Re: Welcoming Morrigan, Leaving the Labyrinth and Well Earned Rest IC Thread 53

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Morning Colin's Apartment]

Colin smiled thinly, "Well, adopting him to ensure the Keeper and Labyrinth's aid in defeating the residents was certainly to our advantage... I'm afraid the food bill is going to be somewhat a bother, though. But I will manage."

"That seams like a wise enough way to go about it Mr Wainwright and good luck with the Labyrinth."
The old Quesitor said sounding like she approved.

He smiled thinly, lowering his voice, "Scrubbing with sand. So the supply is limited, but I have a good deal of it left. I'll have a chat with the man later today, and let you speak with him in private, alright?"

"Very well then I will speak with this man after you have had a talk with him and I will see what I can do for him...hum the sand...most interesting I can see how this can be quite useful especilly once you get more of a supply of it."
Udella replied.

e nodded, "The only witnesses were essentially our Masters and Lady Crexia - I've faith they won't speak of it. The concerning element is Lord Steel himself... one of the former Infernalists I've de-pacted is the grandson of the Most Dearly Beloved of all Tytali... and he has testified it was without his knowledge or consent, done by his Mentor, in a deal with the family patron, as it were. So I would be concerned they will learn quickly through less-than-legal sources."

"I see, well I will not need a long time to find out about this so try to keep anyone else from telling the twins or anyone else of our enemies and we will hope Lord Steel himself will not inform anyone and I will try to be as speedy as I can checking the precedenses and legal rulings about these matters."
The old Hermetic said with a nod.
"I will try to be as quick as I can with this."

[Warpmind]

[Morning Colin's Apartment]

"That seams like a wise enough way to go about it Mr Wainwright and good luck with the Labyrinth."
The old Quesitor said sounding like she approved.

Colin grinned, "Thank you, I'll make sure to introduce you next time we meet. Well... I need to get an enchantment done so I can enter and leave without having to find a Spirit-Adept each time."

"Very well then I will speak with this man after you have had a talk with him and I will see what I can do for him...hum the sand...most interesting I can see how this can be quite useful especilly once you get more of a supply of it."
Udella replied.

He nodded, "Oh, it certainly has some very promising applications... I'm going to ask Adept Markov to make a focusing lens out of a sample later, see if I can make sort of a laser to remove Investments, so I don't use up the sand in the scrubbing... It'll need testing, of course, but the idea, I think, is sound."

"I see, well I will not need a long time to find out about this so try to keep anyone else from telling the twins or anyone else of our enemies and we will hope Lord Steel himself will not inform anyone and I will try to be as speedy as I can checking the precedenses and legal rulings about these matters."
The old Hermetic said with a nod.
"I will try to be as quick as I can with this."

He nodded, "I don't think I can do much more on this end to keep things quiet, not without letting on more details, at any rate... I'll talk to you later, then, Ma'am. I've got to prevent a club in Seattle from blowing up... always another crisis to deal with."

Waiting to hear if Udella had any last warnings, he eventually hung up and stepped over to Morgan's office door and knocked.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'No, she was idiot who thought women were too "fragile" and "emotional" to use logic and preached the gospel of the alpha sociopath; toxic individualism.' Nicole replied, tone scathing.

Anja's Post:

'Fine then, the electric car, or solar power stations - both of them seen before WW1, like. There's been a ton of inventions which were either suppressed, abandoned or simply before their time. It's why some Scientists fight the Union from archives, libraries and museums; searching out those "might been" techs and seeing if they actually have worth now.' Nicole explained, perhaps giving Fran the first "insiders view" of the Tradition.

Anja's Post:

'Which was the point made by teach. The gun could be powered by electricity, coming from low-carbon energy - y'know, a massive railgun. Would also result in much less space trash too.'

Anja's Post:

'Yeah... came to start planning the next mission...' she replied, clearly a little confused.

[Okay, I think we have a problem; Colin has simply gone too far ahead time-wise]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Morning Colin's Apartment]

Colin grinned, "Thank you, I'll make sure to introduce you next time we meet. Well... I need to get an enchantment done so I can enter and leave without having to find a Spirit-Adept each time."

"I would like that very much Mr Wainwright, as for such a portal you might want to ask a Verditius to help you with that then."
Udella replied.

He nodded, "Oh, it certainly has some very promising applications... I'm going to ask Adept Markov to make a focusing lens out of a sample later, see if I can make sort of a laser to remove Investments, so I don't use up the sand in the scrubbing... It'll need testing, of course, but the idea, I think, is sound."

"Such a lens is a possibility but I suspect that it will not work for several applications, spiritual substances have something more about them then the physical aspects of them and likely direct cotnact with the sand is needed and nto just light shone through a lens, but I would not know until I examine the method."
The old Hermetic replied.
"But yes such a method to remove the foot soldiers from under the Nephandi's noses would be...most useful and I am sure some regret their pacts as well and if the sand can help them then so much the better."

He nodded, "I don't think I can do much more on this end to keep things quiet, not without letting on more details, at any rate... I'll talk to you later, then, Ma'am. I've got to prevent a club in Seattle from blowing up... always another crisis to deal with."

"I will contact you when I have the information I need Mr Wainwright."
Udella promised.
"Never a dull moment eh...well good luck with that and take care."
She said to end the conversation, she waited to see if you had more to add before she hung up on the call.

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

'No, she was idiot who thought women were too "fragile" and "emotional" to use logic and preached the gospel of the alpha sociopath; toxic individualism.' Nicole replied, tone scathing.

"I agree that she was an idiot, but not that there was nto a reason behind it, a pendulum tend to swing between extremes Nicole, Ayn Rand lost everything to Communists in Russia, she saw the worst of Communism and so her polical views when into the completely oposite direction, it do not make her ideas any better but it do serve as an warning not to go to far to either side to avoid such backlashes."
Fran replied.

Fine then, the electric car, or solar power stations - both of them seen before WW1, like. There's been a ton of inventions which were either suppressed, abandoned or simply before their time. It's why some Scientists fight the Union from archives, libraries and museums; searching out those "might been" techs and seeing if they actually have worth now.' Nicole explained, perhaps giving Fran the first "insiders view" of the Tradition.

"Hum...yes I have heard about that. The Sons of Ether have little in common with one antoher other than each one continuing using the discarded and discredited Sciences that the Union have thrown to the side and banished from the Consensus."
The Euthanathos said with a nod.
"Perhaps those abandoned Sciences can be used to better humanity one day."

Which was the point made by teach. The gun could be powered by electricity, coming from low-carbon energy - y'know, a massive railgun. Would also result in much less space trash too.'

"Hum...seams like a good idea then, so what is stopping this method from being used in the space program?"
The young death maga asked.

Yeah... came to start planning the next mission...' she replied, clearly a little confused.

Helena nodded she indicated that the two other Willworkers could sit.
"Yes my Pater will give final details when he wakes up but right now he is resting, even a powerful war mage needs a bit of sleep."
She said.
"I will be doing some premilinary planning though so we will be ready to go when the strike team wakes up tomorrow...or I would say later today, did you have something to add to that Miss Bouchard?"

(OOC: Yes I assumed most would go to bed so I took Colin to the next day we can slow him down a bit with Udella's phone call before sending him down to talk with Jeffry.)

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'I don't know 'bout her background to comment. What I do know is that her view is taken by many of the leaders of our society. And a few within our "society" too, for that matter.'

Anja's Post:

'Quite a lot of 'em ain't even "banished" - simply ignored, declared obsolete or uneconomic. And I've generally found that we look a lot different than we actually are. Often your kit is either ungettable in some way or don't even exist - so you have to jury-rig, kit-bash and mod whatever you can find, which obviously relies on... well, what you can find.' the Etherite replied.

Anja's Post:

'Technological lock-in and path dependence. Space programme came out of the air force, and they knew about jets and rockets but not much about artillery. Nazi rocket tech was a cache which everyone ended up copying. And now we've got over fifty year experience of rockets, and loads of bits of it lying about to use.'

Anja's Post:

'No... though where is everybody?' Nicole replied, looking a bit unimpressed while sitting down. 'We've won a battle, but not the campaign...'

[a) Nick got full sleep just before battle, b) caffeine, c) literally 'inexhaustible' and d) job not done yet. Plus, Serge/Morrigan even further behind than Nick.]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

'I don't know 'bout her background to comment. What I do know is that her view is taken by many of the leaders of our society. And a few within our "society" too, for that matter.'

"And I never said that is a good thing, I only said her views did not come out of nowhere there there is a pendulum effect here that is best avoided."
Fran replied.

'Quite a lot of 'em ain't even "banished" - simply ignored, declared obsolete or uneconomic. And I've generally found that we look a lot different than we actually are. Often your kit is either ungettable in some way or don't even exist - so you have to jury-rig, kit-bash and mod whatever you can find, which obviously relies on... well, what you can find.' the Etherite replied.

"Fair enough but some Etherites are chemists, some work with things such as orgonite, some look like they are stuck in a Star Trek episodes while some work with steam tech the variation seaom to be enormous."
The death maga commented.

'Technological lock-in and path dependence. Space programme came out of the air force, and they knew about jets and rockets but not much about artillery. Nazi rocket tech was a cache which everyone ended up copying. And now we've got over fifty year experience of rockets, and loads of bits of it lying about to use.'

"I guess that makes sense. Well I do not know enough about either technology to really comment one way or the other."
Fran said.
"But hopefully if this is a viable replace ment or side technology to combustion engines it will be given antoher look."

'No... though where is everybody?' Nicole replied, looking a bit unimpressed while sitting down. 'We've won a battle, but not the campaign...'

"Most are sleeping Miss Bouchard, I believe Mr Yager is showing the new Chantry member around and a few have been set as Chantry guards under Adept Markov's lead. Yes the campaign is not done Miss Bouchar but what do you think would happen to the chances of victory in that campaign if our pepole never took any rest, sometimes in order to win we have to take a few hours to sleep."
Helena replied.

(OOC: Well if a few is a bit after it do not matter we can always split scenes.)

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

Nicole gave a shrug to this.

Anja's Post:

'Yeah, but it don't mean we don't understand each other.... at least, we normally do.' Nicole replied. 'Many problems have multiple solutions, like and each of them ends up with their own fans. Some pick alternatives 'cos they solve the problem better, while others go on the rule of cool, or on the point they already have the gear.'

Anja's Post:

'There's other ones too - it ain't an either/or choice here. In fact, there may be space in the future for several options to all be in use.'

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'True. But best to work out what that next move is before sleeping. So if nothing else, people know when to wake up?' the Etherite replied, leaning back in the chair a little.

'Unless I'm wrong, the next is in Seattle, no? Who's on the team, how are they getting there and when is the planned time for the attack?'

[Don't mind splitting scenes. More thinking of avoiding the scenes getting so out of sync they start banging into each other.]

[Morrigan]

[Steelhaven 5 30]

The Euthanathos who had let you in stood.
"I will show you the way madam."
He said and narim nodded.
"Thank you Adjan."
The the Virtual Adept turned to Morrigan again.
"I look forwards to getting to know you better Morrigan, know you are most welcome and we do apologize for being to tired to have a proper welcome right now but that will be remided. My friend here will take you to your rooms."
He said indicating the death magus.

Morrigan smiled and bowed just a little. "Thank you. I appreciate the talk. I'm really looking forward to getting into things around here."

[Steelhaven 5 30]
[quote="Jeremy Silverstein"]

"Not really by choice. Mostly lack of time. Between studying, magick studying, drawing, and consuming all media I physically can. Doesn't really make teenage romance that high a priority." Serge said with a shrug. "Thanks for the clubbing offer. May even take you up on it if the outside world stopped trying to kill me every time I stepped outside."

Morrigan's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. "That's like the third time someone's mentioned a lot of people being almost killed a lot of the time. You were the target of the Banshee attacks, yeah? Any idea what's the story with that?"

"And it was Naruto who shouted 'Bunshin No Jutsu' at the top of his lungs and made an entire generation of kids fall in love with Ninja's." Serge retorted. He chuckled a bit at his own reply before saying, "Don't really care much what real people have to say. Truth of the world lies in the stories we create. And the stories we create say that Ninja Tricks are fucking badass. And never watched Lettermen. Talk shows never really got me."

Morrigan cocked her head to the side. "I mean, not that I think that what we refer to when we talk about the legendary figure of Musashi Miyamoto in any way resembles the 'real person' (even if there is such a thing, which I doubt), but real people give rise to stories the same as fictions do. If the truth of the world is in stories (which is something I can behind), then it seems... limited...? To raise up one source of stories to the point you dismiss another. Naruto's cool beans all the way, no arguments. But so's Muhammad Ali. The Rumble in the Jungle alone is as powerful a narrative as anyone could ever write. I would say that story is much as much a part of the truth of the world as Naruto."

"Cool Ninja Tricks!" he corrected as he raced up the stairs with a lot more gusto than he had done previously.

Morrigan laughed, "I admit. Some of them are pretty cool."

It wasn't long before Serge eventually brought Morrigan up to a plain door, nestled between the many other doors that lead to the other residents apartments. "Huh. I should really make this door more interesting." Serge mused, looking carefully at the door to his apartment. "Well that's a project for another time. Anyways! Welcome to Casa De Serge!"

With an over the top gesture, Serge threw open his door and lead Morrigan inside.

The first thing that the Akashic Mage would notice were the drawings. The hundreds upon hundreds of drawings littering what seemed like every square inch of the living room they had stepped into. Both attached to the walls and strewn about the floor. The pictures depicted countless things. Characters, Creatures, Locations, Events, Powers. In countless different genres ranging from Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Modern, and countless more. Looking one way she may see a fantasy warrior slaying a large winged beast and turning a different way she may catch a glimpse of a strange alien terrorizing puny Earthlings.

What was also fascinating was that despite the quantity, there was still quality. Each drawing appeared expertly made, as if a professional had toiled away for days just to finish one. Most of the drawings were done in pencil, however mixed in among them were other methods such as markers, pens, and even paints.

On the ceiling of the apartment, Morrigan would see a pencil-drawn dragon looking over the entire room. A massive Eastern Dragon whose head was placed in the center of the living and whose serpent-like body radiated outwards and seemed to encompass the entire apartment complex. Every part of the dragon was detailed, from the regal features of the dragons face to the sheen and shimmer of every scale that littered his enormous body.

The furnishings of the living room were much less interesting. With a sofa slumped up against the wall (covering some more drawings), a kitchen table placed oddly in the center of the room right underneath the dragons face, and a desk that held a laptop, multiple stacks of paper, unlabeled pill bottles and energy drinks.

"So. What'd you think of the dragon? Cause that thing took me three months to finish." Serge said, glancing up at his large creation.

Morrigan gasped in wonder when they entered the room. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open and she walked in slowly, absently, staring about her like she was in a trance. She wanted to stare at every picture for hours and hours and hours on end. To shove her face in it and feel the texture of it as though it were a living thing. She was an artist, but she was a performer by nature and it seemed so strange to her to have so much art, so much talent, so much of yourself on walls in a room where it wasn't constantly being seen and loved. Not bad, just odd. For her, like a tree making sound in a forest, art wasn't art unless it was being loved (or hated).

And her thoughts were interrupted when he asked about the dragon.

"I think it's remarkable. Astonishing. Beautiful. Terrifying. I think it's like somehow you found a way to put the way a waterfall sounds on paper, or the wind across a grassy plain, or a pillow shot from a Miyazaki movie, or how it feels like to stand in a high place and look down."

She stood in the middle of the room and spun around slowly.

"Everything I do is words and my own voice," she said quietly, "And that's fine, but it's all so small and compact and invisible. I wish I would put it all on the walls like this. Does it give you perspective? I knew a painter back in London who said no artist ever paints 20 good pictures. And he meant that, by the time you've done 21, you've learned so much you don't think the first one's any good anymore. But maybe it helps? To see your growth and vision change as a function of both time and space?"

She looked back him, eyes shining.

"This is amazing. Thank you so much for showing me."

She then took a minute, going from piece to piece, pointing out elements or choices or pieces she especially admired. She could draw a bit (and very little bit) but she had a decent command of the theory.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

Yeah, but it don't mean we don't understand each other.... at least, we normally do.' Nicole replied. 'Many problems have multiple solutions, like and each of them ends up with their own fans. Some pick alternatives 'cos they solve the problem better, while others go on the rule of cool, or on the point they already have the gear.'

"So the guy with the tricorder and phaser can understand the guy who use gears and steam?"
Fran asked.

'There's other ones too - it ain't an either/or choice here. In fact, there may be space in the future for several options to all be in use.'

Fran just nodded at that.
"Well options is always a good thing."

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

'True. But best to work out what that next move is before sleeping. So if nothing else, people know when to wake up?' the Etherite replied, leaning back in the chair a little.

"There is team Miss Bouchard and most desperatly needed rest at times a little patience is needed."
Helena replied.

'Unless I'm wrong, the next is in Seattle, no? Who's on the team, how are they getting there and when is the planned time for the attack?'

"Yes picking up the Massassa in Seattle is the next thing we have to do. We are going to teleport in, we have spoken with a Chantry in Seattle and been given leave to connect with their portal chamber. The exact time or the attack is not set yet as for members of the team it is also not set in stone since we will be dealing with vampires no one will be ordered to go. Yourself will be asked and Miss Mandis. My Pater will lead the strike team, Mr Wainwright will be asked to go, Miss Day as well, Master Nassa for healing and Mr Darehill. But the list is like I said not set in stone yet."

[Steelhaven 5 30]

Morrigan smiled and bowed just a little. "Thank you. I appreciate the talk. I'm really looking forward to getting into things around here."

Narim nodded at that he go up and walked you and Adjan to the door.
"Welcome to Steelhaven Morrigan."
He said before you left. The Euthanathos leaned on his cane and nodded down the hallway.
"This way if you will Miss."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'Often, yes - it least at the basic level.'

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'Even if it leads to people oversleeping and missing the time-slot for the next mission?' arching an eyebrow.

Anja's Post:

As the Hermetic began to speak, the Etherite leant over to the desk and took a notepad and pen, making a few notes.

'Okay... one, what support is the Seattle Chantry giving us? Two, what intel do we already have on the target? Three, what's the general plan; search-destroy, a hit or a kidnapping?' giving a little frown as she pulled out her phone and started fiddling with it.

'Sunset is 16.26 in Seattle...' scribbling figures on the pad '...we're three hours ahead, so 13.26, let's say 90 mins for the mission, 11.56... throw in a 30 min margin... let's say planned teleport at 11.30, meaning alarm-clocks set at 10.30? Or 10.00?'

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

'Often, yes - it least at the basic level.'

"Hum...well that is practical."
Fran said with a nod.

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

Even if it leads to people oversleeping and missing the time-slot for the next mission?' arching an eyebrow.

"First of all Miss Bouchard it is not that hard to knock on someone's door to wake them pepole do it all the time, secondly I would rather risk someone not being able to get up and having to replace them on the ream to someone beign so tired they get themselves killed or worse."
Helena said firmly.

As the Hermetic began to speak, the Etherite leant over to the desk and took a notepad and pen, making a few notes.

'Okay... one, what support is the Seattle Chantry giving us? Two, what intel do we already have on the target? Three, what's the general plan; search-destroy, a hit or a kidnapping?' giving a little frown as she pulled out her phone and started fiddling with it.

"The Chantry in Seattle is giving us no help what so ever toher than letting us teleport in using thier portal chamber, they originally did not want us there at all this vampire is not their concern. Our goal is to take this Massassa alive, she must be taken alive as she is bait to get her girlfriend out of hiding. The plan is to enter her club, find her and get out with as little collateral damage as possible. Now we know this Massassa keep slaves, unwilling sleeper slaves, a secondary objective is to find them and free them."
The Hermetic said.

Sunset is 16.26 in Seattle...' scribbling figures on the pad '...we're three hours ahead, so 13.26, let's say 90 mins for the mission, 11.56... throw in a 30 min margin... let's say planned teleport at 11.30, meaning alarm-clocks set at 10.30? Or 10.00?'

"Well teleporting in is pretty much instantanious so we can give pepole a good 8 hours sleep, we do not have to go before the afternoon, we will still catch the window before sunset."
The ice maga replied.
"There is no need to leave in a only five hours, it is better that everyone is rested. If we leave about four in the afternoon there will still be plenty of hours of daylight in Seattle. Now for what we know about the target, her name is Lillyandra, last name unknown, she is a powerful and old Massassa and the lover of the widderslainte Lily. Lillyandra runs a nightclub in Seattle, the everyday side of it is a somewhat kink based Gothic themed establishment, most likely any sleepers found in the side of the club open to the public are inocent. However under it she practice her art...killing and torturing pepole on film...so yes this is not a kind person. We have been told she have a hedge wizard working for her, brainwashed a gift from Lily, other than that we do not know."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'And how are we going to get to the club? Hitch-hike?' Nicole replied. 'And when you say "no support", does this mean they won't even help cover our tracks afterwards?'

Anja's Post:

'Wait... 16.00 here would be 13.00 there, which gives us three and a half hours, give or take.' now searching to see if she could find this club online. 'What's the address of the Seattle Chantry?'

[Eh... brain fart, confusing 'hours ahead' and 'hours behind'. That's what I get while trying to answer five things at once... *rolls eyes*]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

And how are we going to get to the club? Hitch-hike?' Nicole replied. 'And when you say "no support", does this mean they won't even help cover our tracks afterwards?'

"Rented cars I was thinking."
Helena replied then she nodded.
"Indeed the Chantry in Seattle will allow us to use their teleportation chamber and that is it, they want no other part in this."

'Wait... 16.00 here would be 13.00 there, which gives us three and a half hours, give or take.' now searching to see if she could find this club online. 'What's the address of the Seattle Chantry?'

"Three and a half hours should be plenty...hum...let me see...Rainier Ave B, the Chantry is named Et Spes Societas Spiritus."
The ice mage said. You found information about a club named Devil's Due, the page for the club said that it served drinks and light food, was kink friendly and generally catered to a BDSM and kink clientelle. It opened at 7 in the afternoon, though it could be rented during the day for private arangements and parties.

(OOC: Such thing happen. )

[Warpmind]

[Morning Colin's Apartment]

"I would like that very much Mr Wainwright, as for such a portal you might want to ask a Verditius to help you with that then."
Udella replied.

Colin nodded, "I was thinking our visiting Virtual Adept Master, actually. Keep it somewhat in-house, as it were."

"Such a lens is a possibility but I suspect that it will not work for several applications, spiritual substances have something more about them then the physical aspects of them and likely direct cotnact with the sand is needed and nto just light shone through a lens, but I would not know until I examine the method."
The old Hermetic replied.
"But yes such a method to remove the foot soldiers from under the Nephandi's noses would be...most useful and I am sure some regret their pacts as well and if the sand can help them then so much the better."

He nodded, "Quite, it would require some testing... well, if such a laser doesn't affect Investments, it might still specifically cause discomfort to the Fallen, or at least help identify them. Well, a concern for a later date."

"I will contact you when I have the information I need Mr Wainwright."
Udella promised.
"Never a dull moment eh...well good luck with that and take care."
She said to end the conversation, she waited to see if you had more to add before she hung up on the call.

He smiled, "Never at all dull... Take care, and do say hello to your apprentice, would you?"

((OOC: I'm in no rush; with a wonky arm, I probably shouldn't be too invested in keeping up with frequent posting, anyway...))

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'What about transporting the cargo? Or the possible secondaries? Assume we can find a rental agency which delivers.'

Anja's Post:

'Ah, the wilful stupid type. Well we could simply allow the leads go back to their door...' giving a slight smirk.

Anja's Post:

'Not if it takes an hour to travel across the city each way.' putting the two addresses into Google Maps to find out the time/distance between them.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Morning Colin's Apartment]

Colin nodded, "I was thinking our visiting Virtual Adept Master, actually. Keep it somewhat in-house, as it were."

"You are thinking of Master Telar? Well she should be mroe than qualified, Master Sharaya as well as far as I know of his abilities."
Udella agreed.

He nodded, "Quite, it would require some testing... well, if such a laser doesn't affect Investments, it might still specifically cause discomfort to the Fallen, or at least help identify them. Well, a concern for a later date."

"Well it is worth testing in anycase."
The old Hermetic said.
"And see if anything comes of it."

He smiled, "Never at all dull... Take care, and do say hello to your apprentice, would you?"

"I will do so, she is doing quite well considering everything the Branding in particular, it takes time to recover from that. Please say hello to Anna as well, I hope she is happy and healthy."
Udella said with a sigh over the plight of the girl she had rescued.

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

What about transporting the cargo? Or the possible secondaries? Assume we can find a rental agency which delivers.'

"Rental cars with some storage space, at least one of them will be the type you often rent to move between apartments and such."
Helena said.
"We can fit a body or two in one of those."

Ah, the wilful stupid type. Well we could simply allow the leads go back to their door...' giving a slight smirk.

"No Miss Bouchard we are not going to become traitors to the Traditions and risk both the lives and Avatars of members of another Chantry kind enough to allow us the use of their portal room because they will nto join in our conflict with this Massassa woman."
Helena said sternly and she fixed Helena with an ice blue stare.
"Am I clear Miss Bouchard, we are not going to become traitors or do anything so stupid as what you suggjest."

'Not if it takes an hour to travel across the city each way.' putting the two addresses into Google Maps to find out the time/distance between them.

"Understood well that should still give us enough time we are not going to spend allot of time at the club, an hour or more should be more than enough for the strike itself."
The ice maga replied.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'We already have a lightproof crate. P'haps we can bring that with us?' on a fresh page writing "To Do" and then putting "transport rental; 2/3 cars, 2 vans?"

Anja's Post:

'It was a joke. Commenting about how if one side plays lawful stupid, so can the other.' the Etherite replied, her greyish eyes staring right back. 'Like the fact that they won't even help us help them avoid blowback? Would you consider that wise if the roles were reversed and this was your office?' tone making it clear Nicole didn't.

'Anyhow, it means we'll need to bring everything we need with us. Like we'll need an Adept to do the digital clean-up afters.'

Anja's Post:

'You don't know that. Not for sure.' she quipped, waiting for Google Maps to load so she could work out how much time it would take to travel to the target from the Seattle Chantry.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Steelhaven 5 30]

Morrigan's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. "That's like the third time someone's mentioned a lot of people being almost killed a lot of the time. You were the target of the Banshee attacks, yeah? Any idea what's the story with that?"

"Oh...you know about that." Serge said, suddenly sounding much les enthused than he had been previously. "Yeaaah not the most fun story. Just kinda depressing. Basically a Fae creature died horribly and came back as a ghost known as a Banshee. And in order to not poof out of existence she needed to eat the creativity of a potent dreamer. I was the tastiest meal."

Morrigan cocked her head to the side. "I mean, not that I think that what we refer to when we talk about the legendary figure of Musashi Miyamoto in any way resembles the 'real person' (even if there is such a thing, which I doubt), but real people give rise to stories the same as fictions do. If the truth of the world is in stories (which is something I can behind), then it seems... limited...? To raise up one source of stories to the point you dismiss another. Naruto's cool beans all the way, no arguments. But so's Muhammad Ali. The Rumble in the Jungle alone is as powerful a narrative as anyone could ever write. I would say that story is much as much a part of the truth of the world as Naruto."

"Hahaha your absolutely right. I don't dismiss it. I'm just incredibly biased." Serge admitted, "I just enjoy fictional stories a lot more. Real life stories just feel so....constrained. Follows too many rules. Too many limits. Muhammed Ali can never punch so hard he shatters the ground or focus his energy into a chi blast. But I'm not gonna deny the power of historical events and real life stories. Art imitates Life after all. And Life imitates Art. We need both. I just need to learn how to understand Life a bit more."

Morrigan gasped in wonder when they entered the room. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open and she walked in slowly, absently, staring about her like she was in a trance. She wanted to stare at every picture for hours and hours and hours on end. To shove her face in it and feel the texture of it as though it were a living thing. She was an artist, but she was a performer by nature and it seemed so strange to her to have so much art, so much talent, so much of yourself on walls in a room where it wasn't constantly being seen and loved. Not bad, just odd. For her, like a tree making sound in a forest, art wasn't art unless it was being loved (or hated).

And her thoughts were interrupted when he asked about the dragon.

"I think it's remarkable. Astonishing. Beautiful. Terrifying. I think it's like somehow you found a way to put the way a waterfall sounds on paper, or the wind across a grassy plain, or a pillow shot from a Miyazaki movie, or how it feels like to stand in a high place and look down."

She stood in the middle of the room and spun around slowly.

"Everything I do is words and my own voice," she said quietly, "And that's fine, but it's all so small and compact and invisible. I wish I would put it all on the walls like this. Does it give you perspective? I knew a painter back in London who said no artist ever paints 20 good pictures. And he meant that, by the time you've done 21, you've learned so much you don't think the first one's any good anymore. But maybe it helps? To see your growth and vision change as a function of both time and space?"

She looked back him, eyes shining.

"This is amazing. Thank you so much for showing me."

She then took a minute, going from piece to piece, pointing out elements or choices or pieces she especially admired. She could draw a bit (and very little bit) but she had a decent command of the theory.

Serge seemed incredibly taken aback. He was used to people complimenting his work. But it had been a while since someone had such a profound reaction, especially since most of the chantry had gotten used to his expertise.

"Err...ummm. No problem. You asked you to see after all." Serge said nervously glancing off in a random direction, clearly enjoying the Akashic praise but not wanting to show it on his face.

He walked around his own room, following beside Morrigan and glancing at his own works as he contemplated her questions. "Those are some heavy questions. I just like being surrounded by my work. Though I guess it is nice seeing the progression in quality. Let's me know that I'm getting better. But I certainly don't think any of my drawings are bad or 'not good'. The first scribble I ever made and that dragon you see above you are both equally 'good' in my eyes. Cause they're both my attempts at bringing my imagination into the real world. To let people see what goes on in my head. Same with every other drawing you see here."

He paused a bit to let Morrigan's look at his work in greater detail. Expanding upon whatever comments she made with his own thoughts on the piece. "You mentioned you use words and your own voice before. Guessing your a singer then? What do you sing?" he asked as they passed by a piece that showcased a music themed superhero.

(OOC: Thanks for the success Anja!)

[Morrigan]

[Steelhaven 5 30]

"Oh...you know about that." Serge said, suddenly sounding much les enthused than he had been previously. "Yeaaah not the most fun story. Just kinda depressing. Basically a Fae creature died horribly and came back as a ghost known as a Banshee. And in order to not poof out of existence she needed to eat the creativity of a potent dreamer. I was the tastiest meal."

Morrigan's nose wrinkled up in distaste. "I've had a couple of experiences like that myself. My Awakening was precipitated by a Motley of Recaps. You know those guys? They saw me throwing off Glamour a mile away and came to get a meal." She shuddered slightly at the memory. "Had a couple situations since, but I'm much better equipped to handle them now."

"Hahaha your absolutely right. I don't dismiss it. I'm just incredibly biased." Serge admitted, "I just enjoy fictional stories a lot more. Real life stories just feel so....constrained. Follows too many rules. Too many limits. Muhammed Ali can never punch so hard he shatters the ground or focus his energy into a chi blast. But I'm not gonna deny the power of historical events and real life stories. Art imitates Life after all. And Life imitates Art. We need both. I just need to learn how to understand Life a bit more."

"K sure fair, but Ali punched racism. And the Vietnam War! Not even full-power-up Goku ever punched a whole war." She smirked to show she was kidding. She was glad he copped to the bias. A bias was fine. We all had those. She'd met people, smart people, wise people, with these weird obvious blind spots they refused to acknowledge. She was glad the first Mage she ran into wasn't one of them. Last thing she wanted was to get into a fight on day one.

Serge seemed incredibly taken aback. He was used to people complimenting his work. But it had been a while since someone had such a profound reaction, especially since most of the chantry had gotten used to his expertise.

"Err...ummm. No problem. You asked you to see after all." Serge said nervously glancing off in a random direction, clearly enjoying the Akashic praise but not wanting to show it on his face.

He walked around his own room, following beside Morrigan and glancing at his own works as he contemplated her questions. "Those are some heavy questions. I just like being surrounded by my work. Though I guess it is nice seeing the progression in quality. Let's me know that I'm getting better. But I certainly don't think any of my drawings are bad or 'not good'. The first scribble I ever made and that dragon you see above you are both equally 'good' in my eyes. Cause they're both my attempts at bringing my imagination into the real world. To let people see what goes on in my head. Same with every other drawing you see here."

He paused a bit to let Morrigan's look at his work in greater detail. Expanding upon whatever comments she made with his own thoughts on the piece. "You mentioned you use words and your own voice before. Guessing your a singer then? What do you sing?" he asked as they passed by a piece that showcased a music themed superhero.

Morrigan nodded along. "Yeah I'm with you. Some people like to hate on their early stuff. But I look at the broke-heart woe-is-me-pretty-boys-won't-kiss-me emo tripe I laid out when I was 12, thinking I was such a goddam genius, and it's like... hating on it would like hating on an acorn because it's not a tree yet, you know? Or hating 11:00 because it's not lunchtime. To everything there is a season, turn turn turn, and all that."

She took a few more minutes to look around. And then brightened at his question. "Yeah! I write songs and poetry, and do a lot of singing. I had a decent thing back across the pond. I'm hoping to take up here pretty quick too, once I can get a band together. A good friend of mine's a local promoter and he's been bugging me to come back for years. You can even Google me! I had a couple of videos from a couple shows in London go small-v viral. It's cool. But it's not the same. I don't translate well to video. On Youtube I'm just an angry (if cute) redhead screaming about the English. Anything about me that's worth seeing, you gotta see it live."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Steelhaven, 6.00]

We already have a lightproof crate. P'haps we can bring that with us?' on a fresh page writing "To Do" and then putting "transport rental; 2/3 cars, 2 vans?"

Helena nodded at that.
"Very well that should make things easier if we can carry the crate easilly, the same we used for the vampiress we kidnapped yesterday right?"

'It was a joke. Commenting about how if one side plays lawful stupid, so can the other.' the Etherite replied, her greyish eyes staring right back. 'Like the fact that they won't even help us help them avoid blowback? Would you consider that wise if the roles were reversed and this was your office?' tone making it clear Nicole didn't.

'Anyhow, it means we'll need to bring everything we need with us. Like we'll need an Adept to do the digital clean-up afters.'

"So would you prefer if they just flat out refused us to go to Seattle and take this Massassa for that is the alternative. Your point is the same as saying oh this person here that agreed to let us use their truck are so stupid for not wanting to expend their resources to make sure we get away clean with the things we plan to do with the truk...tell me Miss Bouchard are you even capable of showing a hint of gratitude for anything? We have been allowed to use a considerable resource, putting this Chantry at risk and you call them stupid?"
The ice maga scoffed.
"The Seattle Chantry are helping us by allowed us unhindered accsess to their portal chamber we can not expect anything else and we do our very best to make sure this very generous Chantry are not ending up regretting their decicion to help Steelhaven Hall."
Helena said sternly then she concsidered.
"That is a good point, I will ask Master Telar if she is willing to adi us on this mission."

You don't know that. Not for sure.' she quipped, waiting for Google Maps to load so she could work out how much time it would take to travel to the target from the Seattle Chantry.

"If strike on a nightclub belonging to a powerful old Massassa takes more than an hour something have gone seriously wrong and it is time to get the hell out of there."
Helena said.

(OOC: Did not you say the drive would take about an hour?)

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Steelhaven 5 30]

Morrigan's nose wrinkled up in distaste. "I've had a couple of experiences like that myself. My Awakening was precipitated by a Motley of Recaps. You know those guys? They saw me throwing off Glamour a mile away and came to get a meal." She shuddered slightly at the memory. "Had a couple situations since, but I'm much better equipped to handle them now."

"Oh shit. You've dealt with the fae before? More than once?" Serge said looking a little surprised. "You got a leg up on me then. This is actually my first time dealing with them. So my knowledge is a little sparse. The only Redcaps I know are the creepy goblin guys with red hats from folklore. Did you get attacked by something like that?"

"K sure fair, but Ali punched racism. And the Vietnam War! Not even full-power-up Goku ever punched a whole war." She smirked to show she was kidding. She was glad he copped to the bias. A bias was fine. We all had those. She'd met people, smart people, wise people, with these weird obvious blind spots they refused to acknowledge. She was glad the first Mage she ran into wasn't one of them. Last thing she wanted was to get into a fight on day one.

"Ok let's be real here. If someone told Goku that the abstract concept of war would put up a good fight, he'd find a way to punch it. And possibly create a whole new super saiyan form just for it." Serge joked as well, enjoying the light hearted conversation. It was nice to meet someone who didn't try to fight or argue with him every time he deigned to speak about the power of stories and even agreed with him to some extent.

Morrigan nodded along. "Yeah I'm with you. Some people like to hate on their early stuff. But I look at the broke-heart woe-is-me-pretty-boys-won't-kiss-me emo tripe I laid out when I was 12, thinking I was such a goddam genius, and it's like... hating on it would like hating on an acorn because it's not a tree yet, you know? Or hating 11:00 because it's not lunchtime. To everything there is a season, turn turn turn, and all that."

Serge nodded in agreement. "Yeah. The stuff we make when we're young is truly unique. Cause we'll never have that innocence again. No matter how good or bad or cringe it was....we'll never make something like that again. Hating on that time is unnecessary. In fact, I miss that time quite dearly. We should just be glad that we had it at all. Cause those moments shaped who we are today."

She took a few more minutes to look around. And then brightened at his question. "Yeah! I write songs and poetry, and do a lot of singing. I had a decent thing back across the pond. I'm hoping to take up here pretty quick too, once I can get a band together. A good friend of mine's a local promoter and he's been bugging me to come back for years. You can even Google me! I had a couple of videos from a couple shows in London go small-v viral. It's cool. But it's not the same. I don't translate well to video. On Youtube I'm just an angry (if cute) redhead screaming about the English. Anything about me that's worth seeing, you gotta see it live."

"You can be googled! And your own youtube! Damn, your basically famous then. At least by my standards." Serge said sounding impressed, pulling out his phone and googling up Morrigan's name to see what turned up. "Well if you ever need posters, feel free to ask me. I've always wanted to try creating one of those crazy band posters. And some of the other Cultists here use music in their magick. They may know some people you can recruit for your band. I can probably introduce you...when they wake up tommorow."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

Anja's Post:

'Yep. We used a dolly before, but some carry handles can be rigged up so a four-person group can carry it with ease.' making a note of it on the notepad.

Anja's Post:

'Your points about gratitude is... not vital, like right now.' Nicole replied calmly. 'The point which is important is that the Seattle Chantry has an interest in making sure we are not linked to them, right? I suspect, like that this is also the goal of their Security Chief. I am suggesting that when we reach Seattle the Chief has a quick word with his Seattle double, and see if we can work together if only on the cover-up.' trying to persuade the Hermetic that it was possible they may get some unofficial support from the "person on the spot".

Anja's Post:

'No plan survives contact with the enemy...' Nicole quipped, glaring at her cell as the map decided for some reason to re-load itself.

[No. Nick was merely pointing out that three hours can seem a lot of time, but can also vanish pretty quickly. She is trying to work out projected times for travel etc so she's able to give a rough plan of how much time is *needed* for the mission. I personally didn't ask Maps OOC as I thought you were simply making up locations (not like it matters).]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Chief's Office, 6.00]

Yep. We used a dolly before, but some carry handles can be rigged up so a four-person group can carry it with ease.' making a note of it on the notepad.

"That would be most useful Miss Bouchard."
Helena replied with a nod.

Your points about gratitude is... not vital, like right now.' Nicole replied calmly. 'The point which is important is that the Seattle Chantry has an interest in making sure we are not linked to them, right? I suspect, like that this is also the goal of their Security Chief. I am suggesting that when we reach Seattle the Chief has a quick word with his Seattle double, and see if we can work together if only on the cover-up.' trying to persuade the Hermetic that it was possible they may get some unofficial support from the "person on the spot".

"And we are interested in not getting a reputition that we make a deal with another Chantry then we cause trouble and lead it back to that Chantry not cleaning up after outselves and force the other Chantry to offer far more aid than they ever agreed to. You seam to fail to understand Miss Bouchard that such a move works ONCE and only ONCE, then the next time Steelhaven need something the other Chantries we are negotioating with will say...oh we heard what you guys did in Seattle we want nothing to do with you, and that would not be a good idea. I am the Security Chief of Chantry Talana in San Fransisco and I know I would advice my Deacons to have nothing to do with a Chantry that pulled such a stunt. Yes this other Chantry do not want to get tangeled up with Massassa and the only way we got leave to use their portal chamber and to operate in Seattle was by promising them to clean up our own mess and lead nothing back to them."
Helena said and she shook her head.
"I will speak with my Pater about the manner but we should not try to take advantage of this other Chantry's position."

'No plan survives contact with the enemy...' Nicole quipped, glaring at her cell as the map decided for some reason to re-load itself.

It looked like it was 45 min to an hour depending on how much traffic there was to drive from the Chantry to Lillyandra's club.
"Yes now there is a truth."
Helena agreed.
"And I would like to be out of Seattle before sunset...hum..."

[Warpmind]

[Morning Colin's Apartment]

"You are thinking of Master Telar? Well she should be mroe than qualified, Master Sharaya as well as far as I know of his abilities."
Udella agreed.

Colin sighed, "Master Sharaya is... temporarily grounded, I'm afraid - troublesome Paradox spirit serving Wallace Jace... bastard got away again, and will be somewhat harder to find this time. Likely in an Avatar-less HIT-Mark right now, so that's going to be a delight to locate..."

"I will do so, she is doing quite well considering everything the Branding in particular, it takes time to recover from that. Please say hello to Anna as well, I hope she is happy and healthy."
Udella said with a sigh over the plight of the girl she had rescued.

He frowned, "Happy, yes. Healthy... she overexerted herself a little too much last night, I fear. She's up to see the doctor right now, and I fear we'll have to call in Dr. Acevedo shortly. But she's happy."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Morning Colin's Apartment]

Colin sighed, "Master Sharaya is... temporarily grounded, I'm afraid - troublesome Paradox spirit serving Wallace Jace... bastard got away again, and will be somewhat harder to find this time. Likely in an Avatar-less HIT-Mark right now, so that's going to be a delight to locate..."

"And he have set his sight on Master Sharaya?"
The old Hermetic asked.
"This Wallace Jace is proving to be quite the headache."
She added with a deep sigh.

He frowned, "Happy, yes. Healthy... she overexerted herself a little too much last night, I fear. She's up to see the doctor right now, and I fear we'll have to call in Dr. Acevedo shortly. But she's happy."

"Oh the poor dear I hope she will recover soon, it is best to not take any chances with her health."
Udella said.
"I am sure she will recover though she is after all in the best of hands."

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