Ladder Tagalong

[Gallows]

Gallows put the tea kettle on the stove. He was becoming accustomed to California life, and was even beginning to experiment with tea that wasn't iced. That didn't mean that he wouldn't dump about a pound of sugar into his cup once it was done, though. Still, it was a step in the right direction. He made sure the stovetop was set to the right heat, then closed the lid. The tea would be ready in a couple of minutes, by which time there would hopefully be people other than himself here to drink it. He also had a tray of shrimp out in the living room. He had cooked them in a slightly spicy New Orleans style. He had gotten the ingredients weeks ago, but hadn't had an occasion to make it. As soon as Four had texted him, he had sensed an opportunity--he had the feeling he had already swamped Rosetta with different New Orleans recipes a bit too much. This was a chance for some new victims--er, guests. Yes, guests.

Gallows sat down in the living room and began going over his notes on the Cryptopoly. He had moved a fair number of them out from his room to the living room. After all, if Four and Lux were going to come here to discuss Ladder business, he couldn't think of anything better to work on.

[RebornSeas]

Four stepped up the apartment door and knocked. He was, just a bit, excited for this chance to talk and learn. And he also couldn't help wondering what Gallows had planned for the evening. Four himself hadn't brought much, a bunch of grapes (Courtesy his landlady insisting he take fruit up to his apartment), a note pad, and an pencil.

[Lux]

Lux came trotting up the stairs about a minute after Four, dressed in a blue skirt suit.

"Afternoon, Monsieur Four," she said with a smile, coming to stand next to the towering medic. "It's good to see you."

[Gallows]

Gallows heard the knock and walked over to the door. He was surprised to find both of them outside, rather than just one, but welcomed them in regardless.

"Lux! Four! Come on in," he said, gesturing. After they came in, he closed the door and went to go check on the tea. ""I'm glad you could both make it. How are things?"

[RebornSeas]

"I'm doing good. It's good to see both of you." Four smiled warmly as he stepped into Gallows' Home and slipped out of his shoes. He looked around with mild curiosity as he drifted over to where Gallows had starting setting stuff up for company. "And how're you?"

[Lux]

"Thank you," Lux said, stepping across the apartment's threshold. She cast a brief look around the new surroundings before turning her attention back to her fellow Thearch.

"I've been busy, but things have been turning out relatively well, thanks for asking. Oh, and should I take my shoes off, or do you not have a preferance?" she asked after noting Four's example. It was probably more polite to take them off, but hose weren't the most desirable thing to walk around on in company, especially if there were hardwood floors.

[Gallows]

"I'm fine, thanks," said Gallows to Four as he took the kettle off of the burner. "And either way is fine, Lux." He poured himself a mug of tea. "Tea, anyone? There's some snacks already out, if you're hungry."

He busies himself around the kitchen as his guests got settled in. "Next to the shrimp there's a few pages of notes that I've been working on--stuff I've been piecing together to form the Cryptopoly. I assume that's what we'll want to show Four, Deacon?"

[RebornSeas]

Four turns to Lux and raises his eyebrows in curiosity. "Cryptopoly?"

[Lux]

"Yes, that sounds like a great place to start. Also, lets consider this just a meeting of minds, and hopefully friends, so just Lux is fine, if you prefer," she replied, following after her guest, shoes still on.

She sank into a chair, picked up a shrimp, and turned to Four. "The Cryptopoly is, in a basic sense, our way to try and raise those who are asleep into wakefulness. The Ladder recognizes that Awakening isn't something that should be earned, it is something that belongs to all, it's our birthright, and the Exarchs have stolen that from most. Thus we have a Cryptopoly, which is both system and organization, that helps sleepers see the Lie they live. Gallows can probably shed more light on it, since he's been working on establishing our city's version of the Cryptopoly...but I do have some good news to share on that front. I'll get to that later though," she explained, biting off the tail of her shrimp.

[Gallows]

"Well put," said Gallows. Lux had phrased it a lot more idealistically than some people would. She wasn't wrong, not at all, but many people--particularly those outside of the Ladder--saw the Cryptopoly as solely a network of favors. It really was so much more than that, though. Gallows was only just beginning to appreciate that.

"The Cryptopoly I am attempting to build is centered around both the impoverished community and the University system," said Gallows. "To spare you some of the boring details, I've started via proxy a service fraternity that works with the homeless and rehabilitating people on probation, with the help of contributions from donors in the financial community. In addition to creating a network of people who can provide us with valuable information on potential enemy activities on the street level and giving us friends in high places, the Cryptopoly also encourages people to work for the betterment of humanity in their city. On the surface, a purely secular operation. But we'll be operating behind the scenes, steering people in the direction to do the most good, and help where it is most needed." He was careful not to go into too many specifics--partially because he didn't want to appear too calculating, but also because it was also known as a 'conspiracy' for a reason. A huge part of its utility lay in the fact that the Ladder were the ones who held on to all the strings. He couldn't have an outsider knowing specifics on who was involved, and how to reach or control them. Not even a mage as trustworthy as Four.

"It's a work in progress, but it's coming along very nicely so far."