(Threads of Blood) The Plan

[Leo Lockheart]

After everyone had their spells completed and the research done, they reconvened in the Sanctuary. This would likely be the last meeting before the attack, and preparations were to be made upon it's completion. The scelesti were going down. Hard.

Or at least that was Leo's hope. In truth they needed to plan, establish roles, get their shit in perfect order. This conversation was required, and it was going to happen in a constructive manner if Leo had to respectfully ask Ariadne to brainwash the others to make it happen.

[Avis]

After Animus had been told what had been seen in the Scrying window, Avis had trudged back up the stairs to rejoin the other Scelesti hunters. Her hands tensed in and out of fists, sporadic cracks issuing from stressed tendons. It took most of her will not to grind her teeth into dust, to keep her jaw relaxed and the tensioned trapped in her fingers. Her hands were itching, almost burning, thirsting for an ablution of red to soothe them.

True, Avis' loved ones had not been killed by these murderers, but they summoned up the past and the loved ones that she'd lost, and that was all that mattered to her now. It wasn't about righteousness, or honor, or glory, and not even about justice anymore. In this moment, it was about Rage. It was about the engulfing, smotheringly selfish compulsion to satisfy her hatred. Her aura, for those with the sight, was blazing like a glaring scarlet and purple inferno.

Perhaps, when they all pledged themselves towards finding a strategy, she could find a way to surface from the lake she was conflagrating in.

[Animus]

The itch of forgotten scents and sounds, calling to him. He ached to follow it, even knowing the consequences of going alone.

But duty bound him.

The shaman might be blind to auras, but cues of posture and gestures were often nearly as clear-cut. Something was wrong, badly so. Following in Avis' wake, he hesitates a moment before plunging ahead.

A comforting hand comes to rest on the Mastigos' shoulder, sorrowful eyes seeking her own. "I see your pain. Is there anything I can do?"

[Avis]

The warlock halted when the hand fell on her shoulder, muscles reflexively tensing in that instant beneath skin and cloth. She turned at the sound of Animus' voice, a rabid glint flickering in normally drab eyes. The aggression fled from her expression, or was hidden away, when she met his gaze. How could she stand there, filled with that the seething urge, when the one man so intimately damaged by these murderers was offering her comfort? The rage still thrived in her chest and behind her eyes, but the view of Animus illuminated how self serving it was. Finally finding the killers to his beloved, collecting that blood debt, that could bring him solace, or at least provide a true death that he could eventually move beyond. But for her? For her it would just provide meat. Big, bloody gobbets of meat that she could throw to the alligators swimming insatiably beneath her depths. It was just a snack to lull them back to sleep.

"I'm fine. Just-uh, getting focused," she replied, trying to brush him off. Animus had provided the insight that the Rage was not everything, but it was still there. It would be easier if no one else knew that.

  2 successes to now appear calm

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-19 21:37:13		Avis rolls 6 to appear calm (comp+subter) (10 Again)		6, 4, 6, 9, 7, 8		2 successes

[Ermon]

This day was getting very, very long. At least, now that they are in the planning phase, Ermon can let the others do their thing and relax a bit himself. The anger he feels at the Banishers is like a quiet hum at the edge of his perception at this point: it's there but he can choose to ignore it which is just fine.

Images from the Codex still swim before his eyes: horrible things. WHat he needs to do right now is to get a contingency plan to get the hell away from situations like these...

Space. And cloaking.

[Animus]

Animus was conflicted.

He could have simply called on the Supernal, laid Avis' emotions bare to scrutiny. Nothing physically stopped him.

But it would be wrong. Theft of information not freely given.

So where exactly did that line lie? Did the attempt to pass off emotions as something else count as a withdrawal of permission? But at the same time, he could not simply forget what he saw, nor turn his back on a fellow Arrow in distress.

Words spoken softly, his hand falling away. "If you change your mind, come find me." An acknowledgement, and invitation. But one which left freedom of choice. And hopefully contained the spread of what was clearly intended to remain secret.

  4 suxx to read emotions

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-20 11:39:54		Animus rolls 8 to Wits + Emp + sp (10 Again)		9, 9, 8, 7, 4, 1, 3, 9		4 successes

[Ariadne]

The walk back up had given Ariadne time to think. Time to let things settle in her mind and let her be calm. Or it should have at least, but that women chanting refuses to leave Ariadne's mind. The wrongness of it all. Only someone stupid or far too ambitious would choose such a path.

Her path is clear though, find the renegade mages and put them down. The Seers idea of trapping their souls in a mirror is o so tempting. To keep the great wheel clean of their taint.. Ariadne mulls over that as she walks over to the others.

[Leo Lockheart]

With the group now assembled Leo decides to get things moving forward. While the emotional back and forth between Avis and Animus was interesting, it wasn't the most pressing matter.

"So what did you see?" The First Talon started with a look to Ariadne before turning to Ermon and Asp. "I can tell you our research was....troubling, to say the least."

[Avis]

Avis just nodded to the elder Talon, not quite sure how to respond. She wasn't going anywhere, she wouldn't have to 'find him': he was standing right there! But, obviously what he said had nothing to do with physical location, rather a mental one, but his choice of words didn't help her already tumultuous state and she couldn't think of any words to give him in reply. Just a nod. Hopefully he'd take it and they could all focus in on the planning. She stalked the rest of the way over to rejoin the other Scelesti hunters and stood to, arms crossed over her chest.