(Blue Octavo) Group Therapy

[Einstein]

A minivan puttered up and parked in front of the community center that the flyer for the "Ever Forward" group directed prospective members to. For once, the woman who stepped out actually looked like the kind of woman who would drive a minivan.

Some work called for Einstein, or Alice or Regina or Miss White, to be noticeable, to stand out in a crowd. Others required that she blend in, that nobody be able to distinguish her from the others of the group she pretended to be a member of. This, was one of the latter. She'd thrown on a grey sweater over a brown shirt, dark jeans, and sneakers. Dressed drably, she was ready to fill into any group. Her glasses sat in front of almost bored-looking eyes, her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and she slouched and dragged her feet.

She even had a made up story about how she'd been addicted to heroin for a few years, until a friend had helped her get clean. That should help her blend in. And if she could blend in...the Sleepers would do the rest for her, filling in the blanks as to who she was, and how much respect she was due.

The Blank stood around on the sidewalk in front of the community center, waiting for Crowley quietly. Once he got here, they could begin.

[Crowley]

Crowley appeared in his usual T and jeans, though this time he had ensured his many chains were missing from his belt. The dark green bandana was fresh and new, wrapped around his head so that he evoked the pirates of old. He had shaved too, and his cheeks positively glowed.

Blend in? Crowley didn't concern himself with such thoughts.

"Boo." He intoned sagely as he slid up beside the Blank. "Okay. So. How are we going to run this?"

[Einstein]

The person-who-wasn't didn't even jump at Crowley's approach. She just gave him her best doe-eyed look, and blinked. "Hey." The voice sounded downtrodden, or as best as she could get it, then she straightened up and smiled slightly. "Figured we'd hop in, try to act like we're here for the therapy. You can keep an eye out for the man you saw, and I'll go ahead and scan for anyone who's not-normal."

"Of course..." Einstein looked him up and down swiftly. "To pretend we were both here for therapy, you'd have to actually be dressed like someone who just got clean. So...uh...alright, I'm a recently reformed drug addict, and you're the guy who's making sure I get clean. I'll be...Regina Waters. Sounds like a name, right?"

[Crowley]

Crowley blinks.

"Well... Okay. I was thinking just being me. Being a musician and all. And I've known people who went to Rehab. Been close myself. If it comes to it I could add that I feel like I'm slipping. Again. But yeah - Regina Waters sounds okay to me."

Eyes drift over to the community centre.

"We going in cold turkey?"

[Einstein]

"Well, I guess." Einstein frowns, then shrugs. "Just figured we'd need, you know, an explanation for why we're at a therapy session for people coming out of a dark place. Feels like it'd be pretty weird of us to just walk in and be like 'hi, we're just here to observe'. White Coat Effect turned up to eleven, and all."

Another short shrug. "If you want to do that though, sure. I'm gonna stick to my thing for me, and we'll just arrive at the same time and see how things go, I guess." With that, the Blank stepped across the street and into the building, looking for the room where the meeting would be held.

[Einstein]

Show time!

Einstein drops her face back on, the face of the listless, fidgety ex-junkie. Hands play with each other, fingers fiddling with imaginary toys. "Come on. Tell me if you recognize anyone." is mumbled at Crowley. The junkie didn't talk, she always mumbled. Always eyes just subtly unfocused, or downcast. She doesn't hurry in, either. A small shuffle carries her through the door, and to the stairs, to let down a small call. "Just, uh, just us..." She lets the words trail off. Finishing a sentence is hard.

The addict's feet carry her down the stairs at the same shuffle, and she reaches the bottom and gives the moderator an empty, tiny smile. "Hello. I'm, um, we're...new..." A hand shoots up the opposite sleeve, to scratch at an imaginary itch in the crook of her elbow.

Any roll required to slip into the persona, and if yes, does it get the bonus from her Attainment?

[Crowley]

Eyes flick to Einstein with a certain surprise at how quickly she falls into character.

Crowley is going as himself, so its not exactly hard. A hand clasps the back of his neck and he smiles - part caught out, part uncertainty, and part his old evil glee.

How did this go again? A flicker of recollection.

"Yeah... Just us."

Saul Springfield glances over his shoulder. The exit is just over there. He turns his back on it, grimacing. He needs to do this.

He follows behind the junkie reluctantly. He has made the first step. Again.

[Einstein]

  Not So Convincing - 1 sux

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-09-12 23:14:23		Einstein rolls 7 to Adopt the Persona (Man + Per + NaN) (10 Again)		5, 5, 9, 5, 4, 7, 5		1 success

The Blank almost slips out of character for a moment. The whole 'being someone else convincingly' thing proves hard for Einstein. Unused to being subservient and trying to be small, her persona is paper-thin. Eager to move on, she slips down the stairs with a nod, pausing halfway down to look back up and stare at the woman. Just in case. The Supernal falls around her eyes, its effect on the world around her concealed behind a small exertion of effort, and lays bare the woman's resonance for Einstein's greedy eyes. Hopefully, it'd be passed off as a strange mannerism. Those were everywhere in these places.

  Supernal Vision P3, -1 Mana Cloaked

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-09-12 23:18:07		Einstein rolls 6 to Supernal Vision (Improvised) (10 Again)		10, 8, 8, 1, 2, 3, 6		3 successes

Einstein uses Sup-Vision to peek at the lady's Nature.

Then, finally, she turns back and walks down the stairs. Eyes dart here and there, and she makes her way to grab a cake, making sure to use quick, jerky movements, and retreat immediately afterwards - like someone was going to try to take it from her. It just seemed right. As she nibbles, she watches the charismatic man. Probably the leader. Maybe even the man Crowley saw in his vision of the past.