Re: Plans, Twisted Souls and Old Memories IC Thread 15

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin shook his head, "It's not about the access to more guards... The ship felt... I'm not sure how to express it properly, perhaps, but the ship felt as though there's only a given number of people it can support for extended periods of time - sort of like a mundane submarine. Too many people on board, and you get all sorts of problems like food and air supplies, cabin fever and the like, and I really don't think the Fallen are better at keeping the latter in check than highly trained military personnel.

"The Nephandi have have magick something that can fix allot of problems a mundane highly trained military personnel can not, if you lack air, you can create it, if you look food or water you can create it or make yourself not need it, there is allot of things that can be done if you need more people in a confined space."
Ingmar said and shrugged.

The Battlecruisers didn't... ehh... I can't be completely certain, but it didn't seem like it had the accomodations for long-term occupancy by large numbers of people, like for instance a hangar ship does. I'll admit, I could be wrong about that..."

"How much of the ship did you see Mr Wainwright? I hear the things are huge, there might not be living quarters and ehm...handlers as you called them on the same level, that do not mean they are not there. Now no one know much about these ships so you may be right, I am just saying it might not be wise to spread this information around."

He nodded, "I can't deny that possibility, but... on that sort of scale, there's the matter of logistics and maintenance to contend with. And even for Mages, that's a lot of extra work for extremely unlikely scenarios - I quite literally get in by accident."

"It would not be an extremely unlikely scenario if they know you are coming, if they hear about this Traditionalist talking about visions about sneaking on board one of their ships during a siege on Horizon, I bet that if such a siege takes place then they will be ready for it."

He grinned, "I suppose I could spend some time working on our wedding rings; can't think of a much more powerful and personal link than that..."

"That should work love...but please no diamonds, I hate that bloody Bears company, so if you have to use a diamond at least have it be a lab grown one, or use some sort of other stone, other than that I leave it up to you."
Freddy said and looked at you fondly. Ingmar raised an eyebrow at the talk about marriage.
"You are not wasting any time are you Mr Wainwright."
He said.

He grinned, "A lot of energy, true, but relatively rarely in the approximate form of a bouncing ball - trailing ribbons, flowing clouds, even the feel of a precursor to a thunderstorm, but the feel of a playful bouncing ball seems a bit more peculiar."

"Bea have said she feels that presence as well, a playful ball of energy and I do think that is one of the Chief's imps though I am not sure, I have seen them and Poodle in particular is very playful, almost childlike, he is quite adorable really."
Ingmar said and nodded.

He chuckled softly, "Well, mr. Rush, it seems we both should have grounds for concern, then. I for what your Cabal may decide to do to me if I don't quite meet whatever standards you have in place, and you for what Freddy will do in retribution."

"Well that will be a fun dinner."
The Verbena said sarcastically. Freddy just grinned.

He turned serious, then, and lowered his voice, "But a fair warning, mr. Rush, after what I've been through, there's very little left that has even a chance at scaring me. I've taken military rocketry to the face and lived to tell the tale. I've had my Avatar directly attacked, and come out stronger than before. I would rather not regale other Mages with such tales over dinner, but if pressed... I just might share those experiences."

"Threats and scaring someone is pointless, I will do what I have to in order to protect my Cabal Mr Wainwright just as I imagine you would do to protect yours. I do suspect that I am going to find you to be a good man though, Bea is quite fond of you and Freddy is not a fool there is a reason why she like you, but I am going to damn well make sure you have the right intentions with her."
Ingmar said calmly.

He lit up again with a smile, gently stroking a hand over Freddy's neck, "But, we're all friends here, and very much fond of Freddy, aren't we?"

Freddy gave both you and Ingmar a scowl and the Verbena grinned.
"We are and yes we are both fond of Freddy and if you treat her right Mr Wainwright we will have no problems."

He nodded, "I need to explain things to Adley first... I'll send in him or Master Telar afterwards. Because you do need to know this..."

"Very well I will be here with Beatrice in the meantime."
Amadeus said and nodded though he looked like he wanted to ask more.

[Adley]

I was told the name of the Japanese woman, she is head of security and her name is Mysaki Mori...or I guess it is the other way around since she is Japanese, Wallace Jace is the second in command, Lisa Larson is the Labyrinth leader. Andy have not told me his real name, but he is Hermetic...or was Hermetic I guess is a better way to put it and you know how they are..."Ehm sorry, I did not mean that to sound negative. I know some of those in the Labyrinth though but I do not know if it would be right to just give you a list...some have names in the Drangon's Tongue, I do not think you can pronounce that.""

"I see, well I am not offended by what you said. Do you happen to know what type of Hermetic Andy was before he became barrabus?"

"That is better than Gilgul!" Cadence muttered sounding terrified. "I...do not want anyone else to be destroyed or the world. I want to seek oblivion but that do not mean I want to drag others with me...and my Cabal and my Mentor and my old parents...I..."
The young Nephandus looked shamefully down. "B...but I am scarred, I really, really do not want to get...Gilgulled..."

"I understand you are afraid, Mrs Getwater," he said after a moment. "but your former cabal and mentor, your parents...these people do not deserve whatever that woman wishes to unleash. Please...can you help save the world for them? For all the people that you love and all the people that don't even know what is going on, but are sleeping. And for all the people you would spare from what the Nephandi have done to coerce you into their cauls..."

Later:

"I know and I feel responsible for what happened with the Mercere...Master Nassa had asked Tane to keep guard for a while and so he decided not to let me in to check on Bee when I came down to do so and talked me into letting him check on her instead, that is when the unfortunate incident with the Red Caps happened...I should have insisted."

"Well, I have talked with him about it a little and so shall Colin but..." He shook his head. "Mr Karyak did not seem very concerned for their welfare other than to tell me he thought that Master Nassa was going to help somehow, though he did not see them and I did - not that I want him to be able to go near them, it would stir bad memories for them."

"Tane is...talented but he is rash and he often do not think...Tane get an idea in his head and ignore anything that do not fit with what he want, he is a good kid though, he means well."

"That seems to be my assessment as well, I do hope we don't have any more trouble and Colin can get through to him. I tried, but I don't know how successful I was honestly."

Colin nodded, "As Cita examined my Avatar, I had two visions... two memories. The first was coming out of the egg on weak and wobbly legs, and picking the name Heylel Teomim before passing out on the bloody cold stone floor in Julius de Medici's laboratory. And for all he is lauded as an unparallelled genius... He shook his head, "But, no time for reminiscing about people half a millennium past..."

Adley listened with a rather wide-eyed look and then seemed uncertain, as if he were slightly embarrassed but also confused at being called adorable and also having a hard time processing everything by this point. These last few days were enough to give anyone an identity crisis. Or more than one. "Amicus that is..." he shook his head. "I know we...but..." He sighed and put his hands on his knees. "Well, alright, but what about the danger to both of you? And forgive me Master, but if we are going to do something so delicate, on this little rest and in the situation we're in...we would need some safeguards."

// well I know, if I did post ten times it was because I was up anyhow and it provided a good distraction! But thanks, both of you, working on getting better. Just let's all hope the allergy-reaction stops at what it's got up to already.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane's apartment:

"I see, well I am not offended by what you said. Do you happen to know what type of Hermetic Andy was before he became barrabus?"

"He said he was House Bonisagus but a sub House within that started by someone he called Lady Trianoma or something like that."
She said. You know that within House Bonisagus there are a group called the Trianomae who are far more politically active than the scholarly House usually are. Some say that Lady Trianoma, sometimes referred to as Trianoma the Founder was Bonisagus' apprentice, some that she was his friend and partner, what all agree on is that there would be no Order of Hermes without her. Bonisagus provided the spells and the vision to make the fragmented leftovers of the Cult of Mercury and other magi band together during the Hermetic First Tribunal, but it was Trianoma's politics that made it all organized.

"I understand you are afraid, Mrs Getwater," he said after a moment. "but your former cabal and mentor, your parents...these people do not deserve whatever that woman wishes to unleash. Please...can you help save the world for them? For all the people that you love and all the people that don't even know what is going on, but are sleeping. And for all the people you would spare from what the Nephandi have done to coerce you into their cauls..."

"I...but my first duty as a mage is to protect my Avatar...even if I failed to do that when I Fell..."
Cadence said softly and for a while she just stared down into the old, worn carpet then finally she nodded.
"O...ok...I will answer what questions I can, I doubt anyone can stop what Larson have planned though."
She said and she seamed so sad and scarred.

Later:

"Well, I have talked with him about it a little and so shall Colin but..." He shook his head. "Mr Karyak did not seem very concerned for their welfare other than to tell me he thought that Master Nassa was going to help somehow, though he did not see them and I did - not that I want him to be able to go near them, it would stir bad memories for them."

"And there again we have Tane hearing something he likes and then sprinting off at a thousand miles an hours, not hearing the ifs and buts. There is something that might...and I do stress might help Susannah Florentine, it would be experimental, it might be dangerous and I do not even know if it is possible. It is for Master Nassa to share the exact details, but we are not even into the pace of testing if the theory have merit and Tane takes it as a done deal."
Cita said and shook her head.
"I do not know if he cares about the Mercere, it might be hard for someone like him to relate to someone who have been...well it is hard for all of us I guess. He did make some inappropriate comments about Mr Gregario but other than that I do not know what he feel about them, and no I do not think he should be interacting with them now...it would not be wise..."
Cita said and sigh.

"That seems to be my assessment as well, I do hope we don't have any more trouble and Colin can get through to him. I tried, but I don't know how successful I was honestly."

"I have tried and Miss Day who he have befriended have tried, but the young man is stubborn and convinced he is right and that if something do not bend to his liking then just keep hitting it until it do. I have seen a few Adepts like that, who struggle against our laws, ignore them, rage and get themselves burned in the process, I hope that do not happen to Tane, he could get better than me than healing Avatars one day, if he calms down and learns to listen. I have tried to tell him how I fight against the duel form of my Tradition, I...hate it..."
Cita's eyes darkened for a moment.
"But change will not happen from me beating my head against a wall, change takes time and one have to work within the system...or one have to take the path of the Adepts as we left the Union, but that exodus came with a heavy price...we where weight hundred when we left the Technocracy, and two hundred when we accepted Primus Spence's amnesty..."
The Virtual Adept said and looked as if the topic stirred up bad memories.

Or more than one. "Amicus that is..." he shook his head. "I know we...but..." He sighed and put his hands on his knees. "Well, alright, but what about the danger to both of you? And forgive me Master, but if we are going to do something so delicate, on this little rest and in the situation we're in...we would need some safeguards."

"I can not veryfy the accuracy of Mr Wainwright's throwback visions but my findings do fit, he have the most complex shard cluster I have seen and at the center of it sit a large shard, large enough to have some consciousness of it's own, the shard ended up as well...a shard not from an accident or vampire contamination but through a Gilgul, one done in a brutal, but powerful way, the wound patterns are deep and very precise...that is as much as I can confirm or not about the matter."
Cita said.
"You are however right, the risks are significant to say the least...what safeguards do you suggjest Mr Roth Hicks."

(OOC: Allergy is always so fun, I am going to a Christmas party next week and I always have to nom allergy medication before I go and I will still end up affected by it, there is processed sugar is everything. Gaming can be a fun distraction I have a problem with anxiety especially at night and when I wake in the middle of the night I often end up answering posts as a distraction before I get it under control and can go to bed again, or when I just can't sleep or the cat decide to keep me and my husband up. I do hope you get better soon though.)

[Adley]

"He said he was House Bonisagus but a sub House within that started by someone he called Lady Trianoma or something like that."
She said. You know that within House Bonisagus there are a group called the Trianomae who are far more politically active than the scholarly House usually are. Some say that Lady Trianoma, sometimes referred to as Trianoma the Founder was Bonisagus' apprentice, some that she was his friend and partner, what all agree on is that there would be no Order of Hermes without her. Bonisagus provided the spells and the vision to make the fragmented leftovers of the Cult of Mercury and other magi band together during the Hermetic First Tribunal, but it was Trianoma's politics that made it all organized.

"Hmm...well you certainly are well read in Hermetic organization. But that does answer my question, so thank you."

"O...ok...I will answer what questions I can, I doubt anyone can stop what Larson have planned though." She said and she seamed so sad and scarred.

"Well, with your help perhaps we can, Mrs. Why don't we start with how many active Nephandi there are that you know of, incidences of recruitment like what happened with you...maybe talk about what you know about the Labyrinth itself."

Later:

"And there again we have Tane hearing something he likes and then sprinting off at a thousand miles an hours, not hearing the ifs and buts. There is something that might...and I do stress might help Susannah Florentine, it would be experimental, it might be dangerous and I do not even know if it is possible. It is for Master Nassa to share the exact details, but we are not even into the pace of testing if the theory have merit and Tane takes it as a done deal."

Adley frowned.

"I do not know if he cares about the Mercere, it might be hard for someone like him to relate to someone who have been...well it is hard for all of us I guess. He did make some inappropriate comments about Mr Gregario but other than that I do not know what he feel about them, and no I do not think he should be interacting with them now...it would not be wise..."

"Perhaps I should not say he doesn't care then but perhaps he sees her healing as a 'done deal,' as you said. And then went onto the next thing. Either way, it has had disastrous consequences." He sighed.

"I have tried and Miss Day who he have befriended have tried, but the young man is stubborn and convinced he is right and that if something do not bend to his liking then just keep hitting it until it do. I have seen a few Adepts like that, who struggle against our laws, ignore them, rage and get themselves burned in the process, I hope that do not happen to Tane, he could get better than me than healing Avatars one day, if he calms down and learns to listen. I have tried to tell him how I fight against the duel form of my Tradition, I...hate it..." Cita's eyes darkened for a moment. "But change will not happen from me beating my head against a wall, change takes time and one have to work within the system...or one have to take the path of the Adepts as we left the Union, but that exodus came with a heavy price...we where weight hundred when we left the Technocracy, and two hundred when we accepted Primus Spence's amnesty..."

"That is not good to hear...this will have to be spoken about when there is more time, but I am concerned."

"I can not veryfy the accuracy of Mr Wainwright's throwback visions but my findings do fit, he have the most complex shard cluster I have seen and at the center of it sit a large shard, large enough to have some consciousness of it's own, the shard ended up as well...a shard not from an accident or vampire contamination but through a Gilgul, one done in a brutal, but powerful way, the wound patterns are deep and very precise...that is as much as I can confirm or not about the matter."

He listened and then glanced at Colin again. "I see...yes that does fit with some things that I have been told."

Cita said. "You are however right, the risks are significant to say the least...what safeguards do you suggjest Mr Roth Hicks."

He spread his hands. "I am not sure...but the issues as I see them besides Bee's general weakness and our current levels of exhaustion, which should be considered, are that his avatar would try to pull more from the avatars in the area, or that some of the shards in the collection try to hitch a ride while such a thing is going on...and it might take some other strange actions that we just cannot foresee easily. Now, granted it seems to not want to absorb them, so that is good. But the other issue is that a wrong move could break Bee's avatar in its current state, though this danger is not any different than any other work done on her. Plus they will be vulnerable while this is going on, so we should have someone who can watch us and protect us. There is a spirit that is currently with Beatrice that has not yet been allowed to complete its duties, if we intend on telling her any of things in depth that we wish to keep close, I suggest we consider allowing the spirit to have completed its duties, with the Chief's input, or be careful what we discuss in front of it," he reminded them.

[Warpmind]

"The Nephandi have have magick something that can fix allot of problems a mundane highly trained military personnel can not, if you lack air, you can create it, if you look food or water you can create it or make yourself not need it, there is allot of things that can be done if you need more people in a confined space."

Colin nodded, "This is true, but the most important thing with such a confined space is personal space. Cabin fever is an ugly, ugly thing..."

"How much of the ship did you see Mr Wainwright? I hear the things are huge, there might not be living quarters and ehm...handlers as you called them on the same level, that do not mean they are not there. Now no one know much about these ships so you may be right, I am just saying it might not be wise to spread this information around."

"Personally? A little bit. But there was a map. The room locations and relative sizes were... not what I would consider indicative of bunks for large numbers of guards. However, your concern and criticism is justified, and I will keep it in mind..."

"It would not be an extremely unlikely scenario if they know you are coming, if they hear about this Traditionalist talking about visions about sneaking on board one of their ships during a siege on Horizon, I bet that if such a siege takes place then they will be ready for it."

He nodded, "True, but there were three of those polyps... A single one might have augmented defenses, but multiple ships... perhaps, perhaps not. Still, you're right; caution is very reasonable."

"That should work love...but please no diamonds, I hate that bloody Bears company, so if you have to use a diamond at least have it be a lab grown one, or use some sort of other stone, other than that I leave it up to you."

Colin grinned, "deBeers is not so powerful anymore, but their business practices have a strong hold still... For you, I was actually thinking emerald. Or possibly some green jade for embellishment."

"You are not wasting any time are you Mr Wainwright."

"Why would I? For matters of life and death, it's always good to come up with plans, contingencies and adjustable concepts well in advance."

"Well that will be a fun dinner."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be as bad as all that; I mean, I will probably be inviting Freddy's uncle, as well as Chief Morgan's counterpart at Morgningstar Chantry. If they decide to get involved in the talk, at least we should be guaranteed it won't be boring. And on the off chance that boredom should happen, we could always invite the two Marauders in the cellars to join us."

"Threats and scaring someone is pointless, I will do what I have to in order to protect my Cabal Mr Wainwright just as I imagine you would do to protect yours. I do suspect that I am going to find you to be a good man though, Bea is quite fond of you and Freddy is not a fool there is a reason why she like you, but I am going to damn well make sure you have the right intentions with her."

Colin's eyes softened visibly as he nodded, "That's quite agreeable. If anything, I might worry you deem me too compassionate..."

"Well, alright, but what about the danger to both of you? And forgive me Master, but if we are going to do something so delicate, on this little rest and in the situation we're in...we would need some safeguards."

"I am not sure...but the issues as I see them besides Bee's general weakness and our current levels of exhaustion, which should be considered, are that his avatar would try to pull more from the avatars in the area, or that some of the shards in the collection try to hitch a ride while such a thing is going on...and it might take some other strange actions that we just cannot foresee easily.

Plus they will be vulnerable while this is going on, so we should have someone who can watch us and protect us.

Colin nodded, "I don't think my Avatar will try to suck in more from the Avatars in the area - it doesn't seem to want to touch any intact Avatars, only... rifling through loose change. Though it seems it might look at... inverted Avatars as broken and fragmented like that, and that makes Fallen Avatars fearful. While I doubt mine would try to go for more pieces of Beatrice's old angel, and I really doubt any of the other fragments would be willing and able to get loose from the cluster they're already in, I am worried my presence might frighten Beatrice... I'm hoping Mia will want to keep that aspect at bay for her daughter, as it is. It seems the best chance to get Beatrice back on her feet soon... As for us being vulnerable throughout the operation, I believe Master Nassa can be quite capable of standing guard - in fact, I can think of none more eminently suited at hand - and you will probably be best suited to stay with Beatrice to calm her."

There is a spirit that is currently with Beatrice that has not yet been allowed to complete its duties, if we intend on telling her any of things in depth that we wish to keep close, I suggest we consider allowing the spirit to have completed its duties, with the Chief's input, or be careful what we discuss in front of it,

He arched an eyebrow, "What manner of spirit is that?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane's apartment:

"Hmm...well you certainly are well read in Hermetic organization. But that does answer my question, so thank you."

Cadence look at you a little confused then she nodded.
"Ok you are welcome I guess."

"Well, with your help perhaps we can, Mrs. Why don't we start with how many active Nephandi there are that you know of, incidences of recruitment like what happened with you...maybe talk about what you know about the Labyrinth itself."

"The numbers have gone up and down a bit, we where twenty nine last week but we have lost some and then reinforcements have come from Chicago so twenty something. Well there was a Technocrat boy that was recruited recently and Larson was trying to bring in a reluctant widderslainte boy...I have heard some rumors of someone trying to recruit an Orphan in town but I do not know who it is..."
Cadence looked at you she did not look like she believed that Lisa Larson's plan could be stopped.
"Well the Labyrinth is party in the Umbra, there are two gateways into it in Boston, and it is well a labyrinth, rooms laid out in a way to make it hard to navigate, the walls are stone and flesh...it is not really a nice place to be."

Later:

"Perhaps I should not say he doesn't care then but perhaps he sees her healing as a 'done deal,' as you said. And then went onto the next thing. Either way, it has had disastrous consequences." He sighed.

"Yes and the problem is that he seams to think that if that thing that Master Nassa might elaborate on where to work then Susannah will be fine as if by magick...well...it will be by magick but you get my point, however she will not be fine, not right away, perhaps never she have been through absolute hell, it will take time and careful support for her to recover, she will get a better chance that is all...as for Mr Gregario though, Tane do seam to distrust him and I do not know why, the man have never done anything to warrant suspicion."
Cita said and frowned.
"I will do what I can to keep Tane away from the Mercere but...it is hard to stop him you know without actually hurting him and literary stopping him when he decide to do something, he will seldom listen to reason."

"That is not good to hear...this will have to be spoken about when there is more time, but I am concerned."

"I am concerned as well, Tane have greatness in him but he is...immature and I fear he will step seriously wrong before he learn the maturity needed to see the paths he needs to take to accomplish his goals."

He spread his hands. "I am not sure...but the issues as I see them besides Bee's general weakness and our current levels of exhaustion, which should be considered, are that his avatar would try to pull more from the avatars in the area, or that some of the shards in the collection try to hitch a ride while such a thing is going on...and it might take some other strange actions that we just cannot foresee easily.

"Some of those concerns are troubling and some are not Mr Roth Hicks. Once shards have merged into a shard collective that is it, they do not leave the collective and hitch rides with other Avatars so that will not happen, the two shards that comes from your Cabalmate is not part of the collective, they are being held by the central chard but have not been assimilated. Now however there is a risk that Mr Wainwright's Avatar will see Bee's wounded soul not as a Avatar it recognizes but as a collection of shards ripe for consumption...I however do not think that the shard collective pose a risk to Beatrice even if it decide to consume her, that do not mean it can, her Avatar is not a shard, the bigger danger however is that her soul might sense the intent and become terrified which again will harm Beatrice."

Now, granted it seems to not want to absorb them, so that is good. But the other issue is that a wrong move could break Bee's avatar in its current state, though this danger is not any different than any other work done on her.

"This is correct, put bluntly if I do any work on Beatrice's Avatar and I screw up I will be Gilgulling her, her should will shatter as a crystal glass dropped onto pavement, however if we do nothing and Bee dies from exhaustion, which is a very, very real risk her weakened soul will not survive an attempt at reincarnation. This operation unless Mr Wainwright's central shard somehow manage to do the merging seamlessly will be highly risky and...very, very painful, as you Cabalmate here probably well knows, a skin graft even if it is your own skin, still hurt, well this is much more than skin."
Cita said in a serious tone of voice.
"Which is why we can not decide to do this, Master Nasse speaks for the well being of his student, it will be his call. I do have enough confidence that this could work, that I am willing to do the operation."

Plus they will be vulnerable while this is going on, so we should have someone who can watch us and protect us.

"This I agree with, but we should not trust to many others with Mr Wainwright's secret."

There is a spirit that is currently with Beatrice that has not yet been allowed to complete its duties, if we intend on telling her any of things in depth that we wish to keep close, I suggest we consider allowing the spirit to have completed its duties, with the Chief's input, or be careful what we discuss in front of it," he reminded them.

"I am not sure if Bee can process...all of this and the ramifications right now and it is not something we should burden her with, we should not lie, but I do not think we should dump all of it on her before she is ready to process it."
Cita warned.
"I have gotten notifications about that Umbrood, a High Umbral nobleman, he watches my notifications say."
She said and raised an eyebrow.
"Beatrice seams calmed by his presence."

(OOC: Cadence did not say those things about Trianoma, she only said that Andy had mentioned being from a lineage so called, the rest was not spoken but was me informing you what Adley knew about that sub house, since he is well read on Hermetic organization and history, something Cadence is not.)

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "This is true, but the most important thing with such a confined space is personal space. Cabin fever is an ugly, ugly thing..."

"Yes that is true but that do not mean they will not add more pepole for shorter missions, or if you saw few Nephandi that means there where still plenty of room to fit allot more, not to mention they can make golems, have spirits fight for them and have other defenses that do not get such psychological issues."
Ingmar said.

"Personally? A little bit. But there was a map. The room locations and relative sizes were... not what I would consider indicative of bunks for large numbers of guards. However, your concern and criticism is justified, and I will keep it in mind..."

"I am just concerned Mr Wainwright, if they know a attack is coming it makes sense that they would try to stop that, hell just placing two armed guards inside the room with this handler at all times should be enough to foil your plan."
The Verbena said and nodded.

He nodded, "True, but there were three of those polyps... A single one might have augmented defenses, but multiple ships... perhaps, perhaps not. Still, you're right; caution is very reasonable."

"It do not take that much resources to put up extra wards, summon sprits, make traps given time to prepare they could secure their ships allot better, from what you describe it more sound like they do not have such security measures since they never thought it possible one man would infiltrate them...if they begin to think that a possibility, even a remote possibility...well you have to ask yourself what would the Chief do if he heard about a remote threat..."

Colin grinned, "deBeers is not so powerful anymore, but their business practices have a strong hold still... For you, I was actually thinking emerald. Or possibly some green jade for embellishment."

"Oh yes...I would like that, something green, though to be honest the stone itself do not matter, I just do not want a ring a kid have lost a finger some way down the process of getting the materials."
Freddy said and leaned her head against you.

"Why would I? For matters of life and death, it's always good to come up with plans, contingencies and adjustable concepts well in advance."

"I see, and you are prepared to make that commitment to Freddy, to love and protect her, and if the relationship should go to hell to not be an asshole but still respect her?"
Ingmar asked you with a serious look in his eyes and Freddy scowled at him again.
"Ing you just can not ask people things like that!"

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be as bad as all that; I mean, I will probably be inviting Freddy's uncle, as well as Chief Morgan's counterpart at Morgningstar Chantry. If they decide to get involved in the talk, at least we should be guaranteed it won't be boring. And on the off chance that boredom should happen, we could always invite the two Marauders in the cellars to join us."

"Ehm...I was thinking about the dinner between me, my Cabalmates and yourself, not your victory celebration, I am not sure I would want half the mages in two ciities involved in discussing whatever or not you will be good enough for Freddy to get our approval."
Ingmar said and raised an eyebrow. Freddy glanced at you.
"It will be very illegal if I strangle him right?"

Colin's eyes softened visibly as he nodded, "That's quite agreeable. If anything, I might worry you deem me too compassionate..."

"Hum..." Ingmar said and nodded. "We will see Mr Wainwright, we will see."

[Adley]

I have heard some rumors of someone trying to recruit an Orphan in town but I do not know who it is..." Cadence looked at you she did not look like she believed that Lisa Larson's plan could be stopped. "Well the Labyrinth is party in the Umbra, there are two gateways into it in Boston, and it is well a labyrinth, rooms laid out in a way to make it hard to navigate, the walls are stone and flesh...it is not really a nice place to be."

"I see, yes I understand that the place is a labyrinth. You must have been able to navigate it though, do you think you would be able to tell us the layout of it, some of its protections, for example? Where one exits and enters the umbra to access it..."

Later:

"Yes and the problem is that he seams to think that if that thing that Master Nassa might elaborate on where to work then Susannah will be fine as if by magick...well...it will be by magick but you get my point, however she will not be fine, not right away, perhaps never she have been through absolute hell, it will take time and careful support for her to recover, she will get a better chance that is all...as for Mr Gregario though, Tane do seam to distrust him and I do not know why, the man have never done anything to warrant suspicion."
Cita said and frowned. "I will do what I can to keep Tane away from the Mercere but...it is hard to stop him you know without actually hurting him and literary stopping him when he decide to do something, he will seldom listen to reason."

"I certainly hope nothing like that will be necessary regarding Mr Karyak. This is worse than I thought," he admitted.

Some of those concerns are troubling and some are not Mr Roth Hicks. Once shards have merged into a shard collective that is it, they do not leave the collective and hitch rides with other Avatars so that will not happen, the two shards that comes from your Cabalmate is not part of the collective, they are being held by the central chard but have not been assimilated. Now however there is a risk that Mr Wainwright's Avatar will see Bee's wounded soul not as a Avatar it recognizes but as a collection of shards ripe for consumption...I however do not think that the shard collective pose a risk to Beatrice even if it decide to consume her, that do not mean it can, her Avatar is not a shard, the bigger danger however is that her soul might sense the intent and become terrified which again will harm Beatrice."

"I don't think my Avatar will try to suck in more from the Avatars in the area - it doesn't seem to want to touch any intact Avatars, only... rifling through loose change. Though it seems it might look at... inverted Avatars as broken and fragmented like that, and that makes Fallen Avatars fearful. While I doubt mine would try to go for more pieces of Beatrice's old angel, and I really doubt any of the other fragments would be willing and able to get loose from the cluster they're already in, I am worried my presence might frighten Beatrice... I'm hoping Mia will want to keep that aspect at bay for her daughter, as it is. It seems the best chance to get Beatrice back on her feet soon... As for us being vulnerable throughout the operation, I believe Master Nassa can be quite capable of standing guard - in fact, I can think of none more eminently suited at hand - and you will probably be best suited to stay with Beatrice to calm her."

"I see, we don't want to frighten her. I think...I might be able to keep her focus on me, there is something I can think of that we could try. And as Master Nassa will want to be nearby that does make sense for him to be the lookout."

"This is correct, put bluntly if I do any work on Beatrice's Avatar and I screw up I will be Gilgulling her, her should will shatter as a crystal glass dropped onto pavement, however if we do nothing and Bee dies from exhaustion, which is a very, very real risk her weakened soul will not survive an attempt at reincarnation. This operation unless Mr Wainwright's central shard somehow manage to do the merging seamlessly will be highly risky and...very, very painful, as you Cabalmate here probably well knows, a skin graft even if it is your own skin, still hurt, well this is much more than skin."

"That is disturbing. I'm not sure how much pain she can stand, she is in quite a lot already. I wish we could get some of that spirit medicine to help ease the pain while she heals."

"Which is why we can not decide to do this, Master Nasse speaks for the well being of his student, it will be his call. I do have enough confidence that this could work, that I am willing to do the operation."

"I believe this is a better plan than the other one. I am worried that she will be further hurt, though or that she will not be able to cope with the healing process.

"I am not sure if Bee can process...all of this and the ramifications right now and it is not something we should burden her with, we should not lie, but I do not think we should dump all of it on her before she is ready to process it."
Cita warned.

"True, I can hardly process all of it..."

He arched an eyebrow, "What manner of spirit is that?"

"It is a spirit of Truth...I believe I told you what must seem like years ago. It was summoned to watch over Beatrice and it has not yet been let free. We thought then it might aid her case if something could prove that she did not disobey any of her orders. It has been with her before the rite, I do believe."

"I have gotten notifications about that Umbrood, a High Umbral nobleman, he watches my notifications say." She said and raised an eyebrow. "Beatrice seams calmed by his presence."

"Yes, it is a High Umbrood and it has a rather pleasant presence. My only concern is that it being what is, it cannot lie or conceal anything. We should be cognizant of its presence just in case someone else should ever summon it and try to compel something from it or if we do need to use the record that it is taking to help Beatrice. My pater summoned it and so we could ask him about it, if we need to do so."

// oh, sorry I must have thought I saw a quotation mark in there. I will just put a strikethrough that part then.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"I see, yes I understand that the place is a labyrinth. You must have been able to navigate it though, do you think you would be able to tell us the layout of it, some of its protections, for example? Where one exits and enters the umbra to access it..."

"I...could try but it is a hard place to explain, when you are a part of the Labyrinth you sort of know where to do, though I could attempt to draw a map. You would exist and enter the Umbra at the same place as you would physically there are this parking lot in town and an old mechanics shops out in the suburban areas that have portals in and out of the Labyrinth."
Cadence replied.

Later:

"I certainly hope nothing like that will be necessary regarding Mr Karyak. This is worse than I thought," he admitted.

"Tane can be a handful and I to hope he can be reasoned with, I like the young man, and he have such talent."
Cita said and sigh.

"I see, we don't want to frighten her. I think...I might be able to keep her focus on me, there is something I can think of that we could try. And as Master Nassa will want to be nearby that does make sense for him to be the lookout."

"Agreed Master Nassa would not let anyone with ill intent near us as such an operation was going on as long as he was alive and drew breath."
The Spirit Healer said and nodded.
"What where you thinking of that we could try to keep Beatrice from being frightened Mr Roth Hicks?"

"That is disturbing. I'm not sure how much pain she can stand, she is in quite a lot already. I wish we could get some of that spirit medicine to help ease the pain while she heals."

"I do not know either and it is sure to upset her, but I do think such an operation will give her a better chance of surviving all in all, and it will reduce her healing time from years to months. If we can get the spirit anesthetics first that would be a definite boon however the longer we wait the weaker she gets and the less chance there is that such an operation will go well..."
Cita said sounding concerned.
"Do you have any solid leads on the spirit medicine?"

"I believe this is a better plan than the other one. I am worried that she will be further hurt, though or that she will not be able to cope with the healing process.

"There is big risks both in attempting this, and in not acting, it is not an easy decision to make.
Cita said and sigh.
"And she is so frail, I am worried for Beatrice Mr Roth Hicks, I am very worried."

"True, I can hardly process all of it..."

The Virtual Adept Master just nodded at that.

"Yes, it is a High Umbrood and it has a rather pleasant presence. My only concern is that it being what is, it cannot lie or conceal anything. We should be cognizant of its presence just in case someone else should ever summon it and try to compel something from it or if we do need to use the record that it is taking to help Beatrice. My pater summoned it and so we could ask him about it, if we need to do so."

"We should probably talk with Jeffry about Truth then before we do anything, and be careful what we say in it's presence."
Cita said and nodded in agreement.
"The last thing we would want is for someone less fond of him to discover Mr Wainwright's secret, if what he suspects are true...well I doubt I have to tell you the danger Mr Roth Hicks?"

(OOC: I could have written it wrong, I went back and checked and I did not see any quotation marks but I might have made a mistake anyway.)

[Warpmind]

"It do not take that much resources to put up extra wards, summon sprits, make traps given time to prepare they could secure their ships allot better, from what you describe it more sound like they do not have such security measures since they never thought it possible one man would infiltrate them...if they begin to think that a possibility, even a remote possibility...well you have to ask yourself what would the Chief do if he heard about a remote threat..."

Colin nodded, "I'll take it all into account and prepare for as many eventualities as possible... and try to be careful about how much I share of the story to the general public."

"Oh yes...I would like that, something green, though to be honest the stone itself do not matter, I just do not want a ring a kid have lost a finger some way down the process of getting the materials."

He smiled sadly, "The nature of gemstone mining being what it is, there's never really a guarantee against that, but yes, one can endeavour to backtrack the stones to ethical mining companies. While I keep a few diamonds in stock - with documentation to show they've been ethically mined - I don't really like working with them in the first place."

"I see, and you are prepared to make that commitment to Freddy, to love and protect her, and if the relationship should go to hell to not be an asshole but still respect her?"

He frowned, "You know, I'm not sure I'm quite capable of even being an asshole... Even Diego in the laundry room I can't help but treat with a minimum of kindness. A very small minimum, to be sure, but as much as he might deserve a few swift kicks in the ribs, I can't make myself do it..."

"Ehm...I was thinking about the dinner between me, my Cabalmates and yourself, not your victory celebration, I am not sure I would want half the mages in two ciities involved in discussing whatever or not you will be good enough for Freddy to get our approval."
Ingmar said and raised an eyebrow. Freddy glanced at you.
"It will be very illegal if I strangle him right?"

Colin chuckled, "Now, now, luv, you know what happens to people who get their Cabalmates killed. Remember that you are a Virtual Adept; rearranging his apartment and disconnecting his electricity should be much more up your alley... not, of course, that I would condone something like that on my behalf."

"This is correct, put bluntly if I do any work on Beatrice's Avatar and I screw up I will be Gilgulling her, her should will shatter as a crystal glass dropped onto pavement, however if we do nothing and Bee dies from exhaustion, which is a very, very real risk her weakened soul will not survive an attempt at reincarnation. This operation unless Mr Wainwright's central shard somehow manage to do the merging seamlessly will be highly risky and...very, very painful, as you Cabalmate here probably well knows, a skin graft even if it is your own skin, still hurt, well this is much more than skin."

"That is disturbing. I'm not sure how much pain she can stand, she is in quite a lot already. I wish we could get some of that spirit medicine to help ease the pain while she heals."

Colin nodded, "It's pretty painful... I didn't have so much a skin graft as just plain... reassembly, but nevertheless, virtually all surgery is painful for some time."
He blinked, "Bloody Hell, I think I know a way to get some... Let me see if I have the right idea here - the spirit medicine is the spiritual echo... the spiritual representation of mundane medicine, is it not? Now, the boiled bark of... I think it's willow, that's essentially aspirin. That can be cooked up in the kitchen. And I've met a spirit called Shimmer; she is essentially the hot air over all cooking. If we could cook up some such analgesics, she might be able to help capture and distill the spiritual counterpart of it?"

"True, I can hardly process all of it..."

"You and me both, Adley... You and me both."

"It is a spirit of Truth...I believe I told you what must seem like years ago. It was summoned to watch over Beatrice and it has not yet been let free. We thought then it might aid her case if something could prove that she did not disobey any of her orders. It has been with her before the rite, I do believe."

He nodded, "Oh, yes, that one, I remember - I just didn't realize he was still with her... hum, we had best ask it what it saw in the ritual chamber, just in case - if it saw Beatrice's shards be absorbed by my Avatar, we should be aware of the possibility that might be... unvelied at a later date."

"The last thing we would want is for someone less fond of him to discover Mr Wainwright's secret, if what he suspects are true...well I doubt I have to tell you the danger Mr Roth Hicks?"

"It's more than mere suspicion, I'm afraid - it seems pretty damn conclusive..."

[Tane Karyak]

Well, hello raven, nice to meet you. I'm Tane Karyak, from the dreamspeackers. I just moved in here.

[Adley]

"I...could try but it is a hard place to explain, when you are a part of the Labyrinth you sort of know where to do, though I could attempt to draw a map. You would exist and enter the Umbra at the same place as you would physically there are this parking lot in town and an old mechanics shops out in the suburban areas that have portals in and out of the Labyrinth."

"A map could be helpful. For now though let's see what you can remember. The parking lot in town, which parking lot? Where is it located..."

Later:

"What where you thinking of that we could try to keep Beatrice from being frightened Mr Roth Hicks?"

"Well, it is only a little thing really but it might work if it can help keep her attention off of the pain. Before I left her one morning that feels many mornings ago, I sang a song to her as she fell asleep. I said I would return and sing another version of the song to her. I think the song is Welsh originally but it's been translated a few different ways. Anyway, I heard another at Christmas and since then I've heard a few more in other languages too."

If we can get the spirit anesthetics first that would be a definite boon however the longer we wait the weaker she gets and the less chance there is that such an operation will go well..." Cita said sounding concerned. "Do you have any solid leads on the spirit medicine?

"The only leads I have are to ask a wraith that I still owe some part of a favor to some questions about finding another type of wraith, called Specters but I have a feeling it is going to be a difficult prospect to get it that way. Certainly it will take some time. And the other, I asked Mr Karyak if his werewolf friends had spirit medicine, or if he knew how to get it. He said he didn't know about it himself but said that perhaps some of his friends could take medicine into the Umbra and make an umbral reflection of it. Now, that might work but bringing it back in a form that can be used is another matter, at least for mages. Perhaps not for them though. Oh and that Beatrice's coven sister would also look for something to help her, though right now she is also busy. I think part of this boils down to when should this be done?"

"We should probably talk with Jeffry about Truth then before we do anything, and be careful what we say in it's presence."Cita said and nodded in agreement. "The last thing we would want is for someone less fond of him to discover Mr Wainwright's secret, if what he suspects are true...well I doubt I have to tell you the danger Mr Roth Hicks?"

"That is why I am bringing it up now."

He nodded, "Oh, yes, that one, I remember - I just didn't realize he was still with her... hum, we had best ask it what it saw in the ritual chamber, just in case - if it saw Beatrice's shards be absorbed by my Avatar, we should be aware of the possibility that might be... unvelied at a later date."

"Hmm...Though one would need a reason to ask such a question. I assume that your avatar itself has not suffered any...well, it does not scan as...the same as it would as if it were..." he looked over at Cita.

// nah pretty sure I just read it wrong

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin dining room:

Colin nodded, "I'll take it all into account and prepare for as many eventualities as possible... and try to be careful about how much I share of the story to the general public."

"Thank you...well just a bit of advice on my part Mr Wainwright."
Ingmar said and smiled.

He smiled sadly, "The nature of gemstone mining being what it is, there's never really a guarantee against that, but yes, one can endeavour to backtrack the stones to ethical mining companies. While I keep a few diamonds in stock - with documentation to show they've been ethically mined - I don't really like working with them in the first place."

"Thank you love. Diamonds have anyway not been my favorites anyway, well regardless whatever you make Colin are sure to be lovely."
Freddy said and gave you a loving look.

He frowned, "You know, I'm not sure I'm quite capable of even being an asshole... Even Diego in the laundry room I can't help but treat with a minimum of kindness. A very small minimum, to be sure, but as much as he might deserve a few swift kicks in the ribs, I can't make myself do it..."

"Diego that is the insult machine right?"
Ingmar asked.
"Well that is good, how someone treat a prisoner show allot about their character, even if that is a prisoner they despise, in fact how someone treat anyone they could get away with being cruel to show allot about them and treating others with respect in good."
Ingmar said and nodded approvingly.

[quoteColin chuckled, "Now, now, luv, you know what happens to people who get their Cabalmates killed. Remember that you are a Virtual Adept; rearranging his apartment and disconnecting his electricity should be much more up your alley... not, of course, that I would condone something like that on my behalf."
][/quote]

"Yeah I would not want to be executed, it would put a damper on my day...hum I could always delete his final fantasy savegames and his porn collection."
Freddy said and grinned and Ingmar turned beet red.
"I do not have such a thing!"
He declared and Freddy asked innocently.
"You do not have what Ing? Final Fantasy savegames?"
She asked and the Verbena huffed.
"There are children present Freddy!"
He declared but Liv just looked from one to the other of you clearly not understanding much about the conversation.

Adley Tane's room:

"A map could be helpful. For now though let's see what you can remember. The parking lot in town, which parking lot? Where is it located..."

Cadence begins to list up an address for a parking garage under a mall, it is the same one you think that Hannah had describe to you yesterday.

Adley and Colin later:

Colin nodded, "It's pretty painful... I didn't have so much a skin graft as just plain... reassembly, but nevertheless, virtually all surgery is painful for some time."

"I hope I did not make you uncomfortable Mr Wainwright I just wanted to illustrate the point that while this will help Beatrice given that I do it right, and I usually do things right, the process itself will be painful, though once it is done it should quickly reduce the amount of pain the young Verbena is in."
Cita said and glanced at you.

He blinked, "Bloody Hell, I think I know a way to get some... Let me see if I have the right idea here - the spirit medicine is the spiritual echo... the spiritual representation of mundane medicine, is it not?

"This is correct, it is the same principle that apply to for example a building that have been thorn down still being there in the Umbra or a child's favorite toy still being there in spiritual form in the Umbral representation of their old home, usually though something have to be either old or there have to be allot of emotion behind it to create such a spiritual representation."

Now, the boiled bark of... I think it's willow, that's essentially aspirin. That can be cooked up in the kitchen. And I've met a spirit called Shimmer; she is essentially the hot air over all cooking. If we could cook up some such analgesics, she might be able to help capture and distill the spiritual counterpart of it?"

"Hum...that would not be exactly the same thing, but it could actually work. I am not sure if boiled willow bark would be strong enough a painkiller to work on such an operation though, it did not do much when applied to those needing physical surgery in the times before proper anesthetics, however it might just be enough to give Beatrice a bit more peace, giving us more time to find a better solution before we have to do any work on her."

"You and me both, Adley... You and me both."

"And Bee can not process strong tasting food or loud sounds right now, I do not think she is ready to deal with this revelation."
Cita said and raised an eyebrow.

He nodded, "Oh, yes, that one, I remember - I just didn't realize he was still with her... hum, we had best ask it what it saw in the ritual chamber, just in case - if it saw Beatrice's shards be absorbed by my Avatar, we should be aware of the possibility that might be... unvelied at a later date."

"Umbroods can not usually interact with Avatars and if they do it is just vaguely sense them, if Truth saw anything and someone asks I will just write up a report that I took two shard out of you, that will be the truth and it will just be believed that two shards hit you since you stood right next to Miss Alexander during the ritual, it is rare for the shards of...Gilgulled souls to hit bystanders but it can happen, I doubt if anyone will ask for details."
Cita said and shrugged.
"The topic is to uncomfortable for most."

"It's more than mere suspicion, I'm afraid - it seems pretty damn conclusive..."

"I am not disputing that Mr Wainwright, however I can only point to what my own data shows which support the theory, but do not prove it, the rest are your visions, but I am not denying that you are right."
The Spirit Master said and glanced at you.

"Well, it is only a little thing really but it might work if it can help keep her attention off of the pain. Before I left her one morning that feels many mornings ago, I sang a song to her as she fell asleep. I said I would return and sing another version of the song to her. I think the song is Welsh originally but it's been translated a few different ways. Anyway, I heard another at Christmas and since then I've heard a few more in other languages too."

"Hum...that could work and if she is asleep while Mr Wainwright looks in on her that would reduce the chance that his Avatar's presence will scare her while we see if his somewhat peculiar soul is willing to give up those Avatar shards."
Cita said and nodded.
"It is a good idea Mr Roth Hicks."

"The only leads I have are to ask a wraith that I still owe some part of a favor to some questions about finding another type of wraith, called Specters but I have a feeling it is going to be a difficult prospect to get it that way. Certainly it will take some time. And the other, I asked Mr Karyak if his werewolf friends had spirit medicine, or if he knew how to get it. He said he didn't know about it himself but said that perhaps some of his friends could take medicine into the Umbra and make an umbral reflection of it. Now, that might work but bringing it back in a form that can be used is another matter, at least for mages. Perhaps not for them though.

"Very well, if there are actual leads then holding off until we perhaps have some way to deal with her pain might be preferable, Mr Wainwright's willow bark idea could perhaps buy us a bit of time there though I doubt it will be enough. Do not worry about the form though, I can just transcribe the medicine into code and apply that to her Avatar as I would when I infuse it with a bit of Tass, which I do several times of day as a treatment."
The Virtual Adept commented.

Oh and that Beatrice's coven sister would also look for something to help her, though right now she is also busy. I think part of this boils down to when should this be done?"

"We do have a few days, Bee is not going to die right this instant and your Cabalmate's idea can buy us even more time, I would say we have about a week before we have to make the decision if his idea works, perhaps a little more if we can get Beatrice to sleep but she have developed this fear that the ritual is still going on and her mind, or her Avatar as last ditch effort have just created the scenario that she was rescued as a way to comfort her or escape the trauma, and she is afraid that sleeping will send her back, so far neither I or Master Nassa have been able to convince her this is not the case."
Cita said and sigh.
"Be aware though that the longer we wait the weaker Beatrice will get."

"That is why I am bringing it up now."

"Good call."
Was all Cita had to say about that.

"Hmm...Though one would need a reason to ask such a question. I assume that your avatar itself has not suffered any...well, it does not scan as...the same as it would as if it were..." he looked over at Cita.

"A quick scan will show Mr Wainwright's Avatar as a weak Pattern Avatar, a deeper scan and remember one have to consent to such magick being cast upon oneself will show that it is somewhat hard to find the Resonance of it but unless one is familiar with shard clusters one is not likely to jump to that conclusion, one might be able to find that damage have been done to it in the past but that do nto mean that what Mr Wainwright suspect will come to mind."
Cita said and shook her head.
"You know the odd thing is, the two shard collectives I have examined before, in both cases all the shards that stuck together had the same Essence with with Mr Wainwright here it seams shards from all for Essences are present...it is most peculiar, but no I would not worry, the only thing someone would find is that is Avatar is...for a lack of a better word...odd."

Tane:

"It is nice to meet you to."
Ravenblood said as she moved to shake your hand, you noticed small burns on her arms that while not exactly the same looked similar to what Coawa would get from silver.
"I have been asked by the local Garou...ehm werewolves if you know about them...pack to convey a message to you...if you are the one that have the shifter allies the sharks...sorry all they told me was that a pack of wereshark had been seen out into the ocean and a mage was connected to them and so a messenger was sent from the local werewolf pack to my Coven to find out more about it as a favor to them as they want to talk."
The Verbena said and scratched her head.
"So are you the one with the finned friends Mr Karyak?"

(OOC: The location Cadence mentions is the same as the parking lot entrance portal that Hannah tol Adley about, I just can not find the name of the building in my notes so I have to go through the backlogs and I did not have the time to do that right now I will get it done as soon as possible.)

[Adley]

Cadence begins to list up an address for a parking garage under a mall, it is the same one you think that Hannah had describe to you yesterday.

Adley nodded at that. "Alright. Thank you Mrs Getwater. Did you happen to overhear anything? Being in the kitchens, or comparable after all, you might over hear something that people would not think twice of talking about in front of you, for example, while you worked..."

"I hope I did not make you uncomfortable Mr Wainwright I just wanted to illustrate the point that while this will help Beatrice given that I do it right, and I usually do things right, the process itself will be painful, though once it is done it should quickly reduce the amount of pain the young Verbena is in."

"Well, if we can bolster her enough so she can make it through that initial pain then that sounds like it would be better than prolonging what she's going through."

He blinked, "Bloody Hell, I think I know a way to get some... Let me see if I have the right idea here - the spirit medicine is the spiritual echo... the spiritual representation of mundane medicine, is it not?

"This is correct, it is the same principle that apply to for example a building that have been thorn down still being there in the Umbra or a child's favorite toy still being there in spiritual form in the Umbral representation of their old home, usually though something have to be either old or there have to be allot of emotion behind it to create such a spiritual representation."

"Now, the boiled bark of... I think it's willow, that's essentially aspirin. That can be cooked up in the kitchen. And I've met a spirit called Shimmer; she is essentially the hot air over all cooking. If we could cook up some such analgesics, she might be able to help capture and distill the spiritual counterpart of it?"

"Hum...that would not be exactly the same thing, but it could actually work. I am not sure if boiled willow bark would be strong enough a painkiller to work on such an operation though, it did not do much when applied to those needing physical surgery in the times before proper anesthetics, however it might just be enough to give Beatrice a bit more peace, giving us more time to find a better solution before we have to do any work on her."

"That's an interesting idea, much easier than the leads that I have so far as well. I am not an expert on medicinal herbs but I'm sure Master Nassa could help find one that can be brewed with heat. Then we will need to negotiate with Shimmer, or a spirit like her for helping us of course."

"You and me both, Adley... You and me both."

"And Bee can not process strong tasting food or loud sounds right now, I do not think she is ready to deal with this revelation." Cita said and raised an eyebrow

"True, but...there are ideas. It might be dangerous to ask right now or to think about even. But I do wonder what you...er...they Named us. I know you don't think that it matters but it does to me. It's like Cita's scans full of holes, the places were the vibrations were right until they came to the part where they went wrong, or a crack in a vessel...but first she's got to live through this before even that much can be considered."

"Umbroods can not usually interact with Avatars and if they do it is just vaguely sense them, if Truth saw anything and someone asks I will just write up a report that I took two shard out of you, that will be the truth and it will just be believed that two shards hit you since you stood right next to Miss Alexander during the ritual, it is rare for the shards of...Gilgulled souls to hit bystanders but it can happen, I doubt if anyone will ask for details." Cita said and shrugged. "The topic is to uncomfortable for most."

"And you could equally truthfully say that you removed them, yes" he said.

"Hum...that could work and if she is asleep while Mr Wainwright looks in on her that would reduce the chance that his Avatar's presence will scare her while we see if his somewhat peculiar soul is willing to give up those Avatar shards."

"Well, I'm not sure she would be able to stay asleep with such a thing going on and bringing someone out of a sleep unexpectedly can cause distress. But if you think it can help at least test the idea's viability then I will certainly try. Besides, she could use some rest."

"We do have a few days, Bee is not going to die right this instant and your Cabalmate's idea can buy us even more time, I would say we have about a week before we have to make the decision if his idea works, perhaps a little more if we can get Beatrice to sleep but she have developed this fear that the ritual is still going on and her mind, or her Avatar as last ditch effort have just created the scenario that she was rescued as a way to comfort her or escape the trauma, and she is afraid that sleeping will send her back, so far neither I or Master Nassa have been able to convince her this is not the case."

"What do you think amicus, you're the one that has a better sense of time than I...my practical concerns other than what I stated are that if you're hurt doing this, you will be out from the fights to come. Vice versa, if we wait too long or if something should, godforbid, harm you again, we may not have the days we think we have at hand if you are healing, for example."

// no problem, when we are going back over what we've learned from the Boston labyrinth we'll pick it back up.

[Warpmind]

Dining hall:

"Diego that is the insult machine right?"

Colin nodded, "That's the one... The one so vile even the other Nephandi find him repulsive. Apparently, he got thrown out of the Chicago Labyrinth for being an ass, after his Mentor went and got herself shackled to a polyp to get away from him..."

"Well that is good, how someone treat a prisoner show allot about their character, even if that is a prisoner they despise, in fact how someone treat anyone they could get away with being cruel to show allot about them and treating others with respect in good."

"The Geneva conventions et cetera were drilled well into me in my training days... I believe in extending those protections to civilians and prisoners of war with the core of my being."

"There are children present Freddy!"

He grinned, "Yes, so you should be careful not to get too angry in a language she doesn't understand well. The poor dear has a great grasp of Latin, and her native tongue is Norwegian, but her English is a little lacking. So let's steer the subject away from your... save games, shall we?"

Ritual room:

"I hope I did not make you uncomfortable Mr Wainwright I just wanted to illustrate the point that while this will help Beatrice given that I do it right, and I usually do things right, the process itself will be painful, though once it is done it should quickly reduce the amount of pain the young Verbena is in."

Colin shook his head, "Water under the bridge. Beatrice is the important one now."

"Hum...that would not be exactly the same thing, but it could actually work. I am not sure if boiled willow bark would be strong enough a painkiller to work on such an operation though, it did not do much when applied to those needing physical surgery in the times before proper anesthetics, however it might just be enough to give Beatrice a bit more peace, giving us more time to find a better solution before we have to do any work on her."

"That's an interesting idea, much easier than the leads that I have so far as well. I am not an expert on medicinal herbs but I'm sure Master Nassa could help find one that can be brewed with heat. Then we will need to negotiate with Shimmer, or a spirit like her for helping us of course."

"Of course aspirin would be on the inadequate side, but, hmm... I wonder if perhaps opium is cooked? That might be effective."

"Umbroods can not usually interact with Avatars and if they do it is just vaguely sense them, if Truth saw anything and someone asks I will just write up a report that I took two shard out of you, that will be the truth and it will just be believed that two shards hit you since you stood right next to Miss Alexander during the ritual, it is rare for the shards of...Gilgulled souls to hit bystanders but it can happen, I doubt if anyone will ask for details."

"True enough, I expect, but only today, we've met a couple of quite noble Umbroods who... see a little deeper than most. It might be wise to check how much Truth can see."

"Very well, if there are actual leads then holding off until we perhaps have some way to deal with her pain might be preferable, Mr Wainwright's willow bark idea could perhaps buy us a bit of time there though I doubt it will be enough. Do not worry about the form though, I can just transcribe the medicine into code and apply that to her Avatar as I would when I infuse it with a bit of Tass, which I do several times of day as a treatment."

"We do have a few days, Bee is not going to die right this instant and your Cabalmate's idea can buy us even more time, I would say we have about a week before we have to make the decision if his idea works, perhaps a little more if we can get Beatrice to sleep but she have developed this fear that the ritual is still going on and her mind, or her Avatar as last ditch effort have just created the scenario that she was rescued as a way to comfort her or escape the trauma, and she is afraid that sleeping will send her back, so far neither I or Master Nassa have been able to convince her this is not the case."

"What do you think amicus, you're the one that has a better sense of time than I...my practical concerns other than what I stated are that if you're hurt doing this, you will be out from the fights to come. Vice versa, if we wait too long or if something should, godforbid, harm you again, we may not have the days we think we have at hand if you are healing, for example."

Colin frowned, pondering, "I think... we should do it as soon as possible. Seeing as you won't actually be, ah, cutting into my Avatar, I see very little chance I will be hurt from it; it's Beatrice's health that worries me. And it seems unlikely that that will improve with time, without aid... Speaking of, did you get to try the tass from the villa node yet? In any case, we have to bring Master Nassa in on it - after we're done planning here, one of you should go in and take his place for a few minutes while he comes here to be brought in on the... facts of life, as it were."

"A quick scan will show Mr Wainwright's Avatar as a weak Pattern Avatar, a deeper scan and remember one have to consent to such magick being cast upon oneself will show that it is somewhat hard to find the Resonance of it but unless one is familiar with shard clusters one is not likely to jump to that conclusion, one might be able to find that damage have been done to it in the past but that do nto mean that what Mr Wainwright suspect will come to mind."
Cita said and shook her head.
"You know the odd thing is, the two shard collectives I have examined before, in both cases all the shards that stuck together had the same Essence with with Mr Wainwright here it seams shards from all for Essences are present...it is most peculiar, but no I would not worry, the only thing someone would find is that is Avatar is...for a lack of a better word...odd."

He smiled wryly, "So my Avatar is not a picky eater... but as I mentioned up at the scan, that aspect means I, too, will want to stay involved with the Avatar Restoration project, to call it that - to make sure I don't get too... marked by Fallen Avatars; I seem to have picked up a number of such fragments and shards, as well."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane's apartment:

dley nodded at that. "Alright. Thank you Mrs Getwater. Did you happen to overhear anything? Being in the kitchens, or comparable after all, you might over hear something that people would not think twice of talking about in front of you, for example, while you worked..."

"I did...overhear things yes but I do not really know what you are after, I mean there where gossip, that is where I heard about the Orphan that they planned to recruit but I mean everything from opinions on new movies to fears could end up being discussed."
Cadence said and gave you a bit of a confused look.

Basement later:

"Well, if we can bolster her enough so she can make it through that initial pain then that sounds like it would be better than prolonging what she's going through."

"I agree with that, it is what would give Beatrice the biggest chance."
Cita said and nodded.

"That's an interesting idea, much easier than the leads that I have so far as well. I am not an expert on medicinal herbs but I'm sure Master Nassa could help find one that can be brewed with heat. Then we will need to negotiate with Shimmer, or a spirit like her for helping us of course."

"Hum...Master Nasse might know about something stronger than willowbark also that we might use or how to make it stronger, perhaps his magick could be combined with getting Shimmer to help us, or like you said a spirit like her."
The Spirit Healer said and nodded.

"True, but...there are ideas. It might be dangerous to ask right now or to think about even. But I do wonder what you...er...they Named us. I know you don't think that it matters but it does to me. It's like Cita's scans full of holes, the places were the vibrations were right until they came to the part where they went wrong, or a crack in a vessel...but first she's got to live through this before even that much can be considered."

Cita nodded at that.
"Well Bee's survival is at stake."
She muttered.

"And you could equally truthfully say that you removed them, yes" he said.

"That is correct, I would be telling the truth and the only thing I would be holding back is that they where not stuck in quite the usual way."

"Well, I'm not sure she would be able to stay asleep with such a thing going on and bringing someone out of a sleep unexpectedly can cause distress. But if you think it can help at least test the idea's viability then I will certainly try. Besides, she could use some rest."

"You may be right that having her asleep while we try to send in Mr Wainwright might not be ideal and I do not want to cause Beatrice more distress. Letting her get some rest though that would be good, she needs rest, poor thing."

"What do you think amicus, you're the one that has a better sense of time than I...my practical concerns other than what I stated are that if you're hurt doing this, you will be out from the fights to come.

"That is not likely to happen Mr Roth Hicks, not unless I try to take the shards by force, and with such an unusual Avatar I am not going to do that before I know more about it, the central shard releating the two pieces of Beatrice should not harm or damage it."

Colin shook his head, "Water under the bridge. Beatrice is the important one now."

Cita nodded but she did give you and apologetic look.

"Of course aspirin would be on the inadequate side, but, hmm... I wonder if perhaps opium is cooked? That might be effective."

"Opium is strong enough, hum...well it is used as smoke the Romans used it in huge homes so you might not put it in a pot but cooking it in the coven might work, again I think Master Nassa will know this better than I."

"True enough, I expect, but only today, we've met a couple of quite noble Umbroods who... see a little deeper than most. It might be wise to check how much Truth can see."

"We might but then have to formulate the question very carefully or that question itself if discovered might raise suspicion."
Cita warned.

Colin frowned, pondering, "I think... we should do it as soon as possible. Seeing as you won't actually be, ah, cutting into my Avatar, I see very little chance I will be hurt from it; it's Beatrice's health that worries me. And it seems unlikely that that will improve with time, without aid...

"I have treated one other mage...the victim of a interrupted Gilgul and at that time I did not know how to fuse part of Ephemera so well there was little I could do other than the regular treatments, the boy did live but we almost lost him so many times...there is only so much pain the human body can take it was heartbreaking to watch him and he suffered like that for a year before he started to get better...He is still affected physically by how weakened he was...poor kid. Beatrice might survive without treatment but her life is in danger...and no Mr Wainwright I do not foresee that your soul will get in any way damaged from this."

Speaking of, did you get to try the tass from the villa node yet? In any case, we have to bring Master Nassa in on it - after we're done planning here, one of you should go in and take his place for a few minutes while he comes here to be brought in on the... facts of life, as it were."

"Master Steelhaven have sent a letter to Horizon requesting whatever or not it may legally be used to treat Beatrice so no. I agree we should talk with Master Nassa about this it seams we will need his input and his expertise and Bee is his student. I am sure I or Mr Roth Hicks can take care of Bee in the meantime."

He smiled wryly, "So my Avatar is not a picky eater... but as I mentioned up at the scan, that aspect means I, too, will want to stay involved with the Avatar Restoration project, to call it that - to make sure I don't get too... marked by Fallen Avatars; I seem to have picked up a number of such fragments and shards, as well."

"Well I would stay out of the Main Sentencing Hall if I where you at least Mr Wainwright, there are sure to be quite a few unwanted shards floating around there."
Cita said and raised an eyebrow.

Kitchen:

Colin nodded, "That's the one... The one so vile even the other Nephandi find him repulsive. Apparently, he got thrown out of the Chicago Labyrinth for being an ass, after his Mentor went and got herself shackled to a polyp to get away from him..."

"His Mentor became a Handler then, shit...well being to much of an asshole for the Nephandi...that is rather impressive you know."
Ingmar said and grinned.

"The Geneva conventions et cetera were drilled well into me in my training days... I believe in extending those protections to civilians and prisoners of war with the core of my being."

"The Traditions are not big followers of those and I think those conventions would snear a bit of some of what the Traditions do but it is good not to be cruel to others just because you can get away with it."
The Verbena said and nodded.

He grinned, "Yes, so you should be careful not to get too angry in a language she doesn't understand well. The poor dear has a great grasp of Latin, and her native tongue is Norwegian, but her English is a little lacking. So let's steer the subject away from your... save games, shall we?"

Ingmar blushed again and Freddy sigh.
"Yes we better do that I think."
She agreed. Liv still looked confused then she said.
"I like Final Fantasy...my mother used to read and translate what the characters where saying for me...but my mother is not always nice."

[Warpmind]

Kitchen:

"His Mentor became a Handler then, shit...well being to much of an asshole for the Nephandi...that is rather impressive you know."

Colin nodded, "I'm sure the loss of his unique talent grieves Lisa Larson to no end. You know, we could always return him and ask for a refund or replacement... we might get a better Nephandus, though I doubt it..."

"The Traditions are not big followers of those and I think those conventions would snear a bit of some of what the Traditions do but it is good not to be cruel to others just because you can get away with it."

"All the more reason why we need to try to set a better example... Laws and practices don't change for the better with a few pretty speeches; it takes hard work, public awareness and political pressure..."

"I like Final Fantasy...my mother used to read and translate what the characters where saying for me...but my mother is not always nice."

He frowned, "Oh, dear... Yes, the games are good - or at least they were back when I played them in my youth - but your mother is... we know about her."

Basement:

But I do wonder what you...er...they Named us. I know you don't think that it matters but it does to me.

Colin smiled, "I'll let you know once I remember... if I ever do. I just remember seeing you both for the first time..."

"Opium is strong enough, hum...well it is used as smoke the Romans used it in huge homes so you might not put it in a pot but cooking it in the coven might work, again I think Master Nassa will know this better than I."

"No, I meant for the refinement process, not for the, er, end user. There would be some simple method for getting the concentrated stuff separated from the rest of the poppy, and cooking it seems the more plausible method."

"We might but then have to formulate the question very carefully or that question itself if discovered might raise suspicion."

He nodded, "The simplest thing would be to just ask what he saw during the ritual. As Beatrice is your patient, that should not raise any suspicion at all, if you want someone else's perspective on how the damage took shape."

"Master Steelhaven have sent a letter to Horizon requesting whatever or not it may legally be used to treat Beatrice so no. I agree we should talk with Master Nassa about this it seams we will need his input and his expertise and Bee is his student. I am sure I or Mr Roth Hicks can take care of Bee in the meantime."

"That's a wise precaution - it might be the, hm, medically most sound to use for treatment, but the legality of it might pose a greater problem... And Master Nassa needs to know everything, but, hmm... I would actually suggest Adley to keep watch over Beatrice while he comes in here; better to confer with the doctor about practical medical concerns than a family member, after all..."

"Well I would stay out of the Main Sentencing Hall if I where you at least Mr Wainwright, there are sure to be quite a few unwanted shards floating around there."

He grimaced, "Oh, God, are you saying they don't clean that place up after use? Thank Heavens I can't see spirits; that place must look like an ephemeral abattoir... Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have much choice over time... Hopefully, there won't be too many old Fallen shards drifting around. Then again, perhaps I'll find some of my own Avatar's old pieces..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Kitchen:

Colin nodded, "I'm sure the loss of his unique talent grieves Lisa Larson to no end. You know, we could always return him and ask for a refund or replacement... we might get a better Nephandus, though I doubt it..."

"What we stride over to Lisa Larson and say that we caught this Nephandus but he is defective can we please have another one? Then again perhaps he would do more harm to his own Labyrinth than us getting rid of him do."
Ingmar said and grinned.

"All the more reason why we need to try to set a better example... Laws and practices don't change for the better with a few pretty speeches; it takes hard work, public awareness and political pressure..."

"You are probably right about that Mr Wainwright though I am not sure that anything will change the Traditions but I guess it is worth a try."
The Verbena said.

He frowned, "Oh, dear... Yes, the games are good - or at least they were back when I played them in my youth - but your mother is... we know about her."

"My mother hurt people...she do not think I know, but I know."
Liv said and picked at the fabric of her sweater.
"I wish she would stop doing that."

Basement:

"No, I meant for the refinement process, not for the, er, end user. There would be some simple method for getting the concentrated stuff separated from the rest of the poppy, and cooking it seems the more plausible method."

"That I would not know Mr Wainwright, the only drugs I have ever used is weed every now again again to relax."
Cita said and scratched her head.
"But it is possible that Master Nassa knows."

He nodded, "The simplest thing would be to just ask what he saw during the ritual. As Beatrice is your patient, that should not raise any suspicion at all, if you want someone else's perspective on how the damage took shape."

"Hum...you know that is a good idea. I could do that but I am not that used to dealing with High Umbral spirits, their code is often hard to read, but I am sure I can manage."
The Spirit Master said and nodded.

"That's a wise precaution - it might be the, hm, medically most sound to use for treatment, but the legality of it might pose a greater problem... And Master Nassa needs to know everything, but, hmm... I would actually suggest Adley to keep watch over Beatrice while he comes in here; better to confer with the doctor about practical medical concerns than a family member, after all..."

"Very well, Mr Roth Hicks is also closer to Beatrice than I am and I should be able to explain the nature of the operation and it's risks to Master Nassa, as for legal concerns, yes I do think that it is better to be safe than sorry."

He grimaced, "Oh, God, are you saying they don't clean that place up after use? Thank Heavens I can't see spirits; that place must look like an ephemeral abattoir...

"Most of the shards usually end up in the Umbra eventually and there have not been that many Gilgul since well most widderslainte are...dealt with in their own homes but there should be some shards there and they will likely be consumed if you get close enough Mr Wainwright, but yes the place is not a good place to be, the Resonance from six hundred years of floggings, Brandlings, executions and...that, well let us just say a Nephandus would feel quite at home there if it had not been for them being brought there in chains."
Cita said and frowned.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have much choice over time... Hopefully, there won't be too many old Fallen shards drifting around. Then again, perhaps I'll find some of my own Avatar's old pieces..."

Cita said something but you did not catch her words for you suddenly see a large, round room, the floor was stone and around it there where tribunes where people could sit and watch, you have not been in this room before and yet it felt familiar and terrible, you saw things strangely though and it felt like if it was only a part of a memory you just could not fully process then the sudden images vanished and Cita gave you a concerned look.
"I said it is likely that Heylel's shards have look dissipated into the Umbra Mr Wainwright...but are you ok you seamed to drift of for a moment..."

[Warpmind]

Kitchen:

"What we stride over to Lisa Larson and say that we caught this Nephandus but he is defective can we please have another one? Then again perhaps he would do more harm to his own Labyrinth than us getting rid of him do."

Colin grinned, "I'm pretty certain they have a no return policy just for him, though - enforced by Balls of Abysmal Flame, no less."

"You are probably right about that Mr Wainwright though I am not sure that anything will change the Traditions but I guess it is worth a try."

"The Traditions have changed, several times; some Traditions have left, others have joined, Seats have been vacated and refilled, we are far less inflexible in that regard, I think, than the Technocracy. Far, far less inflexible..."

"My mother hurt people...she do not think I know, but I know."

He sighed, gently stroking Liv's hair, "Your mother made a choice... a terrible choice... she is no longer one of ours, I'm afraid..."

Basement:

"That I would not know Mr Wainwright, the only drugs I have ever used is weed every now again again to relax."
Cita said and scratched her head.
"But it is possible that Master Nassa knows."

Colin shrugged, "If anyone here knows, it would probably be him, I think... not to suggest he's got a liberal attitude to recreational medication, but he's got a great many years of experience, highly likely including that of potent medicinal plants."

"Hum...you know that is a good idea. I could do that but I am not that used to dealing with High Umbral spirits, their code is often hard to read, but I am sure I can manage."

"Adley could probably ask it politely to manifest, or act as an interpreter if necessary."

"Most of the shards usually end up in the Umbra eventually and there have not been that many Gilgul since well most widderslainte are...dealt with in their own homes but there should be some shards there and they will likely be consumed if you get close enough Mr Wainwright, but yes the place is not a good place to be, the Resonance from six hundred years of floggings, Brandlings, executions and...that, well let us just say a Nephandus would feel quite at home there if it had not been for them being brought there in chains."

He frowned, "A smorgasbord of suffering..."

"I said it is likely that Heylel's shards have look dissipated into the Umbra Mr Wainwright...but are you ok you seamed to drift of for a moment..."

He blinked for a moment, "Bugger, I just saw... I think I can draw the Main Sentencing Hall fairly accurately now... from the perspective of the floor. Circular stone floor, tribunes around it... it was just a visual flash, and a sense of... it's a bad place..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Kitchen:

Colin grinned, "I'm pretty certain they have a no return policy just for him, though - enforced by Balls of Abysmal Flame, no less."

"Well soon he will be the problem of the Security Council up on Horizon and not ours but really is there anyone who like this guy?"
Ingmar said with a wry grin.

"The Traditions have changed, several times; some Traditions have left, others have joined, Seats have been vacated and refilled, we are far less inflexible in that regard, I think, than the Technocracy. Far, far less inflexible..."

"You are right about that Mr Wainwright, but the Traditions laws have not changed much over the last six hundred years then again it could happen and we are thankfully more flexible than the Technocracy but things are far from perfect with us either."
The Verbena commented.

He sighed, gently stroking Liv's hair, "Your mother made a choice... a terrible choice... she is no longer one of ours, I'm afraid..."

Liv looked down and plucked at her sweater.
"Will my mother be hunted down Mr Wainwright?"
She asked softly. Ingmar looked at the little girl and asked you.
"Is something wrong, the child seams sad.

Basement:

Colin shrugged, "If anyone here knows, it would probably be him, I think... not to suggest he's got a liberal attitude to recreational medication, but he's got a great many years of experience, highly likely including that of potent medicinal plants."

"In earlier times there where no taboo in using opium it was both a good medicine among other uses so yes I do think that chances are Master Nassa know how to prepare it."
Cita said and nodded.

"Adley could probably ask it politely to manifest, or act as an interpreter if necessary."

"That would be useful."
The Spirit healer said and glanced over at Adley.

He frowned, "A smorgasbord of suffering..."

"Unfortunately that is true, that chamber have a long and...bloody history."

He blinked for a moment, "Bugger, I just saw... I think I can draw the Main Sentencing Hall fairly accurately now... from the perspective of the floor. Circular stone floor, tribunes around it... it was just a visual flash, and a sense of... it's a bad place..."

"Well the description is correct...but...have you used to have such...flashes and visions Mr Wainwright?"
Cita said and she gave you a very concerned look.
"You are right that it is a bad place though."

[Warpmind]

Kitchen:

"Well soon he will be the problem of the Security Council up on Horizon and not ours but really is there anyone who like this guy?"

Colin shook his head, "Not according to the Fallen I've interrogated. I might ask Diego about it, though..."

"You are right about that Mr Wainwright, but the Traditions laws have not changed much over the last six hundred years then again it could happen and we are thankfully more flexible than the Technocracy but things are far from perfect with us either."

He nodded, "Like I said, it takes a substantial effort to bring about change. Just ask anyone in the American civil rights movement... Hell, ask Bernie Sanders."

"Will my mother be hunted down Mr Wainwright?"

He nodded slowly, "I'm afraid so... and I'm so sorry..."

"Is something wrong, the child seams sad.

He nodded to Ingmar, "She asked about her mother... the woman who handed her over to be a vampire's child bride... There's no saving that one, not anymore..."

Basement:

"In earlier times there where no taboo in using opium it was both a good medicine among other uses so yes I do think that chances are Master Nassa know how to prepare it."

Colin nodded, "It's still an excellent analgesic, so long as some care is taken in its use... the addiction factor is what you have to be wary of."

"Well the description is correct...but...have you used to have such...flashes and visions Mr Wainwright?"

"In the words of Willy Wonka, increasingly... today. I've had similar flashbacks on occasion for twenty-five years, really... Desert Storm, you know; I saw some... bad things, and did some bad things in retrospect...I have my ghosts, so to speak. It took me a long time to get used to the smell of bacon again, for example, and the smell of burning aviation fuel is... unnerving. These most recent ones, though... are a little different, since these are not memories of things I've done in this life, or at least things I haven't done yet. I... don't think they're dangerous, though. I seem to be invariably sitting or lying down when they come, so a bit of relaxation seems necessary. Not something that's likely in a combat situation."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Kitchen:

Colin shook his head, "Not according to the Fallen I've interrogated. I might ask Diego about it, though..."

"That is kind of sad, though I do not have much sympathy for the guy."
Ingmar said and sigh.

He nodded, "Like I said, it takes a substantial effort to bring about change. Just ask anyone in the American civil rights movement... Hell, ask Bernie Sanders."

"Yes well our problem is that our leaders are for the most part centuries old, they grew up in a completely different time so the old stubborn ones do not simply die off and vacate their space for someone who can bring in new ideas...so our situation are a bit different than American politics but I guess some of the same principles apply."

He nodded slowly, "I'm afraid so... and I'm so sorry..."

Liv looked down.
"I know what happens to Nephandi that gets captured..."
She muttered softly.
"My mother sold me to those other Nephandi did she not, that is how they knew how to find me on the way back to the Chantry from swim practice?"

He nodded to Ingmar, "She asked about her mother... the woman who handed her over to be a vampire's child bride... There's no saving that one, not anymore..."

"Well fuck, mother of the year...that is messed up, is the little girl going to be ok? And no there is definitively no saving that one."
Ingmar said and scowled.

Basement:

Colin nodded, "It's still an excellent analgesic, so long as some care is taken in its use... the addiction factor is what you have to be wary of."

"Well we do not want Beatrice's Avatar to become addicted, but one problem at the time, making sure she actually survive have to be the first priority."
Cita said and nodded.

"In the words of Willy Wonka, increasingly... today. I've had similar flashbacks on occasion for twenty-five years, really... Desert Storm, you know; I saw some... bad things, and did some bad things in retrospect...I have my ghosts, so to speak. It took me a long time to get used to the smell of bacon again, for example, and the smell of burning aviation fuel is... unnerving.

"I...can imagine Mr Wainwright and such flashback are common with traumatic experiences but the visions you have described today, they are from former lives are they not? You have not been to the Main Sentencing Hall in this life have you?"
Cita asked carefully.

These most recent ones, though... are a little different, since these are not memories of things I've done in this life, or at least things I haven't done yet. I... don't think they're dangerous, though. I seem to be invariably sitting or lying down when they come, so a bit of relaxation seems necessary. Not something that's likely in a combat situation."

"I am still a little concerned Mr Wainwright it is probably nothing but even so, I would not want to to get any traumatic throwback at inopportune moments."
The Virtual Adept said and frowned.

[Adley]

"I did...overhear things yes but I do not really know what you are after, I mean there where gossip, that is where I heard about the Orphan that they planned to recruit but I mean everything from opinions on new movies to fears could end up being discussed."
Cadence said and gave you a bit of a confused look.

"Mrs Getwater I think you know what I am talking about, such as hearing about the Orphan. Can you tell me anything more about the people you mentioned, their abilities or what they are particularly good at? Have you had any new additions put into the labyrinth or its defenses...visitors that your labyrinth has seen..."

Later:

"True enough, I expect, but only today, we've met a couple of quite noble Umbroods who... see a little deeper than most. It might be wise to check how much Truth can see."

"We might but then have to formulate the question very carefully or that question itself if discovered might raise suspicion."
Cita warned.

He nodded, "The simplest thing would be to just ask what he saw during the ritual. As Beatrice is your patient, that should not raise any suspicion at all, if you want someone else's perspective on how the damage took shape."

"To give better treatment, well, perhaps..."

"Hum...you know that is a good idea. I could do that but I am not that used to dealing with High Umbral spirits, their code is often hard to read, but I am sure I can manage."

"Adley could probably ask it politely to manifest, or act as an interpreter if necessary."

"I could certainly try but this Umbrood is probably one of the highest nature that I have tried to communicate with. It was difficult for me to bargain with him but eventually he chose to interact with me," he admitted. "However, my pater brought him so I am sure he could if need be.

"That is not likely to happen Mr Roth Hicks, not unless I try to take the shards by force, and with such an unusual Avatar I am not going to do that before I know more about it, the central shard releating the two pieces of Beatrice should not harm or damage it."

"That's good to hear, at least."

Colin frowned, pondering, "I think... we should do it as soon as possible. Seeing as you won't actually be, ah, cutting into my Avatar, I see very little chance I will be hurt from it; it's Beatrice's health that worries me. And it seems unlikely that that will improve with time, without aid... Speaking of, did you get to try the tass from the villa node yet? In any case, we have to bring Master Nassa in on it - after we're done planning here, one of you should go in and take his place for a few minutes while he comes here to be brought in on the... facts of life, as it were."

"That's a wise precaution - it might be the, hm, medically most sound to use for treatment, but the legality of it might pose a greater problem... And Master Nassa needs to know everything, but, hmm... I would actually suggest Adley to keep watch over Beatrice while he comes in here; better to confer with the doctor about practical medical concerns than a family member, after all..."

"I'm glad to hear that you won't be hurt. I will go in and sit with Beatrice while you speak with Master Nassa, but what's this about the corrupted tass? I don't think that's a good idea, since it may be seen as violating her staying order."

He smiled wryly, "So my Avatar is not a picky eater... but as I mentioned up at the scan, that aspect means I, too, will want to stay involved with the Avatar Restoration project, to call it that - to make sure I don't get too... marked by Fallen Avatars; I seem to have picked up a number of such fragments and shards, as well."

He frowned at him. "That's not something I wanted to hear, amicus."

Colin smiled, "I'll let you know once I remember... if I ever do. I just remember seeing you both for the first time..."

"Thank you...this is..." he shook his head. "Still can't formulate a good sentence that describes it and I've been trying."

He grimaced, "Oh, God, are you saying they don't clean that place up after use? Thank Heavens I can't see spirits; that place must look like an ephemeral abattoir... Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have much choice over time... Hopefully, there won't be too many old Fallen shards drifting around. Then again, perhaps I'll find some of my own Avatar's old pieces..."

"Most of the shards usually end up in the Umbra eventually and there have not been that many Gilgul since well most widderslainte are...dealt with in their own homes but there should be some shards there and they will likely be consumed if you get close enough Mr Wainwright, but yes the place is not a good place to be, the Resonance from six hundred years of floggings, Brandlings, executions and...that, well let us just say a Nephandus would feel quite at home there if it had not been for them being brought there in chains."

"What happens to those shards in the umbra is something to discuss later," he said with a frown.

He blinked for a moment, "Bugger, I just saw... I think I can draw the Main Sentencing Hall fairly accurately now... from the perspective of the floor. Circular stone floor, tribunes around it... it was just a visual flash, and a sense of... it's a bad place..."

He glanced at him and frowned. "Yes, a very bad place..."

These most recent ones, though... are a little different, since these are not memories of things I've done in this life, or at least things I haven't done yet. I... don't think they're dangerous, though. I seem to be invariably sitting or lying down when they come, so a bit of relaxation seems necessary. Not something that's likely in a combat situation."

"It's disorienting and sometimes upsetting," he agreed. "Well, alright. So we are not going to do this thing immediately yet we are going to talk to Master Nassa about it and ask about gettting spirit medicine first and I am going into the room to watch her...and see if I can get her to rest, is that right?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane's apartment:

"Mrs Getwater I think you know what I am talking about, such as hearing about the Orphan. Can you tell me anything more about the people you mentioned, their abilities or what they are particularly good at? Have you had any new additions put into the labyrinth or its defenses...visitors that your labyrinth has seen..."

Cadence sigh.
"Well like I said we have gotten some reinforcements from Chicago though some of them have gone missing and some have been killed in battle. Well Trina and Alexei are infernalists they are worried about the world actually ending. William is nervous he will loose his apprentice in battle or worse yet that she will be captured and is considering sending her away, Tommy is the one that is trying to win over the Orphan and Clarissa who is the keeper of the Caul is concerned about it's health..."
Cadence said.
"I...do not know what else to say..."

Later:

"To give better treatment, well, perhaps..."

"It would be a believable reason for asking the Umbrood what it saw during the ritual."
Cita said.

"I could certainly try but this Umbrood is probably one of the highest nature that I have tried to communicate with. It was difficult for me to bargain with him but eventually he chose to interact with me," he admitted. "However, my pater brought him so I am sure he could if need be.

"Hum...well we are going to have to bring Jeffry in on this I think so perhaps he will be willing to try to speak with this Umbrood for us...and the very High Umbral ones, especially the Lords can be hard to deal with..."
Cita agreed.

"I'm glad to hear that you won't be hurt. I will go in and sit with Beatrice while you speak with Master Nassa, but what's this about the corrupted tass? I don't think that's a good idea, since it may be seen as violating her staying order."

"Thank you Mr Roth Hicks, that will be helpful."
The Virtual Adept said.
"Mr Wainwright suggested that corrupted Tass might help calm Beatrice's Avatar and it might, however for exactly the reason you mentioned I discussed the matter with Master Steelhaven and he sent a letter to experts when it comes to law about Bee's situation to ask about it."
She explained.

"What happens to those shards in the umbra is something to discuss later," he said with a frown.

"Agreed, one problem at the time."
Cita said frowned.

"It's disorienting and sometimes upsetting," he agreed. "Well, alright. So we are not going to do this thing immediately yet we are going to talk to Master Nassa about it and ask about gettting spirit medicine first and I am going into the room to watch her...and see if I can get her to rest, is that right?"

"That sounds like the plan we have been discussing yes unless Mr Wainwright have something to add that I think is the most reasonable course of action right now...well there is one more thing Tane...he have become very attached to Beatrice we have to decide on how much to tell him, if we try some treatment on Beatrice and he is not told he might react very, very badly."
Cita said and frowned again.

[Warpmind]

Kitchen:

"Yes well our problem is that our leaders are for the most part centuries old, they grew up in a completely different time so the old stubborn ones do not simply die off and vacate their space for someone who can bring in new ideas...so our situation are a bit different than American politics but I guess some of the same principles apply."

Colin snorted, "Have you seen the bloody Congress here? Mortal humans with a life expectancy of maybe eighty years spend between forty and sixty years in the same seat of power, swiftly losing any grasp of what their constituency might have to deal with because they are so far removed from ordinary everyday struggles... The same bloody principle applies. I mean, I can understand it for the British House of Lords - that's an inherited position one keeps until one either disclaims one's aristocratic legacy - which must be done swiftly upon inheritance - or by formal resignation, removal for nonattendance or removal for being convicted of a serious crime with prison time... In fact, it's quite dismaying how insanity is not grounds for dismissal... But elected positions in the second-highest office in the land, and the fat asses there keep getting reelected twenty, thirty times? That's just ridiculous, if it weren't so bloody serious..."

"My mother sold me to those other Nephandi did she not, that is how they knew how to find me on the way back to the Chantry from swim practice?"

He nodded softly, "Yes... and she's the one who got your father into trouble, as well, by convincing him he could get you back by helping... something even he should have known was not going to happen... I'll try to arrange for you to see him in the morning, though - that, at least, should be a boon for you both..."

"Well fuck, mother of the year...that is messed up, is the little girl going to be ok? And no there is definitively no saving that one."

Colin nodded, "She worked out for herself that it was her mother who sold her out... and she knows that her father is in trouble, as well. Him, at least, it is possible to plead for mercy for; for her sake more than his own..."

Basement:

"Well we do not want Beatrice's Avatar to become addicted, but one problem at the time, making sure she actually survive have to be the first priority."

Colin nodded, "Addiction is a treatable condition. Death, not so much..."

"I...can imagine Mr Wainwright and such flashback are common with traumatic experiences but the visions you have described today, they are from former lives are they not? You have not been to the Main Sentencing Hall in this life have you?"

He shook his head, "I've drawn pictures from Horizon as it will look months and years in the future, and now I've also seen how parts of it looked over five centuries ago... but I've never been further out than the Umbral Port, I think... Possibly slightly further; I'm not sure how deep the shortcuts mr. Terach led me on went..."
He straightened his back with a grin, "So it's going to be interesting to set foot on Horizon again for the first time in my life."

"I am still a little concerned Mr Wainwright it is probably nothing but even so, I would not want to to get any traumatic throwback at inopportune moments."

He nodded, "I suspect... Mia senses when it would be dangerous to show me something. She's aware enough of what I perceive to be royally annoyed every time someone asks me if I'm alright after my encounter with a gilgul-happy Nephandus. Every time someone asks..."

"I could certainly try but this Umbrood is probably one of the highest nature that I have tried to communicate with. It was difficult for me to bargain with him but eventually he chose to interact with me," he admitted. "However, my pater brought him so I am sure he could if need be.

"Hum...well we are going to have to bring Jeffry in on this I think so perhaps he will be willing to try to speak with this Umbrood for us...and the very High Umbral ones, especially the Lords can be hard to deal with..."

"Chief Morgan is already informed about my... inheritance. As the Mentor of Adley, and as the Security Chief of the Chantry, I deemed it necessary to keep him informed as early as possible. Master Steelhaven will also be informed before I return to Chicago, for the same reasons. Master Narim... might have to wait until he takes Master Steelhaven's position. I believe he's a good, trustworthy man, but involving all the Deacons might be unwise, though I'll defer to Master Steelhaven's assessment in that regard."

"I'm glad to hear that you won't be hurt. I will go in and sit with Beatrice while you speak with Master Nassa, but what's this about the corrupted tass? I don't think that's a good idea, since it may be seen as violating her staying order."

He smiled and lifted out a couple of the mana beads from under his shirt, "I got the idea from miss Jerkins' journals - her experiment on feeding miss Aydogan corrupted tass, if you recall? I made the connection suddenly, contemplating how Balanced or Static Tass felt like lotion to the soul, more so than Dynamic or Entropic, and realized that the soothing sensation was partly aided by the Quintessence's Resonance. As such, Corrupted Tass, preferably slightly on the Entropic side, might help Beatrice more than our flavours of choice. But, the legality of it being in question, it's probably best to wait with that."

"That's not something I wanted to hear, amicus."

"Me neither, but it's better I am aware of it than ignorant... at least this way I can have my Avatar's balance examined more or less regularly to see if there's any undue influence from those fragments, and... I can help Beatrice by working alongside her with my own Avatar to try to, er, unwring those shards."

"It's disorienting and sometimes upsetting," he agreed. "Well, alright. So we are not going to do this thing immediately yet we are going to talk to Master Nassa about it and ask about gettting spirit medicine first and I am going into the room to watch her...and see if I can get her to rest, is that right?"

"That sounds like the plan we have been discussing yes unless Mr Wainwright have something to add that I think is the most reasonable course of action right now...well there is one more thing Tane...he have become very attached to Beatrice we have to decide on how much to tell him, if we try some treatment on Beatrice and he is not told he might react very, very badly."

"That sounds essentially spot on - delay until we can get some pain treatment for Beatrice, and inform Master Nassa right away. And... I'll inform mr. Karyak about the plan, with instructions that he is not to attend. I'm going to have to get a simplified copy of the Protocols from the library and ask Chief Morgan and Master Steelhaven about the possibility of a Geas on the young man just in case. He's... a lot more rash and reckless than I'd thought, after hearing the testimony of the three he went out with."
He frowned, "He's not coming out of this one smelling like roses, that much I can say... the best I can hope for is to contain the stink to our own Chantry so he doesn't turn into... something the Italian Angel can use against us."

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