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Does It Matter?

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  1. #1
    Star's Avatar
    Status
    (Entertainment)
    Status
    (News Media)
    New Identity
    (Jack Hoyle)
    Nimbus

    The Mirage: Star appears translucent with overlapping and slightly offset images of himself in different identities/disguises.
    Supernal

    1
    OCC
    2
    PRE

    The apartment was typical college fare.

    An abandoned door lay flat on cinder blocks to form a desk; more cinderblocks formed shelves. The nook that apartment complexes refer to as 'dining rooms' had collapsible beach chairs surrounding a large cable spool. There was no TV, but there were several worn bean bags and papa-san chairs in the living room. Through a narrow door, a mattress without a frame lay on a floor, surrounded by an impressive number of empty Gatorade and water bottles.

    Long fingers pinched at the bridge of a nose.

    Instinct? Hard to learn. Hard to overcome. The hamster wheel's turned sideways. It's like learning to cross your arms the other way. Twiddle your thumbs in reverse. The trick is? It feeling natural.

    Take a break, yo.

    "Want a beer?"


    The refrigerator is a small, sturdy white affair. There's a half-eaten Subway and some yogurt.

    "You ever had Hoegaarden? I've been on a Hoegaarden kick. Little spendy, but, you know. Live a little."
    Nimbus in MiniSheet 2. Cloaked spells, no overt magical res. Scrut for deets.
    '...Watch With Glittering Eyes...'
    - Roald Dahl

  2. #2
    Truce's Avatar

    Presence •• (Bookish)
    Truce

    Fair-skinned and thin, Truce does not appear to get out much, choosing instead to pursue more studious endeavors. He appears as a typical college student, wearing button up shirts, slacks, and a sports coat at times. His hair is dark brown and wavy, his eyes hazel.

    Spell List

    Spiders: EGuard(3P,self)

    2
    PRE

    Truce hadn't been sure if the apartment he'd been invited to were Star's Sanctum or just a private space for meetings such as this. It is difficult for Truce to imagine the improvised furniture to be anything but the comforts of a squatter. Truce would never say so, of course. Far be it for him to judge the man's sense of dιcor. But as a Guardian, perhaps there lies a concern for attachments. Or perhaps the answer is far simpler, to do with finances. As a student himself and low-income worker, Truce could understand that well enough.

    "Oh, um, sure," answers Truce, with a modicum of hesitation. "A Hoegaarden? That's a Belgium wheat, isn't it?" he asks conversationally. Little spendy? Not all luxuries took the form of furnishings, he supposes.

  3. #3
    Star's Avatar
    Status
    (Entertainment)
    Status
    (News Media)
    New Identity
    (Jack Hoyle)
    Nimbus

    The Mirage: Star appears translucent with overlapping and slightly offset images of himself in different identities/disguises.
    Supernal

    1
    OCC
    2
    PRE

    "I think so."

    A bottle was drawn up for a closer look.

    "Hey, yeah, yep. Look at you, beer pro."
    An opener appeared, and two rapid, practiced pulls opened the bottles. Practiced like a bartender, but the truth is that bar backs open just as many bottles, if not more. Bartenders mix drinks, anyone can pop a top. "You might have liked this, uh, thing. This gig? Bunch of guys trying to start a microbrewery."

    One bottle was passed over, the one kept raised to lips and pulled on.

    "Guys had no clue the ground well they were getting water from was, drum roll. Yep. Tass water. Anyway, getting 'in', like, omigod. IPA this, nitrogen filtering that."


    Don't forget the shaved head and piercings. Ow.

    "So, you know. Gotta ask. You said that, like, thing about formal conduct. Was that about, uh, Tyria? Or something else?"

    Sure, okay. Yelling about your sex life probably qualifies as informal.
    Nimbus in MiniSheet 2. Cloaked spells, no overt magical res. Scrut for deets.
    '...Watch With Glittering Eyes...'
    - Roald Dahl

  4. #4
    Truce's Avatar

    Presence •• (Bookish)
    Truce

    Fair-skinned and thin, Truce does not appear to get out much, choosing instead to pursue more studious endeavors. He appears as a typical college student, wearing button up shirts, slacks, and a sports coat at times. His hair is dark brown and wavy, his eyes hazel.

    Spell List

    Spiders: EGuard(3P,self)

    2
    PRE

    "Mm, not really," says Truce, looking embarrassed at the praise. "I guess you pick up on that sort of thing during college."

    Truce looks curious at the concept of Tass seeping into the well water. "And they brewed it into their beer? Interesting. I wonder if the same has been done with Tass in vineyards while making wine. I imagine it's had to have happen before."

    The idle conversation on beer shifts back into the topic Truce had started and then avoided back at the driving range. Truce's expression shifts uncomfortably with it, displaying his range of emotion quite readably. "Mm, that is...what I meant had to do with quite a few impressions I've received since arriving to the city. The frequent change of Council members, for instance. Nothing to do with Tyria, per say. I know some of that had to do with complications in the Charter that Nous presented last year. I took over representing the Moros Path from Mace, who didn't want the position anymore. And there have been other former Councilors who have had their complaints for how the Council conducts itself. I assumed you had left the Council for a similar reason, though that may have been presumptuous of me."

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  6. #5
    Star's Avatar
    Status
    (Entertainment)
    Status
    (News Media)
    New Identity
    (Jack Hoyle)
    Nimbus

    The Mirage: Star appears translucent with overlapping and slightly offset images of himself in different identities/disguises.
    Supernal

    1
    OCC
    2
    PRE

    Consilium, yo.

    Thin shoulders shrugged as the Angel leaned back against the counter; one hand holding the bottle, the other resting on the counter top and fingers rippling in a silent staccato.

    "Nah."
    Step down because of, what? "It's Consilium, man. People are gonna argue, right? I mean, like, isn't that what it's for?"

    And that's part of it, really. Different ideas about what it's for.

    "I mean, I'm no Poli Sci major, but I thought it was about, like, uhhh... dispute resolution. Except people want to tell people how to act and want to know what they're doing and gerrymander Precepts,"
    Okay, maybe there was a Poli Sci 101 in there somewhere, "And all this kind of stuff."

    "I'm not super big on arguing. I mean, I'm not against it. Arguing is fine. But I can see how, you know, some people might not like it."
    And arguing is fine. Others just say what they have to say and it's up to the other people to Listen. "Seriously? After Striker, I kinda quit caring about Consilium."

    "But, hey, let me ask you this."
    Time for a swallow of beer. All about that Belgian wheat life.

    "What do you, like, you personally, think Consilium is for? Should do?"
    Nimbus in MiniSheet 2. Cloaked spells, no overt magical res. Scrut for deets.
    '...Watch With Glittering Eyes...'
    - Roald Dahl

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  8. #6
    Truce's Avatar

    Presence •• (Bookish)
    Truce

    Fair-skinned and thin, Truce does not appear to get out much, choosing instead to pursue more studious endeavors. He appears as a typical college student, wearing button up shirts, slacks, and a sports coat at times. His hair is dark brown and wavy, his eyes hazel.

    Spell List

    Spiders: EGuard(3P,self)

    2
    PRE

    Truce nods and listens as he sips at the beer.

    "Mm, you're right of course," agrees Truce vaguely. "And that business with Striker...I never spoke with the man at length. But I was surprised to hear that he made Sentinel considering his reputation. It's probably for the best that he left."

    Quit caring about Consilium? It was just how Einstein had felt. So her and Star had shared that much in common. Were there others who just went through the motions, gathering out of habit or for lack of anything better?

    "What the Consilium is for? Well, I've always thought it to be something like a local parliament. An organization meant to uphold traditions that link us to other Consilia. What I believe it should do is provide a means to unify our different Orders and Cabals for the common purpose of creating stability between each other. That way we can concentrate on pursuing a great understanding of ourselves, each other, and the state of the world around us."

    "Ideally, anyways," he adds, taking another sip of his beer. It is a textbook answer, naive and hopeful.

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  10. #7
    Star's Avatar
    Status
    (Entertainment)
    Status
    (News Media)
    New Identity
    (Jack Hoyle)
    Nimbus

    The Mirage: Star appears translucent with overlapping and slightly offset images of himself in different identities/disguises.
    Supernal

    1
    OCC
    2
    PRE

    "Oh, wow."

    Eyebrows raised, then stayed hidden the mop. The bluish eyes below took an appraisal as another pull was drank from the bottle.

    "Like, wow. I mean, I used to think you were just a talking head. Used to, as in, until just now."
    There's zero self consciousness at the insult offered. Because it's True. When does a person become not comfy with speaking the Truth? It happens around the same time that a child's unshakable faith in the world around them begins to crumble. "You're just, like, I dunno. New? Naive?"

    "Take, you know, the last Consilium. That was a swell compromise. Really. Swell. About the whole radio bit? But it didn't unify anyone. Or make anyone understand anything. No one's beliefs changed. We're still,"
    arms splayed wide, "On opposite sides."

    It's okay, really. There's a wall that Guardians stand on. A belief that they'll die for, for anyone. At best it's a suggestion that the Books getting their read on is more important than the vigil. At worst, it's meaningless deaths. Just. Ask. Animus.

    "And that's just, you know, Orders. Let's not even start on Diamond versus Assemblies."
    There's a grin, enough humor to show that this is still Just Talking all in Good Fun.

    "I dunno, man. I'm not trying to, you know, be a buzzkill. Just sayin'."
    Nimbus in MiniSheet 2. Cloaked spells, no overt magical res. Scrut for deets.
    '...Watch With Glittering Eyes...'
    - Roald Dahl

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  12. #8
    Truce's Avatar

    Presence •• (Bookish)
    Truce

    Fair-skinned and thin, Truce does not appear to get out much, choosing instead to pursue more studious endeavors. He appears as a typical college student, wearing button up shirts, slacks, and a sports coat at times. His hair is dark brown and wavy, his eyes hazel.

    Spell List

    Spiders: EGuard(3P,self)

    2
    PRE

    Truce's gaze narrows. One can expect that much from receiving criticism. Another memory surfaces of Einstein. She had told Truce the same thing when he had confronted her about resigning her post. Star's words confirm that she was not alone in her way of thinking.

    "You seem to misunderstand," he starts evenly. "I don't expect the Consilium to come together over a single simple dispute. That's something that takes hard work and time. People argue. They get in fights. And the memory lingers long after the wound. But someone has to be an anchor to weather all that. Trust is something built brick by brick. And it crumbles just as easily without maintenance. Those who serve the Consilium are custodians of that faith, a hope for those that come after us."

    "It's true, I may not be as experienced as some Magi. I'm learning. I'd like to think that we all are learning to better ourselves, that we're all on the same side rather than opposites. Maybe that is naive, to hold faith in something that seems impossible to some. Maybe that is what it means to walk the Path of Doom, knowing that despite all efforts there will come a time of failure and inevitability. But I won't fault you for speaking your mind. So, if you don't care for the Consilium, what is it that you do care for?" he asks with his attention focused on the Guardian, holding off on drinking further for the moment.

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  14. #9
    Star's Avatar
    Status
    (Entertainment)
    Status
    (News Media)
    New Identity
    (Jack Hoyle)
    Nimbus

    The Mirage: Star appears translucent with overlapping and slightly offset images of himself in different identities/disguises.
    Supernal

    1
    OCC
    2
    PRE

    "Whoah."

    Now it's all Doom and gloom.

    "Let's rewind? You say 'not care', like it's a Bad Thing. And maybe we mean different things when we say,"
    finger quotes, "'Consilium'."

    "So, let's go with that. Sure, I'm game. Tell me why it's Bad and Wrong that I wouldn't want to care about some pseudo-government body who's chief enforcement officer has been twice convicted of violating our, like, our most basic and important rule?"


    Oh, and there's that one other thing.

    "And who tried to kill a Councilor."


    That's a legit question. When the Biggest Criminal becomes Chief of Police? C'mon.

    "I care about the Awakened. Consilium is just a socio-political construct, yo."
    Nimbus in MiniSheet 2. Cloaked spells, no overt magical res. Scrut for deets.
    '...Watch With Glittering Eyes...'
    - Roald Dahl

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  16. #10
    Truce's Avatar

    Presence •• (Bookish)
    Truce

    Fair-skinned and thin, Truce does not appear to get out much, choosing instead to pursue more studious endeavors. He appears as a typical college student, wearing button up shirts, slacks, and a sports coat at times. His hair is dark brown and wavy, his eyes hazel.

    Spell List

    Spiders: EGuard(3P,self)

    2
    PRE

    "Alright. Maybe we are meaning different things," concedes Truce, searching for common ground. "I was only using your turn of phrase, but I imagine you either meant that you don't agree with the way things are being run or that you hold another agency in higher respects." Order, Cabal, the Individual. Who could tell what another man prioritized.

    "So you have a grievance against the Consilium for allowing that to happen? As I understood, it was Councilor Avis's wish that a trail not be held. I thought that was very brave of her, to forgive her attacker so publicly. As for Striker's previous infringements, I'm not clear on the details of those circumstances. If they're as serious as you say then why was he not given a more stringent punishment? A lack of manpower during a time when the Golden Consilium posed a threat, perhaps? A lax Council? A flimsy Charter?"

    Truce avoids making any judgmental statements as he responds to Star's concerns. There's no denying the man has a point. Why hadn't matters with Striker been taken more seriously? Because he had made friends among the Awakened community? Because he was willing to take action when others shied away from it? Truce couldn't pretend to know but Star may hold some insight beneath his unorthodox mannerisms.

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