(TKTM) You Never Know Who People Are Online

Jun 11th, 2014 04:02 PM

5610 Mendocino Boulevard, South Sacramento, CA. Hot as hell in the summer sun, the families that reside on this block live or die by their air conditioning units between May and August. It was here that the evidence had directed the Awakened Scooby Gang to look further into this David Barton, the IP address, Decimal and Blue. Fate had given them the number. So here they were.

The building's front looked just as Nous had seen it in her e-mail: a three storey affair, old, sun-bleached, with sprinkler-tended grass and a metal mailbox out front. There were a couple of cars parked out front, low-class things with those metal-looking windshield covers designed to keep the interiors from burning their owners when one climbed in.

A couple of Hispanic children were kicking a soccer ball down the street, big Freezies in their hands as they ran about at play. An elderly woman sat in a rocking chair on the patio of that house, but it was a ways down from 5610. For the moment, the front of the building was pretty much clear.

**Zodiac** · Jun 12th, 2014 01:07 PM

Her attire topped off with a pair of shades borrowed from Nous left her... well, she actually looked rather more intimidating than one might expect. Her guns, despite the conversation they'd had previously, were tucked beneath her shirt, but far from noticable due to their small size. Sure, she was liable to overheat if they stayed outside too long... but hey. There was something to be said for looking the part, even in ridiculous-degree weather. At least it wasn't Egypt.

"Just to make sure everyone's on the same page, here," Mandy started, pulling off the sunglasses for a moment to look at the trio. "Cut, you and Nous will be waiting out here to react as necessary. I'll have a telepathic connection established between Cut and myself to make sure things run smoothly and that the flow of communication is open and free." She'd have to do that, first, but the less Cut resisted, the better.

"In the mean time, Autolycus and I will be making our way inside gathering what information we can from these two, and continuing along. You two," she gestured to Cut and Nous, "will be following up after us regardless, I take it? But before we take any further action on whatever we find, we'll need to meet up and discuss in some way what the next step ought to be. Ideally, we can keep that short and move along."

Sighing lightly, she shook her head a little and offered Cut an almost-playful smile, though the words were somewhat directed to them all. "I'm counting on you." Hopefully she wouldn't need to. This... displaying trust thing left a sour taste in her mouth.

Recast at Circle: Combined Misperception(pot1)/Mental Shield(pot2), Third Eye(pot4)

**Star** · Jun 13th, 2014 08:46 AM

Cut gave Mandy the thumbs-up, along with a skeptical look. He'd kind of sort of thought they'd all be Telepathized. Mandy, solo, in his head? Sounded sketchy. He had a delicious imagination. But, unorthodox.

"Sounds like a plan?" he said, ending it on a lilt that made it a question. He was cool... ish... with it; were Autolycus and Nous?

Mandy got a wink and a grin.

"Why would you ever do something silly like that?"

**Snarlequin** · Jun 14th, 2014 04:43 PM

Before getting out of his car, Autolycus finished his preparations. First he dropped his standard array and recast them together in a tighter, more efficent weave. He juggled a couple iterations of a sensory spell designed to let him know if there was someone in any adjoining rooms. He dragged his face through his hands, squaring out his features, making his skin look Hispanic and giving his new face a black, slicked back hair cut.

At the last moment, the spell spasms from his control. The effort it took to keep it from going haywire forced a grunt from his throat as his insides siezed up in a feeling that reminded him of his Awakening. It wasn't the first time a spell had gotten away from him and it wouldn't be the last, he knew from experience that if he pulled off his shirt he'd have bruises that look like something tried to chew a hole through his stomach. Once the worst of it was past, he pulled down one last page from the stone book for an edge. It wouldn't mitigate the trauma from the backlash, but it should compensate for it a little bit.

When everyone else arrives, he does one last equipment check before donning his sunglasses and identifying himself to them. He's feeling confident, but that doesn't mean much since he always feels confident when he's got a lot of enchantments going. Mandy gave the recap of the plan and he nodded. "I've got a sensory enchantment going, if you can set up a link between the two of us I can keep you updated if it picks anything up without others knowing. Otherwise it sounds good. Once we find them, you take the lead and I'll make sure they aren't sleepwalking?"

Equipment
mace (WoD 140), reverse peephole (Arm 169), smartphone, stun gun (Arm 36)

Combined PotLW/ORes (pot 4/1), first two Sense Life (Human) spells dropped, final casting at (2 pot), 1 success on paradox (backlash as 1rB), Two Faces (pot 4, facial structure, skin tone, hair length, hair color), first Body Control dropped, final casting at (2 pot)

Current Spell Contagion -2, Current Paradox Pool 3 dice (2 base, +1 vulgar spell this scene)

Jun 14th, 2014 05:05 PM

Jhet

As the Awakened prepare, as if by serendipity, a blue sedan drives past the building and heads into the back. Female driver, female passenger. In the distance, a white guy holding hands with a black chick walk up the sidewalk toward the building. A squad car comes from the opposite direction with a male driver and a female passenger. And so it goes - pairs doing things on their day. Could one of them be the potential roommates Mandy suspected? Were the police officers their marks, as Cut thought?

Fate, it seems, was never clear, but this is where the Mages need to be. So sayeth Lady Luck.

**Zodiac** · Jun 14th, 2014 05:56 PM

The notion of holding a telepathic connection with more than one person... Basically, voices in her head. Other than her own. While she was planning on holding a hopefully persuasive conversation... and while she knew that she was shy on ability to cast without contagion...

This wasn't going to be fun. Even still, she silently worked to put up the telepathic connection between herself and Autolycus and herself and Cut, before shaking her head a little. Everyone hear me fine? Best to check that everything was working and such... it was likely going to be a little confusing, she realized, given that the surface thoughts were going to be heard by both parties, even if she was only responding to one... ugh. She should probably mention that.

You two aren't going to be able to hear each other, only me. And I can't direct information to only one of you because of the way this works... so if I seem to say something strange and out of the blue, please don't question me on it unless it seems relevant. I'm already going to have a headache if the two of you are nattering away in my head while I'm trying to gather information.

Telepathy @ Cut/Autolycus

Jun 14th, 2014 06:10 PM

Mandy's spell connects their minds -- but alas, her training in Mind has not quite advanced to the point of the spell having much in the way of duration. After a few seconds, it fades, and with it goes the connection between them.

For now, it seems they will have to use the telephone or something.

**Star** · Jun 14th, 2014 07:11 PM

There were people everywhere. Po-po, too.

Which was interesting. The neighborhood wasn't nice enough, or crappy enough. Which meant one or both might be residents. Apartments often gave cops a discount, because it was like having security. Male driver, female passenger. He took a moment to memorize as much as he could -- mainly to verify if he saw another car.

He jumped a little when Mandy was in his head. The idea... tickled at something. He nodded... and then she was gone.

"Ummm. Do you have any bars?" he asked, turning to Autolycus.

He looked at Mandy.

Can you hear me now?

"Can you hear me now?"

Jun 15th, 2014 11:49 PM

So that Jhet can post in easily when he's back, I'm going to have Nous be present here. She intended to be. Feel free to proceed.

Nous remained ready, a thoughtful look on her face as she considered the vicissitudes of Fate present here. Two of this, two of that - what did it all mean?

Fate was never all that direct.

Jhet - FYI

**Snarlequin** · Jun 16th, 2014 07:25 AM

When the spell hits, Mandy gets a sense that Auto's really impressed. And that he's never done telepathy before, his communication is more like he's standing in a warehouse with a whiteboard and some dry erase markers and ready to share his thoughts, but he quickly adapts before the spell fades. When it cuts out and Cut asks him if it cut out for him, Auto crafts the mental image of a dog, sleeping in a field while a brown fox sneaks up and leaps over him before quickly darting away.

He thinks it at Mandy, still unaware that it isn't her shadow name, but it doesn't feel like it got sent. A Psychic Server Not Found error message. Oh boy, Auto thought this mistake might cause a problem. Mandy seemed like she might be a prickly sort. Auto shakes his head and pulls out his phone. "Option two then? Mandy, you think we should just get on with this or maybe do some quick recon and ask someone," he gestures a little bit towards the elderly woman as an example, "if they know about David Barton? If he is a cop, people would probably know."

Probably wouldn't take long, Mandy could throw some happy or some trust into their heads and make it simple, then they might know a little more going in.

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2014-06-12 12:55:54	Ozymandias rolls 8 to Third Eye (Gno+Mind+HS) (10 Again)	7, 9, 2, 3, 9, 2, 10, 3, 9	4 successes
2014-06-12 12:54:13	Ozymandias rolls 2 to Misperception+Mental Shield (missing dice) (10 Again)	7, 9	1 success
2014-06-12 12:51:50	Ozymandias rolls 6 to Combined Misperception+Mental Shield (Gno+Mind+HS) (10 Again)	3, 4, 7, 10, 3, 10, 6, 2	2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2014-06-14 02:52:17	Autolycus rolls 7 to 2nd attempt at Body Control (Gnosis + Life -1 spell contagion +2 High Speech) (10 Again)	9, 8, 5, 3, 5, 3, 5	2 successes
2014-06-14 02:50:45	Autolycus rolls 7 to Body Control (Gnosis + Life -1 spell contagion +2 High Speech) (10 Again)	7, 5, 5, 8, 3, 4, 1	1 success
2014-06-14 02:42:54	Autolycus rolls 7 to Two Faces (Gnosis + Life -1 paradox +2 High Speech) (10 Again)	7, 4, 9, 2, 9, 8, 8	4 successes
2014-06-14 02:41:13	Autolycus rolls 1 to Paradox (2 base - 1 magical tool) (10 Again)	9	1 success
2014-06-14 02:33:19	Autolycus rolls 8 to 3rd attempt at Sense Life (Gnosis + Life + 2 High Speech) (10 Again)	10, 2, 2, 4, 1, 8, 2, 2, 7	2 successes
2014-06-14 02:32:20	Autolycus rolls 8 to 2nd attempt at Sense Life (Gnosis + Life + 2 High Speech) (10 Again)	2, 5, 6, 4, 5, 2, 4, 8	1 success
2014-06-14 02:31:11	Autolycus rolls 8 to Sense Life (Gnosis + Life + 2 High Speech) (10 Again)	7, 9, 5, 2, 2, 7, 6, 4	1 success
2014-06-14 02:29:18	Autolycus rolls 6 to combined PotLW and ORes (Gnosis + Life -2 combined +2 high speech) (10 Again)	3, 9, 9, 10, 1, 10, 8, 4	5 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-06-14 17:49:11		Ozymandias rolls 4 to Telepathy (Gno+Mind)(-2 Targets) (10 Again)		4, 9, 2, 7		1 success

(TKTM) You Never Know Who People Are Online

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