To Become a Circle

**Chris Wooding** · Mar 8th, 2015 03:47 PM

I made this an open scene, in case another acolyte mysteriously appears out of nowhere, I guess he's welcome to join

When at the farm, Chris is wearing his simple and perhaps even humble clothing. A brown shirt, jeans and as usual, with bare feet.

In the Dark House, there is no need to pretend.

He stands outside the farm, near the road where he would expect Katya to arrive. He's not sure if Dirge is around somewhere. The place is quite big, and he usually avoids the Greenhouses. He has plans to inspect them later, and help the blind Haunt, but everything at its own time.

He was glad to hear that the new Acolyte was already finding her way around the Domain. But if they really want to get to know each other, some privacy is preferable. The Farm offers plenty.

Mar 8th, 2015 04:42 PM

Katya hand wrote the directions, not wanting to lazily rely on technology to get her to what would be the home for the Circle of the Crone. The last thing she wanted was one night to miss out on a meeting because she left her phone at home.

Driving a dark SUV, Katya relaxes when she finds the road and sees a farm in the distance. Once she drives further down she spots a man in the distance and parks her vehicle off to the side a few feet away, turning her headlights off so as not to blind him. She kills the engine and unbuckles her seatbelt, giving a closer look at the gentleman waiting to greet her. She's relieved to see that it is the same man she saw briefly at Court and conjures the voice from memory when they spoke on the phone. She's encouraged to see him dressed in a rustic fashion, a man of his apparent beauty would easily do better in a suit and tie, the fact that he has shed such vanity makes her respect him more. As Katya steps out of the car, Chris can see her black combat boots step onto the ground, covered by a pair of black jeans. She wears a plain black tank top tucked into her jeans and her braided hair hangs behind her head so her pale face can be seen. She chose not to arrive with any markings on her face, doing so seemed unwise at least until she learned more about how this particular group did things.

She approaches Chris and bows her head, slightly lower in respect to the other kindred she met in Sacramento, and says "Good evening Hierophant Wooding. I am pleased to finally meet you. I am Katya Harding" she introduces herself by name once more since she knows this is his first time meeting her in person.

**Chris Wooding** · Mar 8th, 2015 05:47 PM

Silently Chris watches the car arrive. Like the Shadow he is, he stands still and tranquil. Only his eyes follow Katya's movement. However, underneath the surface his Beast rumbles. He recalls her face from Court, but now their Beasts are confronted one on one. He could destroy her here and now, and no one would care or even notice.

He would not do it, of course. Even if he could. Everything about this woman makes her appear strong and confident. Like a true Acolyte, perhaps. After a moment, that's what makes him smile, and finally move. He greets Katya with a friendly nod.

'Good evening Katya. Please, here you can call my just Chris, or Hierophant. Welcome to the farm.' Then he turns around, while making a short gesture to say that she should follow him inside.

'I hope you have been able to settle in a bit. Coming to a new city can be rough. Just know that you can always come here if you need refuge, or just a place to be at ease.' On the inside, the farm doesn't give an immediate idea that it's a place for pagan worship, or inhabited by the undead. Its wooden interior is quite common for a farm, if only a bit cold. Of course, no one really lives here.

Once through a short corridor, they arrive at what seems to be a large living and dining room, with a table at its center. 'I could show you the rest of the farm later, but I thought we can talk a bit first. How are you?'

Mar 8th, 2015 06:11 PM

"I am well thank you." she says as she follows Chris inside. It's strange for her that he allows her to call him by his first name, but the humble gesture doesn't leave a negative impression either. "so far my ease into this city has gone relatively well, smoother than I had anticipated. Fortunately, the other kindred I have met have been very welcoming." how long would that last, she wonders.

She looks around at the inside as she stands before the table in the dining center, taking note of any knick knacks or decorations that might be in the room before turning her attention back to the Hierphant. "I appreciate the offer of refuge, I can certainly understand why, it is quite peaceful here. How long has this area belonged to the Acolytes?"

**Chris Wooding** · Mar 8th, 2015 08:52 PM

He wouldn't have expected any less. Except for when she would have bumped into Josephine Sterling perhaps. But that woman can't be everywhere at the same time, hopefully.

'That is good to hear. Kindred who behave well are usually met with kindness.' That sounds very normal, but there's a lot left unsaid.

'This place, oh, the Crone used this even before I arrived in this Domain. Which would be around four years ago, at least. For a while when I became Hierophant I used an old church in the city as a temple, but eventually this felt more natural. It's not always easy so far from the city, but the distance has it's advantages as well.' As he speaks, he looks out of a window for a moment. But the darkness doesn't reveal much, so he turns back to Katya and he decides to sit at the table.

The rest of the room doesn't have many decorations. However, there are candles all over the place, and several dried flowers can be seen on walls and in the window-sills. Incense burners are here and there. One center piece on the wall would be the rather large decorative antlers.

'May I ask, where are you from?'

Mar 8th, 2015 09:26 PM

Behave well get kindness...it amuses Katya how often the word behave shows up in her unlife within many contexts. The candles and incense burners don't stand out for her, but the antlers do, perhaps the only unique aesthetic in the home.

She pulls out a chair opposite of Chris and sits down. "My most recent home is Ann Arbor Michigan. It's a college town but my home was in the woods nearby. Ann Arbor is considered a relatively progressive city, but I found Michigan in general to be a bit conservative for my taste and stifling of the work I wanted to do." she folds one leg over the other as she thinks of the best way to unveil her story without muddling it with unnecessary details the Reeve isn't interested in. "The Hierophant was Michigan is busy with other matters and didn't have as much time to work with me on what I had been practicing. With her blessing I was allowed to seek inspiration elsewhere and I wanted to find someplace a bit more accepting of my interests. The Asylum in particular is what convinced me that the west coast was a good choice, in addition to it being warmer."

She stops there and waits for his response, letting him decide which information is more appropriate to follow up on.

**Chris Wooding** · Mar 9th, 2015 09:07 AM

Ann Arbor, Michigan, it doesn't immediately ring a bell. Chris listens attentively and trusts her words. It makes him curious in what ways she sees herself as progressive. Then she mentions the Asylum.

Oh?!

What can he say? 'Yes, a club like the Asylum is not something you find on the corner of every street. It used to be an Elysium, however, now it's just owned by our kind.' Being able to use disciplines could be interesting.

He leans forward, to show his interest. 'It seems like you know what you want, that's good. I can only say that we're very accepting here. Our Circle is only small, but that does give me the opportunity to have more time for everyone. If you have any questions, feel free.' This is not a one way interview or anything.

'Otherwise, I'm very curious to hear about your personal practices.'

Mar 9th, 2015 11:58 AM

Small was good. Not that Katya wants endless amounts of attention, but at least it keeps doors open allowing her to collaborate with other members if need be. She has no doubts this Circle would be open minded, that's definitely what drew her to them to begin with. Once he asks the question she anticipated she looks to him and tells the story she'd been practicing the entire drive to Sacramento.

"Prior to my embrace, I was active in the BDSM scene in Ann Arbor. My father i learned early on dabbled in Shibari ropework when we lived in Japan and brought it to the states. It was when I started exploring blood play in my scene and that's I caught my sire's interest. Pain and being bound was just one form of trial in experiencing altered states that my sire and I felt were worth exploring in our relationship to the Mother. From a psychological perspective, it can be quite..." she looks up for a moment to think of the right word as a smile spreads across her face "Freeing once your limbs are bound and you're forced to deal with your thoughts. We tried many different variations, outside in the wild, inside abandoned buildings, close to starvation, in our natural undead state and in a state with the blush of life. All ways meant to open our minds to different ways that might help us understand who we are and why we've been offered this second descent."

She stops herself from continuing, only to reflect on how accurate she's answered his question."My form of practice was also beneficial for my fellow Acolytes. Some of them liked to be tied and explore how the beasts in them handled pain while being restrained. Others wanted help in restraining other living things for sacrifice such as animals or kine. I don't expect anyone here to involve themselves with what I do, but this is what I can contribute here if anyone wishes." she keeps her eyes on Chris, analyzing his facial expression and body language as she shares her history. Just because the Asylum was a former Elysium, didn't mean kink and spirituality was for everyone, but she did wonder if her new Hierophant was as open minded as her former one was.

**Chris Wooding** · Mar 9th, 2015 05:33 PM

There is quite much to read from Chris' expressions, as he doesn't try to hide them at the moment. In the beginning he is neutral, until she mentions blood play, he tilts his head slightly, did he hear that right? Yes. He frowns. It is an interesting relation to their Mother, but when she smiles he does it too. To show that he is not intimidated or disgusted, but perhaps only positively shocked.

One thing stands out though, although it could very well be a coincidence. 'Second descent, you say?' It slipped out.

As for the other things she said, he takes a moment to consider what appeared to be an offer.

'You sound very experienced in all this. I must admit, I'm quite impressed. Of course, I have done my experiments through the means of learning and teaching Cruac. But you take physical and psychological tribulation to a whole new level. I'm in the possession of what one could call an old fashioned torture chair, if you ever feel the need to tie someone down, here...' his voice slowly trails off, while a grin appears on his face. 'Do you usually take on a passive, or an active role?'

Mar 9th, 2015 07:55 PM

Katya returns a grin to Chris at the mention of a torture chair. Oh how lovely, if things with the Asylum don't work out there is always here. After all, there is always someone that needs tying.

Rather than go off track, she answers his question. "With regard to rituals and practices it has often been a passive role. I would do the tying and facilitation of pain at the instructions of the Hierophant or my sire. It was only near the end of my tenure in Michigan that I was finally instructed Cruac and so much of my passive role was attributed to my time being in the Chorus." her lips curl and her voice sounds more whimsical. "However, with regard to my play partners or any kindred who wished to test their limits, I had a more active role in facilitating their journeys. For them this had little to do with the spiritual and more...for their own personal exploration. Still, it was spiritual for me."

She does not forget his notice of her use of the word "Second Descent" and feels that the next should be clarified as well instead of assuming he knew what she's referring to. "Yes. the Second Descent, it refers to our Requiem, or at least how my sire referred to it. Inanna was who we worshipped and it was her descent into the Underworld that we studied and drew inspiration from. I admit there is much I find intriguing about the Second Descent but then other aspects that don't seem to entirely match with my own unlife that I'm still trying to figure out." wasn't that the case with all beliefs?

To Become a Circle

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