how I'd told him of, well... how I remembered that future conversation. It's a stable time loop; best not destabilize it."
He pondered, "You know, my dear, you might wish to set up some sort of proxy chain; lag might be an issue, though, but it would be trickier to track."

He smiled and handed over the little pendulum case, "Yes, Mrs. von Hess, the pendulum is finished. I've, ah, left the rest of the spoon in my workshop, for now - I will present you with an invoice once I have the time to note down the actual work... I'm just a little uncertain as to how I should calculate work hours; a time bubble is a funny thing, after all..."

[Adley]

"So you two have come to torture me like Wainwright threatened?" He asked and it was clear he was fighting not to let his fear show. Your mentor gave a slight smile.

"Not quite yet Mr Bergen, for now, we just want to talk..." He said and glanced at you

"Would you like us to? I'm not sure it's worth the bother. After all, a man who thinks that the Nephandi would actually turn their daughter back over unharmed, once they're done using him, doesn't seem smart or important enough to know anything useful that we could gather by a torture session," he said, with a shrug. "But there is always the off-chance that even people down on the bottom rung of the ladder of power have overheard something useful, so here we are..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin

Colin nodded, "Immediately prior - perhaps a day or two before the attack, likely no more... An old friend came by for dinner, and to remind me of how I'd told him of, well... how I remembered that future conversation. It's a stable time loop; best not destabilize it."

"Let me see if I understand you correctly Colin, twenty years from now an old friend of yours come to dinner and tell you about this defector from the Technocracy? Well it is not the strangest thing I have heard but it do rank up there, I will see what I can do love."
Freddy said and sigh.

He pondered, "You know, my dear, you might wish to set up some sort of proxy chain; lag might be an issue, though, but it would be trickier to track."

"Yes I have been considering that, but such a system takes time to set up and there have not been any to spare."
Freddy complained.
"But I will make due somehow."

He smiled and handed over the little pendulum case, "Yes, Mrs. von Hess, the pendulum is finished. I've, ah, left the rest of the spoon in my workshop, for now - I will present you with an invoice once I have the time to note down the actual work... I'm just a little uncertain as to how I should calculate work hours; a time bubble is a funny thing, after all..."

Julia opened the little box and took out the pendulum.
"It is perfect Mr Wainwright."
She said as she tested it's weight.
"I will get the invoice paid as soon as I get it...ah a time bubble I have never been in one."
She said then she asked.
"Would the Chief want me to do the dowsing now? See what I can find out? Is there anything in particular I should look for?"

Adley:

"Would you like us to? I'm not sure it's worth the bother. After all, a man who thinks that the Nephandi would actually turn their daughter back over unharmed, once they're done using him, doesn't seem smart or important enough to know anything useful that we could gather by a torture session," he said, with a shrug.

Anger glowed in Ulv Bergen's eyes.
"I am not saying I know anything but do not take me lightly Roth Hicks."
He hissed.

"But there is always the off-chance that even people down on the bottom rung of the ladder of power have overheard something useful, so here we are..."

"Go screw yourself, both of you!"
Bergen growled.
"Like I told the Orphan, I will not say anything that might endanger my daughter, now get lost!"

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled, "It gets odder than that, dear - in twenty years, an old friend comes over for dinner and reminds me of how I told him about the future conversation with an old friend who saved my life by telling me about the ex-agent in the building on the Chicago operation... It would've been called out as sloppy writing for Doctor Who, even."

Colin shrugged, "You might with to confer with the Chief precisely what you need to scry for first - I believe he is down in the cellars, at one of the makeshift cells, down by the laundry room. There are numerous locations of interest, and I'm not entirely certain as to what gets priority at the moment; I've been out for a... for a little while. If you will excuse me, though, I need to make a couple of minor preparations for myself before I run down to him."

[Adley]

Anger glowed in Ulv Bergen's eyes."I am not saying I know anything but do not take me lightly Roth Hicks."He hissed

Adley gave him a look that indicated he should prove it. The  man had slid very far in his personal reputation and that was even before the truth about Liv had started to become apparent and all his involvement in the avatar eater, vampire blood, trying to kill his brother trifecta. "Is that what you told the others? Not to take you lightly? Was that before or after they put you working under someone else, that by your own reckoning, would not be respectable?"

"Go screw yourself, both of you!" Bergen growled."Like I told the Orphan, I will not say anything that might endanger my daughter, now get lost!"

"Bergen, even you cannot be fool enough to think that the Nephandi would not be endangering your daughter as we speak. Why do you trust them so, rather than that of your cabalmates or those here at the chantry? Did you expect perhaps to find the structure there more egalitarian? That they would respect you better? Come now, we know that's not true, don't we...I hope for your daughter's sake you do."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin:

Colin smiled, "It gets odder than that, dear - in twenty years, an old friend comes over for dinner and reminds me of how I told him about the future conversation with an old friend who saved my life by telling me about the ex-agent in the building on the Chicago operation... It would've been called out as sloppy writing for Doctor Who, even."

"I see, now that odd indeed, but then we are mages odd is what we do."
Freddy said and she sounded a bit amused.
"Who is this old friend? Is it anyone I know?"
She asked.

Colin shrugged, "You might with to confer with the Chief precisely what you need to scry for first - I believe he is down in the cellars, at one of the makeshift cells, down by the laundry room. There are numerous locations of interest, and I'm not entirely certain as to what gets priority at the moment;

"Very well then I will contact Master Morgan and ask him what he want me to scy for and what methods he want me to use, as some give more details, but are more difficult to pull off for example."
Julia said and nodded.

've been out for a... for a little while. If you will excuse me, though, I need to make a couple of minor preparations for myself before I run down to him."

"Off course please forgive me Mr Wainwright I did not mean to keep you."
Julia said nervously she gave a curtsy.
"Thank you for making the pendulum and good day Sir."

Adley:

Adley gave him a look that indicated he should prove it. The man had slid very far in his personal reputation and that was even before the truth about Liv had started to become apparent and all his involvement in the avatar eater, vampire blood, trying to kill his brother trifecta. "Is that what you told the others? Not to take you lightly? Was that before or after they put you working under someone else, that by your own reckoning, would not be respectable?"

"Now I just told them I would do whatever it took to get my daughter back."
The Cultist said, he was clearly quite angry now.
"And one of those I have been set to work under is a Master of the Art."
He said as if to bolster his own importance before he realized what he had just said and just hissed at you.
"Go to hell Roth Hicks."

"Bergen, even you cannot be fool enough to think that the Nephandi would not be endangering your daughter as we speak. Why do you trust them so, rather than that of your cabalmates or those here at the chantry?

"I...do not trust them but they have my daughter what else can I do than do what they say, as long as I work for them at least then they will not harm her as they need her to get me to cooperate."
Bergen said.
"And I do trust my Cabal but I do not see what they can do to help."

Did you expect perhaps to find the structure there more egalitarian? That they would respect you better? Come now, we know that's not true, don't we...I hope for your daughter's sake you do."

"No they do not respect me, they do not respect anyone who are not able to take them down, and as much as I would want to I do not have that kind of power yet. But one of them is a Barrabus from my own Tradition...not the Cult of Ecstasy they are a dime a dozen, all you need to get them to fall is to wave a piece of tight ass in front of them, no I am talking about the Hagalaz, and I trust her when she says that if I cooperate my daughter will not be harmed."
Ulv Bergen said and he sigh, he was clearly worried about his daughter.

[Adley]

"And one of those I have been set to work under is a Master of the Art." He said as if to bolster his own importance before he realized what he had just said and just hissed at you. "Go to hell Roth Hicks.

"-One- of them, hrm? The one that turned your windows to bars, perhaps, to trap you inside? That does not sound like they thought much of you beyond an end result. But the other, they're not a Master of the Art, are they? A hedge wizard, ordering you around?"

"I...do not trust them but they have my daughter what else can I do than do what they say, as long as I work for them at least then they will not harm her as they need her to get me to cooperate." Bergen said. "And I do trust my Cabal but I do not see what they can do to help.

"What else could you have done? Quite a bit, if you want to save her while there is time, then you should talk to us. They're lying to you, Bergen, which should not come at any great surprise. Your cabal may have been able to put some sense in you at least, help you from making this terrible mistake. But you would not let them help, as you're not letting anyone that -can- help you help."

"No they do not respect me, they do not respect anyone who are not able to take them down, and as much as I would want to I do not have that kind of power yet. But one of them is a Barrabus from my own Tradition...not the Cult of Ecstasy they are a dime a dozen, all you need to get them to fall is to wave a piece of tight ass in front of them, no I am talking about the Hagalaz, and I trust her when she says that if I cooperate my daughter will not be harmed."

"They're lying to you. Your trust is a tool for them to get what they want and that is all. Why do you risk them keeping their Word when you know they are agents of destruction? There is too much at risk, isn't there, for you to trust a barrabus."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"-One- of them, hrm? The one that turned your windows to bars, perhaps, to trap you inside? That does not sound like they thought much of you beyond an end result. But the other, they're not a Master of the Art, are they? A hedge wizard, ordering you around?"

"My windows...are protection."
Bergen protected then his eyes narrowed when you mentioned the hedge wizard.
"How do you know about her?"
He asked angrily it was clear that taking orders from a linear mage smarted him to no end.

"What else could you have done? Quite a bit, if you want to save her while there is time, then you should talk to us. They're lying to you, Bergen, which should not come at any great surprise. Your cabal may have been able to put some sense in you at least, help you from making this terrible mistake. But you would not let them help, as you're not letting anyone that -can- help you help."

"I can not take the chance of pissing them of, they are threatening to turn Liv into a vampire, you know what that do to a mage, I can not risk that happening!"
Bergen said he sounded quite upset over it.
"All I can do is follow the orders of the Nephandi and hope they will keep their part of the bargain."

"They're lying to you. Your trust is a tool for them to get what they want and that is all. Why do you risk them keeping their Word when you know they are agents of destruction? There is too much at risk, isn't there, for you to trust a barrabus."

"I...do not know who to trust."
Ulv Bergen finally admitted.
"But at least she is of my Tradition even if she have Fallen surly she have some honor left, and that is the only hope I have to get my child out of this safely."

[Warpmind]

Colin scratched the side of his nose thoughtfully, "You... have met. We haven't technically made friends yet, but I have an obligation toward him. It's Patrick Dale, and I'm still trying to figure out how he can be saved."

Colin smiled and bowed, "Not at all, Mrs. von Hess - the pleasure was mine. Good day to you."
He straightened his cuffs and headed for his own apartment to fetch a quick bite to eat, and to reload his gun, as well as fetch two spare magazines for it.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin scratched the side of his nose thoughtfully, "You... have met. We haven't technically made friends yet, but I have an obligation toward him. It's Patrick Dale, and I'm still trying to figure out how he can be saved."

"Patrick Dale? The little New World Order Barrabus? How on earth can he be alive twenty years from now?"
Freddy asked she sounded quite surprised.
"I mean a Barrabus sent to Horizon, his chances are not exactly good."

Colin smiled and bowed, "Not at all, Mrs. von Hess - the pleasure was mine. Good day to you."

Julia gave you a bright smile before she ducked back into her apartment.

He straightened his cuffs and headed for his own apartment to fetch a quick bite to eat, and to reload his gun, as well as fetch two spare magazines for it.

You get back to your apartment, you find that Freddy have left two of her sandwiches, one with roast beef, the other with peanut butter and jello, wrapped up nicely in your fridge.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Nevertheless... it seems there's a chance he can get off with a branding. I will have to confer with the Chief about that - his importance in the current fight might get him a suspended sentence. But that's neither here nor there - other priorities first."

Colin smiled at the surprising bounty of food, and wolfed the sandwiches down in short order before quickly sorting out the ammunition and heading down to the basement in search of Morgan.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "Nevertheless... it seems there's a chance he can get off with a branding. I will have to confer with the Chief about that - his importance in the current fight might get him a suspended sentence. But that's neither here nor there - other priorities first."

"That is unusual, as far as I know there is only one thing the Traditions do to captured Nephandi, to avoid getting widderslainte, after all most of those are not as nice as Bee."
Freddy said.
"Most of them are little monsters who start out by murdering pets and advance to their siblings...however I guess that if there was some special circumstance it could happen that Dale was spared, I kind of hope so, I hate to think about that kid being..."
The Virtual Adept sigh.
"However yes there are other things that needs worrying about right now."

Colin smiled at the surprising bounty of food, and wolfed the sandwiches down in short order before quickly sorting out the ammunition and heading down to the basement in search of Morgan.

As you leave your apartment you see a tall blond man dressed in jeans and a green polo sweater arguing with a young woman with jaw length, messy blond hair wearing a red and white striped top, a denim skirt and several bracelets on each arm.
"Yes I can do it but it would put you in danger with how deep in a meditation you have to be for me to be able to lead it to the well."
The woman said and the man shrugged.
"I am sure these folks will be able to protect me in the meantime Connie."
The blond woman crossed her arm over her chest and gave her friend and even look.
"Yeah sure but can you trust them?"
She asked.
"We do not know these people other than Cita."
She commented. You have not seen either of the pair before.

[Warpmind]

Colin arched an eyebrow at the couple, "Ah... I don't recognize you, I'm afraid... Welcome to Steelhaven Hall? You are friends of Mistress Telar's?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

The pair turned to look at you and the man gave a elegant bow.
"Ah how rude of me to let you overhear our little disagreement there. My name is Sebastian Norris bani Cult of Ecstasy."
The man said and extended his hand in greeting.
"And this is Connie."
He said indicating his friend.
"Yes Master Telar asked us here to deal with a certain unwanted visitor you seam to be having a trouble getting to the well of souls."
He explained. Connie glanced at you, her eyes where bright blue and there as a strange look in them, as if they where ancient even if the girl herself looked hardly twenty years of age.

[Warpmind]

Colin shook the hand, "Colin Wainwright, resident Orphan, pleasure to meet you. Ah, unwanted visitor... that would be Master Narim's surprise guest? And you are concerned with safety for the duration of guiding it to..."
He gave Connie a puzzled look, "Miss, not to pry, but you aren't precisely... mortal, are you? Ah, not that it is my business; sorry. Hum, if I may offer a suggestion - the safest place to work right now, unless anything significant changed in the past half an hour, might be down by the Node. Not in the chamber itself, but the door is guarded at this time. Extraordinary measures under extraordinary circumstances, I'm sure you understand."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Please to meet you Mr Wainwright."
Sebastian said then he nodded.
"Narim?...oh Master Sharaya yes the entity had taken up residence in his office yes."
He said.
"Well yes I am not so concerned but Connie is, I need to go into a very deep trance for her to be able to guide the last Avatar to the Well of Souls, and she fear that in such a vulnerable state something might happen to me, I however say if one can not trust one's fellow Traditionalists then who can one trust."
Sebastian gave a bit of a grin and Connie scowled at him.

Connie looks at you and smiles.
"No I am not precisely mortal."
She said as she regarded you with those ancient blue eyes.
"Hum...someplace guarded would probably solve the problem of safety."
Sebastian said, though Connie still looked skeptical.
"However I would not even go near a Chantry's node without permission, I guess I will have to take this matter to one of your honored Deacons."

[Warpmind]

Colin sighed, "I'm really, really sorry to say this, but today it is necessary to give Connie the right of it. We have a... compromised member under lock and key; in fact, I believe our Chief of Security is with him for interrogation right now, and I was headed down there, myself. If you would like to follow me, I'm sure we could arrange something with his help... And as a point of interest, due to recent events, how near is 'near a node' anyways? If a certain legal shenigatrix' interpretation is to be applied, you were 'near' it once you reached the building..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Connie nodded and gave Sebastian a told you so look.
"You are always to trusting."
She complained and the Cultist sigh.
"Thank you if you would show the way Mr Wainwright."
Sebastian said, ignoring Connie's comment.
"However are you sure that is ok, if Master Morgan is indeed interrogating a prisoner I would not want to disturb or go places where I might overhear something I should not."
The Cultist said politely.
"What I mean by near a Node is I would not go so close to one that it's owners would get nervous that I might try to steal from it, a bit like not rummaging around in the drawer that holds the good silver cutlery when visiting the house of a friend of a friend for the first time, even if you might not have ill intent, a unfortunate situation can quickly arise from things like that."
He explained
"So it have less to do with legality and more to do with being in a Chantry where I know no one other than Miss Telar and not wanting to give anyone the desire to toss fireballs at me due to misunderstandings, as none need that sort of mess."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "I'm sure I could leave you waiting at the stairwell, rather than bring you all the way in. The node is behind closed doors, in any case; a cozy, secluded chamber. In any case, considering the circumstances, I'm sure it shouldn't be much of a problem. But yes, I certainly see the apprehension."
He smiled, leading the two down the stairs, "So, if I understand correctly, the two of you are, hm, Ghostbusters, then?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Hum...I could wait at the stairwell yes, that would probably be far more polite and less imposing."
Sebastian agreed.
"I am sure your Node is very nice yes."
He commented to what you said about it being in a cozy, secluded chamber.
"I know that with all that is happening here, and I probably know only a fraction of it, there are bound to be some nerves and there will easily be misunderstandings, I prefer to be cautious."
Sebastian said and nodded then he and Connie walked with you towards the stairs down into the basement.
"Ghostbusters? But then if this was a ghost, your students of Spirit should have no problem with it now should you."
Connie said and shrugged.
"Cita called me in since we are...uniquely equipped to deal with a Avatar who have become stuck on our plane of existence after the death of the host, unlike an Umbrood or a ghost such a being are extremely difficult to communicate with, they are so far beyond us in understanding, they generally need a host to be able to interact with the world at all. Connie can talk with it though and lead it where it have to go, it will create a widderslainte off course when it is reborn, but there is nothing that can be done about that now, to attack it as it is now...well let us just say that without being bound by a host an Avatar can be difficult to deal with, and you can not just leave it here in incarnate reality either, it could become a walk in or continue to cause trouble or in other ways become a menace to everyone around it."
Sebastian said as he walked.

[Adley]

"Your windows are protection? Against what? If that beast had loosened in your room it would have been quite inconvenient to have those windows treated so...but they make good insurance against you running away before you made good. You can't really think they were protection, Bergen..."

How do you know about her?" He asked angrily it was clear that taking orders from a linear mage smarted him to no end.

It was a female, then...he ran through the list of the hedge wizards that he knew of that would fit that to start off, though it did not narrow it down completely.  Of the regular chantry members there was Mrs VonHess, there was Master Steelhaven's assistant. Unlikely to be Mrs Day, powerful as she was, given she'd stopped him from getting to the vampire. Then there were the new people...it could not be the node cleansers, they were not there yet. Of those there was Mrs Jennings and Mrs Nilwater, of his own House. He tried to think who he was overlooking that had been in and out lately. "A better question is why did you let her order you around? Do all the important, integral work? Are you familiar with the term patsy?" He looked at him. "She must be quite powerful, stronger than you. Talented."

"I can not take the chance of pissing them of, they are threatening to turn Liv into a vampire, you know what that do to a mage, I can not risk that happening!" Bergen said he sounded quite upset over it. "All I can do is follow the orders of the Nephandi and hope they will keep their part of the bargain."

"Are you under a rote that if you speak or break this order, they will know you have told us something?" he asked. "If yes, blink three times."

"I...do not know who to trust." Ulv Bergen finally admitted. "But at least she is of my Tradition even if she have Fallen surly she have some honor left, and that is the only hope I have to get my child out of this safely."

"She is a Nephandus that has gone through the caul, who is actively working with them. Her loyalty is to destroying the world, Bergen, not to your Tradition any longer. She is using that tie. How can you say she has any honor when she is threatening your daughter with becoming a vampire? Why put your hopes on them and not those that actually give a shit about keeping your daughter's avatar from that horrid fate? I may not like you Bergen and I don't expect you to like me but I do care about keeping your daughter from being turned into a vampire. Flambeau are good friends and bad enemies - why bank on honor you think might be left in a Fallen Nephandi dedicated to her cause rather than us? Was she someone you knew before? Your mentor perhaps?" He waited a beat for any recognition or reaction, then added, "Is it your daughter's mother?"

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded thoughtfully, "Better safe than sorry, true."
He grinned, "I don't pretend to understand that aspect of magic at all... Anything without senses or thoughts, yes, but living creatures or spirits? I'm as capable as the average Sleeper. I guess the Ghostbusters were a poor comparison if your procedure is more along the lines of catch and release. I don't suppose you could add some way to track the Avatar for its eventual reincarnation, though?"

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