The Initiation Trials of Denizen: The Star

[Ixidor]

The cool thing about Sacramento, is that it has lots and lots of undeveloped land. A few random fields in the inner city, and much, much more in the outlying areas. Until all of these aimless, roving fields are utilized... they make a hell of a place to hold a rock concert.

Adrian Isaacs headlines a day-long show in one of the nameless fields at the very last minute, very literally walking into a smaller production and taking over. No one minded too much; the local area bands that were performing are talented, but underfunded, and struggling. As texts flew out, and more and more people showed up, the starving artists suddenly found all of the exposure they could want. For his time, the famous rocker demanded nothing but names and numbers. Payment that is, in this industry, eagerly given.

And hell, it was a shitload of fun, too.

So now Ixidor sits alone on stage, at dusk, as people are packing up. The other bands have thanked him, gotten their pictures, and left. The setup crew is on break; they will begin dismantling the modest structures in an hour. A few stragglers in various degrees of inebriation dot the landscape. A few of them refuse to put their clothes back on.

The Théarch pays little attention to it all. He is still electrically connected to the generators. Albeit with one amp head plugged into a half-stack that hasn’t been loaded up, yet, a very basic assortment of pedalboard and effects processors, and or course, a Bass in his hands. He sits on a short stair step setup on the stage, idly plucking away at a tune.

He awaits the arrival of Leroy Denizen, who was also informed at the last minute of this meeting. The staff have instructions to let him up, at least until the crew comes back to take the rigging down. The field will soon show little sign that anyone was even here, today. Footprints, to naked eyes. Resonance, to Supernal ones.

Ixidor earlier that day

What he is fiddling with, now (minus the guitar that comes in :3)

  2 suxx; just playing around

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2012-06-22 06:22:09		Ixidor rolls 11 to bass doodle (Intelligence + Expression + Spec +2 Equipment (10 Again)		4, 7, 1, 8, 1, 2, 7, 3, 3, 10, 7, 5		2 successes

[MacMan]

Leroy had gotten the text that Adrian Isaacs was performing in some field to the east of Sac downtown, he had also gotten a text from Ixidor almost on top of it. It seems Ix was performing and using the music to cover his spell casting. Leroy called his girlfriend to see if she wanted to catch an amateur concert, unfortunately she had to work but she encouraged him to go ahead without her, "Have fun, hon" she told him, "I'll meet you at your dorm after the concert we'll rock n roll to our own beat."

He smiled and quipped, "I love our harmony," before hanging up to get ready.

He parked his truck in one of the adjacent fields to the one for the concert and walked on up, it wasn't his kind of music but he could adapt. He enjoyed the concert he was entertained as much by the antics of the crowd as the stage show. Seems rock music has a tendency to lower some people's inhibitions. He thought while watching one couple sag to the ground in imminent lust. He watched them until the end, they seemed to rock to the beat of the music.

---

Time passed and the concert finally ended Leroy had gone out to his truck to check on it and move it closer. He returned and walked up to the stage, he was stopped by security but they moved as soon as they realized he was the one they were told to allow up. He began clapping his hands in applause to alert Ix that he was here, and to express his admiration of his Order -prospective Order- mate's skill. "That's not music I normally listen too but I'd buy your CD," he said as he came closer.

[Ixidor]

Ixidor looks up, but just with his eyes, as Leroy approaches clapping. A smile slides across his features, amusingly sort of like a plate in a projector frame or something. He never stops playing the melodies, but he palm mutes the strings, nearly killing the sound.

"Well that's good to hear," says the Théarch dryly. "Always good to expand your horizons."

No, that isn't a metaphor for substance abuse.

Well... okay, yeah it is, but he means it in the obvious musical definition, too.

"By the way," he nods to the few dispersed stragglers in the field, "no one is anywhere near us, right now, so we don't have to watch our lingo."

[MacMan]

"You mean I can talk here without trying to twist This Man's English like a pretzel. I can talk about Paths and the Order, and Legacies? That's a breath of fresh air, sometimes I get tired of hiding who I am. What I am." Too bad we can't go back to being like our ancestors, he thought. "All mages should move to an island somewhere in the Pacific where we can prevent Sleepers from coming. There are literally hundreds of islands in the Pacific alone where nobody lives. All we'd have to do is buy a few of them declare them sovereign nations and we could make our own laws or way of living. Nobody could stop us from using magic when we wanted to it would be a paradise." The warlock lets out his breath as if he had been holding it in, after venting his frustration.

He let's out his breath and smiles a genuine happy smile to Ixidor. "How have you been, Mr. Isaacs, its been a few, since Tower Bridge. Didja ever figure out what those Things were that I feel only let us off with a warning?"

[Ixidor]

Ixidor's expression slowly grows into one of amusement at Leroy's minor rant, but he never misses a note. In fact, if he can temper that energy, they could have a reasonable Théarch on their hands. Someone's got to help him stir the pot.

"Tempting fantasy, ain't it? 'Fuck all of this: Let's go find a nice, secluded Hallow in New Zealand or something, where we can impose our Arcane Mandate onto the Lie with little fear of Paradox. Our own little Hierconis'."

The passion in the Rocker's voice begins to build. Growing from deep within his stomach, and coming out in a lyrical, exited growl. The timing is such that he could be reading poetry, or delivering a sermon. He never stops playing; the bass' notes are muted and quiet. "Hang on to that. Keep it in your mind as an escape, when you need to. But remember, it's not just a dream for those of us already Awakened; it's a goal for those who are not.

"It is up to you and I, and every Awakened mind to help them get there. Give 'em a good look, and you can almost picture it. Out there," Ix' right hand extends, gesturing out into the crowd. Though he's stopped picking, his left hand hasn't stopped playing. Using slaps and pull-offs with the fingers of that one hand, music can still be made. There's a lesson in that, too. But it's for another time.

"That chick?" Black fingernails gesture to a young girl with no shirt and braided hair. When she sees Adrian Isaacs point and smile her direction, she gives chest a decent wiggle. A loose knot of friends around her cheer and laugh. "Stereotype Acanthus if I ever seen one. Thyrsus Free Council, maybe. Stone-faced Black Sabbath fan beside her? Moros Guardian, perhaps. Hell, that could be a really interesting, potent Cabal out there drinking, and stubbornly waiting until every last note is played before they leave."

It's just so fuckin' touching.

"Sadly, none of these here will probably ever know anything of the Supernal, but they can still support it. The point I'm making my way to is this: I came out here today as a surprise. No one knew anything about it. I didn't call ahead, or ask for permission, and yet, I ruled the show.

"Now how did I pull that off, and why do you think I did?"

[Wolven Pryde]

OOC note

Forgot to mention: Ix is dodging talk about the Tower Bridge scenario until things become a bit more clear IC. I wasn't ignoring it

[MacMan]

"Because, you're a multiplatinum, jet setting, rock n roll star. You could've showed up at city hall to play and the only thing you'd get is a ticket. As for why, there are three basic answers for why. The high answer is you, wanted to try expanding their minds by giving them something unexpected, so now they tweet about it, or brag about it to their friends word will get around; the middle answer is the band is a potential resource in the Cryptopoly that you wanted to try influencing; the low answer is you did it because you wanted to do it. That's the only real reason for doing anything, 'because you want to do it'"

OOC

That's ok, it was more rhetorical than anything else, like soldiers reconnecting over an old battle.

[Ixidor]

Head bobbing with a slow nod, Ixidor's right hand returns to the strings of his bass, shifting the pick into position. The notes are still muted, so as not to disturb the conversation, but sometimes the man just can't stop. It's as though he's sending the amp power through the guitar, rather than the other way around. And if he stopped, the whole show might shut down.

"Thoughtful answers. Not bad, but incomplete. See, here's the thing:" He grins slyly. "What amount of fame I have accrued is yet another effect, not an underlying cause. I had to get here, first.

"And I did it long before I Awakened. Back when I was technically no different than any of the sleepers gathered out there."

A little shrug. "So what sets people like me apart from people like them, Leroy? I'm not tickling my own fat ego, here. You've got to know this."

He gives the neck of the bass a little lift, as if to indicate the talent in his hands. "Is it this? Walk down the street of any big city, and I'll bet you pass a guy or gal that plays ten times better than I do, and they're doing it for fucking pocket change."

[MacMan]

Leroy answered after some deep thought, "Its a combination of luck and hard-work, combined with a healthy ambition. My own background is similar I've always been good at finding the middle ground between feuding people I did it as a kid and it extended all the way through college. It is what made me want to pursue a Law career. I also wanted to have authority, to monitor the law enforcement branch, as a D.A."

[Ixidor]

Ixidor nods, rather solemnly, and continues to play in silence for a few moments. Following Leroy's gaze up to the heavens, he almost scoffs at the irony. It seems like the guy is dancing right around that nugget of truth, the core principle that Ixidor is after, here, without even realizing it. Either that, or he just couldn't put it into the proper words.

So close.

"Whole lotta stars in the sky..." he says, vaguely. Dusk is leaving them, and the lights are few. Surely, the words begging to explode forth from the Rocker aren't just there with their passion because of his particular combination of being a Theurgist and Théarch. So he leaves the bait dangling one more time.