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Seeking Keys to Wisdom

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  1. #1
    Pepper's Avatar
    Presence 3: Subdued
    Acanthus
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    Frozen moment before plummeting
    Pepper

    Nimbus

    Pepper seems to be caught in a moment just before plummeting
    Awakened Status

    Consillium 2
    Silver Ladder 2
    Acanthus 2
    Mortal Status

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    Mana

    8/11 Standard
    -1 Magic and Coffee
    Willpower

    5 Standard
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    (Seeking Keys to Wisdom)Question Spent
    1
    PRE

    Pepper stepped out of her taxi and took in the Charity offices she was meeting Aquinas at. This, apparently, was what he ran when he wasn't leading the Consilium.

    She took a breath in, then headed inside. She felt good though, seeking him out for this discussion. More and more she was realizing that actually seeking out some self-control would be good for her. As spotty as her knowledge of his legacy was, she did know that self-control was one of the important aspects of it.

    Shaking off those thoughts, Pepper glanced around and realized that the office was just about closing for the day, no one else seemed to be there. "Hello?" She was tempted to wander beyond the first room to find Aquinas, but decided to wait for him to come out. Just in case there were any lingering workers.

    Casitive

  2. #2
    C
    Casitive


    Aquinas | Spells Active | Silver Ladder Status: 1 | Consilium Status 4 (Hierach)


    Outside, the Charity Office lives in a nondescript, rather drab looking former factory building. It's an area of town on the rise. A few years ago, the perception of the place was dire, but artists and organizations looking for cheap office space changed things, if only just. Cars line the parking lot and the directory does show a few different charities and even a local fashion designer holding space.

    Inside Aquinas' office space, one person, bursts from an office. A jingle of keys follows and the young woman nearly crashes into Pepper as the Theurge settles in the first room. She's a thin, kind, though haggard looking thirty-year old. Apparently, she puts a lot of hours into the work herself. After a quick smile at Pepper and she yells, “I think your appointment is here. I gotta go to the NRZ meeting!” Yelling, apparently, is common place during the work day.

    Okay!” Aquinas' familiar voice calls back. “Pepper, feel free to come back here!

    When Pepper moves towards the sound of the Mastigos' voice, she finds Aquinas standing with his back to a door jam. A sweater and old jeans make up his work-wear as he beckons pepper to come closer. “Hey, come on in. My office should be okay. I hear you met Lise?

  3. #3
    Pepper's Avatar
    Presence 3: Subdued
    Acanthus
    Nimbus
    Frozen moment before plummeting
    Pepper

    Nimbus

    Pepper seems to be caught in a moment just before plummeting
    Awakened Status

    Consillium 2
    Silver Ladder 2
    Acanthus 2
    Mortal Status

    Allies

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    Mana

    8/11 Standard
    -1 Magic and Coffee
    Willpower

    5 Standard
    Health

    7 Full

    1
    PRE

    Pepper gives a nod to the Woman as she runs out then follows Aquinas's voice back to his office. "For a given value of 'met' yes. Somehow, I wasn't expecting work casual." Pepper herself was wearing her grey suit today. She joins the Hierarch and smiles in greeting. He's a warm person, and it's hard for her not to be giddy at the prospect of what they're going to speak about.

    She settles into his office and breathes in and out to steady herself, then finds a chair she can sit in.

  4. #4
    C
    Casitive

    The last time I wore a suit,” Aquinas says as he sweeps back into his office, “I was still working in New York, on the trading floor of the Exchange.” Can Pepper imagine Aquinas yelling over the din, wearing a blue-jacket, and fighting over shares of this and that? For the Hierarch, that was a lifetime ago. “Lise works hard and that's important in this line of work. It's long-hours, a lot of stress, and not a whole lot of pay.

    So, you wanted to hear about the Key Bearers?” Steely eyes meet Pepper's gaze, holding it hostage, “Tell me what you know of us; I'd hate to be redundant. I'll clear up any misconceptions you might hold.

  5. #5
    Pepper's Avatar
    Presence 3: Subdued
    Acanthus
    Nimbus
    Frozen moment before plummeting
    Pepper

    Nimbus

    Pepper seems to be caught in a moment just before plummeting
    Awakened Status

    Consillium 2
    Silver Ladder 2
    Acanthus 2
    Mortal Status

    Allies

    Entertainment 1
    Contacts

    Entertainment 1
    Scene Info

    Mana

    8/11 Standard
    -1 Magic and Coffee
    Willpower

    5 Standard
    Health

    7 Full

    1
    PRE

    Pepper chuckled at that mental image. Sure, she could see him on the floor shouting, it was a simple enough image. Though her mind couldn't help supplying a different reason for shouting than the exchange of stocks: Perhaps he'd been looking for someone or something. She shook her head at that, making way for the main subject of the evening.

    What did she know about the Key bearers? "Mostly, I know comparisons between them and Diabolists. They're ascetics where Bene Ashmedai are hedonists; they control themselves first, when a Diabolist seeks control of exterior forces. Both work with Goetia. The histories of both Legacies are very much connected. I know, too, that in Boston one of the more persistent rumors of my apprenticeship to a Diabolist and growing sense of responsibility and maturity was something along the lines that it would taken one of them to get a handle on the hellion I was." She frowned at that, then shrugged.

    "It was aggravating, having my conscious choice to clean up my appearance and behavior be reduced to that." She took another breath, and put herself back on topic.

    "The Key Bearers, in reflection of working to improve and control themselves, work with Mind. Diabolists work with Spirit. That's most of what I understand."

  6. #6
    C
    Casitive

    To an extent, you are right.” Aquinas shifts on his chair, drawing up his ankle to settle on a knee. A classic pose of comfort. “Our legacies are like the brothers of Caine and Able. Related but different. I cannot speak for the Bene Ashmedai, I won't, their methods are their own.” It is clear, however, that the Key-Bearer holds a mote of disdain for those aforementioned methods.

    How much do you know of Solomon the Wise?” The Hierarch questions though it seems rhetorical, “The son of King David, there are many stories of him with Angels, Magic, and Asmodeus the Demon. In his splendor, Solomon ruled over everything he surveyed and with a ring, the Seal of Solomon, he was able to capture and enslave Asmodeus, the King of Demons.” A pointed look follows, gauging if Pepper is keeping up.

    A Key-Bearer does much the same thing. We do what we do to shape the world around us for the better,” a beat, “but as the saying goes, change begins with ourselves. Our path requires courage, Pepper. Courage to face yourself, at your ugliest to conquer your own failings. Goetia and the Arcanum are only a tools towards this, it isn't the goal.” Taking in a deep breath, “Ours is not a path you take up lightly. Unlike many other legacies, this is a tight-rope one must walk to remain Wise. It is easy to stumble, to think you've mastered your demons, when in reality you have not. I want you to understand what exactly it is you are asking.

  7. #7
    Pepper's Avatar
    Presence 3: Subdued
    Acanthus
    Nimbus
    Frozen moment before plummeting
    Pepper

    Nimbus

    Pepper seems to be caught in a moment just before plummeting
    Awakened Status

    Consillium 2
    Silver Ladder 2
    Acanthus 2
    Mortal Status

    Allies

    Entertainment 1
    Contacts

    Entertainment 1
    Scene Info

    Mana

    8/11 Standard
    -1 Magic and Coffee
    Willpower

    5 Standard
    Health

    7 Full

    1
    PRE

    The Acanthus smiles in amusement at that hint of disdain. What would Eadaoin say to it? She would have her own disdain for him as well. Pepper was just a little bit glad that she met each before the question of Legacy was truly in her mind, so that she could see His and her strengths as belonging to the individual rather than the Legacy.

    However, he slips into history, or maybe allegory, mode, and Pepper straightens just a little and pays attention. It's good to be reminded of the story, since she was never prone to picking up the bible. But she also understood what was being said about binding demons.

    So she listens, making note of what Aquinas says. When he finishes, Pepper takes a breath, and looks him in the eye. "Pride is and will be my greatest fault. Time and again I've stumbled with it. Making promises I can't rightfully guarantee at the time" In front of Consilium, that one time in regards to the Factotum exam, and then again that time with Gyges. "Letting myself speak in error when the community would be better served by my silence... Has Tyria spoken to you about the Acanthus meeting?" Pepper shook her head to indicate that it wasn't that important to what she was saying.

    "I've seen myself brasher, louder, and more stubborn in my insistence or being correct, and I've seen myself push people I care for away by indulging in arguments for the sake of arguing. I'm not as bad as I have been, but I'm not where I could be. The question I hope to find an answer to is whether this legacy is where I can grow into that nebulous more I know I could be, whether this is the direction I want to go to... Or if I should find another way to shape my future." Realizing that her fingers had curled tight o her palms she made them relax, and also relaxed her shoulders. She wasn't angry, but the honest truth was that she hated acknowledging that she had these faults.

    "What I'm asking, more than anything else, is for a glimpse of how I might grow as a Clavicularius. And then to ask myself if that's what I want to become."

  8. #8
    C
    Casitive

    You will find me strict,” Aquinas warns Pepper, “too much is at stake, especially your own self for me not to be.” The Mastigos wets his lips, deep in thought. “You will be expected to face your weakness and overcome them. You will be expected to learn and remain humble with what you glean.

    Before we do anything else. Before I set you on a small quest for both of us to gauge if this Path is right for you, we will take the first step. The first exercise is imagining your Regal Self.” Lacing his fingers, Aquinas leans forward, a weighty gaze on the Acanthus. “Imagine yourself, seated on a throne – as Queen. Everyone around you, is you. Watch as yourself kneels before yourself. What does this demonstrate to you?

  9. #9
    Pepper's Avatar
    Presence 3: Subdued
    Acanthus
    Nimbus
    Frozen moment before plummeting
    Pepper

    Nimbus

    Pepper seems to be caught in a moment just before plummeting
    Awakened Status

    Consillium 2
    Silver Ladder 2
    Acanthus 2
    Mortal Status

    Allies

    Entertainment 1
    Contacts

    Entertainment 1
    Scene Info

    Mana

    8/11 Standard
    -1 Magic and Coffee
    Willpower

    5 Standard
    Health

    7 Full

    1
    PRE

    Pepper shifted in her seat, not sure if Aquinas was accepting her or not with that, but then settled back down as he indicated he had a test for her.

    Though the request of what to imagine surprised her. "Watch myself kneel to myself, I can imagine that." Imagining was the easy part, really. Only it wasn't. There was something disconcerting about seeing an image of herself kneeling to her as Queen. Maybe that had to do with body language, so she shifted position again, sitting straighter, really trying to get her body to settle like she'd sit on a throne. That felt more right, somehow. She couldn't bow or kneel to anyone else really, but if she was in her throne and the images were bowing to her - reflections of self maybe?

    Pepper didn't know what about this was supposed to make sense. A prickle of frustration tempted her to snap out something sullen and sarcastic, but she resisted. Partially because Aquinas promised to be strict, but mostly, and she knew it, snapping like that was something she would have done freshly Awakened. Wasn't that something she was trying to grow beyond? The next time she pictured it, she imagined her eighteen-year-old self bowing to her current self.

    That was when something clicked in her mind. Once more, she was on a throne, and the hall around her was populated with herself - but each one was herself from a different moment she wasn't proud of, an incident where she recognized a fault in herself or her conduct - and then the self on the throne was more than she was now, in flawless control of her impulses, generous and just.

    Pepper opened her eyes, and let a slow breath. "That was interesting. I - at first, I couldn't really see what about that was supposed to show me anything. I was getting a little frustrated, and it was that - it was tempting to react in a way I would've regretted... Instead I imaged that one of the figures kneeling represented that impulse, and all the other versions of myself kneeling were representing me in the moment I did something I regret." The words tumbled out - she just felt the need to tell him this before she got to the point.

    "It the less worthy parts of myself submitting to a part of me made of the most worthy parts. That's what is shows." She paused then, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm... not sure if I should have realized it earlier. I was a bit thrown by how odd it was to imagine myself kneeling to anyone."

  10. #10
    C
    Casitive

    It is to everyone,” Aquinas explains, as though letting Pepper in on a secret. “It feels so easy for many to take the road of the Lion, even if they don't admit it. Humbling yourself, even to yourself is difficult.” Aquinas lets out a breath and acknowledges, “It is that humility that you'll need as you decide to walk the path of the Key-Bearer and we watch each other far more than anyone else. What you just did is part parable and part allegory: the lesser pieces of you submit to your Regal, Virtuous Self. Always keep that image in mind. Ask yourself, if what you are doing at any moment is worthy of that Regal Self.

    A thought crosses the Hierarch's mind, “I'd like for you to find a Sleeper and put them through a Crucible. A crucible is meant to strengthen their character to help them find their inner-strength and overcome their weakness even in the face of adversity. Again, we have Solomon the Wise to thank for this – he revealed the deception of a pair of women by asking them to cut an infant in half. This is what you will do,” Aquinas notes, “use subtly to reveal the weakness of a person and help them overcome it and through this, better them.

    Steely eyes look to Pepper, “Once you have done this, you will know if this path is the one for you. Then we'll talk more.

    OOC

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