(1407) Mastigos Meeting

[Ariadne]

"People. Well which people really?" Ariadne replies with a small smile.

"Our little group has waxed and wane in Sacramento. Our community has as well." She shakes her head. "The jailers are oddly quiet around Sacramento. Honestly that scares me but we have more present issues. The hmm malcontents that pop up around town all like to hunt us."

"There's probably a better phrase I could have used but that's how it feels."

[Avis]

"Um. Why do you assume our interest is in people? Like, what if our interest is only tangentially in people?" Avis asked, peering up from her piece of paper. She'd made a few more folds while Ariadne had talked, but it was still a mostly shapeless mass.

"Like, people are kind of a sounding board for us. I don't think anything I do really helps me learn about them, it just reflects what I've done back. Like, people are the environment that we affect. I guess that kinda means we learn about them, cause we can observe the effect we have, but mainly I just learn more about myself." It was risky, saying that, contradicting someone who had, in fact, Mastered the subject she was speaking about. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. If her perspective was wrong, she'd rather know it now and have the chance to wrestle with her perspective than to continue to ignore the disparity in her perception with the facts of reality.

[Zodiac]

Zoey managed to keep the snort of amusement she'd felt like letting out under control. Not at Avis, but at the words being spoken and the amusing irony of it.

He'd basically just said that they were all in conflict of some sort or another, big or small, and that they were all dickwads with their own opinions. She absolutely agreed. So why, exactly, was she here? Aside from good manners? Had they come here for debate club over ethnic food? This was a meeting of Mages who at their core had some understanding of Space and Mind. Did anyone else see the irony of having such a collection of people gather together in one specific place to verbally speak about random nuances?

She cast a brief glance at her watch, before simply folding her hands together, not yet partaking in the food, even still. Sweet irony. She hoped someone here was a Time Mage so that at least they could get back the time they'd spend here.

  Man+Sub; Contest with Wits + Empathy

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-28 17:27:29		Zodiac rolls 9 to Conceal Emotions (Manip+Subterfuge) (10 Again)		1, 5, 9, 1, 2, 7, 1, 4, 4		1 success

[Avis]

"Um. Yeah. That makes sense," Avis agreed, nodding, her paper forgotten while she'd considered Aquinas' words. No longer would he be Aquaman in her eyes. As he'd said, he was a Master, one worthy of respect, and his words further proved it. Where she thought he'd just been discussing the realm of Mind, he was truly discussing both of the ruling arcana of pandemonium. Space was about far more than just manipulating physical distance, though it was easy to forget that sometimes. It was the synthesis of both their Arcana that made them Mastigos, not just whichever one they might choose to focus on. Obvious, yet there were times when the obvious didn't fully coalesce into understanding until you heard it explained from in the right way.

But, apparently Mandy wasn't as impressed with the miniature speech. Or maybe it was just that she didn't understand the direction of the meeting, yet. Truthfully, Avis didn't either. Ermon asked about sharing info, Aquinas brought up a different point, or at least included it into the discussion, and then the Epopt said what they basically all knew already. Great. So where did they go from here?

"So. Uh. Banishers and Seers in town. Do you have any favorite ways to use your connection to People to deal with them?" she asked, looking to Ariadne and then glancing at everyone else, including them in the question.

  3 success to read Zoeymandius

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-29 06:54:14		Avis rolls 5 to read the mandy (wits+empathy) (10 Again)		2, 6, 6, 10, 10, 10, 3, 1		3 successes

[Jonokuchi]

Jonokuchi finished his sushi and gently pushed away his plate, satisfied. It was a delightfully prepared meal, and he would certainly have to talk with Ermon afterwards, perhaps to learn something of his talent.

As the Master spoke, Jonokuchi listened respectfully. The way he spoke of people, and the connections between them. The sumo had to agree, internally of course. He wouldn't dare express his views in front of such a group, although, no doubt, any one of them could simply pluck the insecurities from his mind with little effort.

And then Avis mentioned the Seers and caused Jonokuchi to grow frustrated, angry. This was the first time he'd heard anything of the enemy since his arrival. "Are the Seers present here in the city?" he questioned suddenly, his voice trying to hide his hatred of the subject.

  Hiding Feelings

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-29 16:06:54		Jonokuchi rolls 6 to Hiding Feelings (10 Again)		9, 1, 10, 7, 1, 1, 2		2 successes

[Ermon]

  Seeing through Mandy

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-30 13:52:26		Ermon rolls 5 to check Mandy's feelings (Wits + Emp) (10 Again)		2, 1, 5, 9, 8		2 successes

Ermon listens. Hell, as Aquinas talks, he takes out a phone and jots some of the points down. His permanently wandering gaze finds its way to Mandy and it takes him about three seconds to put two and two together:

"Hey, Zodiac. Sigil-bearer, the face of Veiled Threats, who's improving by herself so fast even listening to a Master slows her down", - he gestures to the plates and grins, - "Slow down, eat something".

The chef pauses and takes on a more serious expression:

"Yep, we're all very different. But we all got thrown on the same Path and meetings like this is where we can get pointers. So we can have others notice and then burn the trash away ourselves instead of having it torn off us by demons in Pandemonium".

Jonokuchi's question gets a half-distracted shrug from him as Ermon glances at Ariande:

"There haven't been direct problems with Seers in ages. I mean, the Concillium here isn't strong enough for them not to poke their noses into Sac, but they can't be strong. If they were, we wouldn't have a Banisher problem".

Killing Scelesti. One of the few things you can build a Pentacle-Seer team-building party around.

[Zodiac]

"I apologize if I seem impatient," Zodiac shook her head a bit, shrugging. "But I have work to be at in about forty minutes, and thus far have no idea precisely what we're gathered to do. There is no slowing down. But I'll say this much..." Time to vocalize a couple thoughts?

"Plain and clear as day, a gathering of Mind and Space mages have gathered in a singular spot, to verbally discuss something... and all those on our Path ought to know well enough that what is said isn't always what is meant, or what is thought. I won't do any of you the dishonour of bullshitting you, I'm about as pleased as a peach to put names to faces and say hey, howdy and hi y'all, but if this is an unofficial social gathering rather than a meeting that has some pointed relevance... Well. I'm not quite at the ability to be in two places at once, and I can't get back the time spent here.

"Now, as to the Seers, Scelesti and Banishers - that seems actually relevant to discuss - as do any other dangers or potential breaches of the Veil. So, if anyone has heard news on that front, or has something significant to share regarding other issues in the Consilium, please, do share. If not, I don't actually expect you'll forgive my impatience, but I'll still extend the hope that you will."

Her tone, as she spoke, was calm, and not accusing in any way as she even deigned to offer the gathering a smile. "And, unfortunately, as lovely as this all looks, I'm allergic to both fish and seaweed. My apologies, I mean no insult in not partaking."

[Jonokuchi]

The sumo-Warlock heard what Ermon said and nodded. Banishers would have to do.

And just like that, Jonokuchi smiled as Zodiac finished speaking. Even with her...less than positive attitude, her words appealed to the sumo. No bull, just plain as day honesty.

He waited to see if any of the more experience Warlocks in the room could answer anymore questions.