Coffee for the Awakened Mind

[Aurora]

A day that Aurora can be found without coffee is a rare day indeed. One might even think there was something wrong with her.

So this day she is out and about looking for second hand finds that she can turn into something beautiful. Nothing had stood out to her, but she got her feelers out there so to speak with shop owners. It’s amazing how friendly and helpful people are when you’re polite and genuinely interested in something.

And as such, she needed a quick recharge. The weather was still chilly, chillier than she would like. She was more of a shorts and tank top kind of girl. So it was ripped fitted jeans and a baggy gray sweater, blonde hair down but wind-blown.

Entering the coffee shop, one she hadn’t tried yet, the long black coat she was wearing was unbuttoned and removed. Hanging over her arm she steps into the line while doing a quick inventory of what they sold.

Once she orders her coffee, she turns to scan the shop, looking for either a seat, or someone interesting to talk to.

And she finds him. Her Awakened eyes catching and settling upon a scholarly guy standing in line.

Finding a table somewhat in the back, she attempts to catch his eye and wave him over with a warm smile. The Americano set in front of her, hands wrapped around it.

Monthly Rotes of Life Sight and Shield up

[Campanella]

Unlike Aurora and the rest of his Cabal, Campanella still swears by daily rituals. A weakness. An affectation. An excuse, so he says, to mix and match his Arcana for the needs of the day. He does not - will not! - talk of his difficulties with rituals nor will he openly speak about the inherent weakness of his fragile Pattern, of how even a simple spell weights heavily upon his shoulders and chafes at his Supernal core.

Today had been no different: his usual Armouring spell coupled with Supernal Vision. It was a pain to cast and maintain (oh such sights did he see: the flash of auric fields, the ever shifting stain of resonance, the ozone tang of mana and the flash of the rare sigil) but he was checking out someone's estate today; he needed that Sight - just in case something glimmered under his glare. The Athenaeum was still empty. Claus might never work again and the Moros knew of other associates who were planning to pick over the collector's treasure trove...

Head buzzing from long phone calls and an even longer brunch that seemed to go on forever, Campanella was quite relieved to stumble into the coffee house. He needed some quiet time to process and plan; he needed the coffee to soothe his head; and he needed the buzzing Sleepers for cover (a hard habit in a city where he found himself habitually checking over one shoulder).

Collecting his coffee he was surprised to find Aurora sitting at the back. Somewhere in his mind he registered the low hum of spells. Immediately he thought of her and, smiling, moved over to join her. Along the way, he completely missed the cue and passed over fellow who carried his own college professor vibe.

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-02-06 02:16:07		Campanella to cast Hard Air rote rolls 9 to Intelligence + Occult + Order Spec + Matter - 1 Spell Tolerance (10 Again)		8, 4, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 3, 1, 9		4 successes
2018-02-06 02:13:12		Campanella to cast Supernal Vision rote rolls 5 to Wits + Occult + Order Spec + Prime - Duration (Adv.) (10 Again)		10, 3, 10, 5, 6, 6, 6		2 successes

[Aurora]

Was she sure she wasn’t an Acanthus anymore? Cause she was feeling pretty damn lucky right now.

There was Campy! Her face positively lights up as he makes his way to her table.

“Bart! Great to see you!” she says, obviously happy to see him.

Before she can say more, the other guy comes over.

The smile changes to a friendly one, gesturing to the chairs,

“Hi James,” greets the blonde, “I’m Madison, and this is Bart.” She waits until both sit, sipping her Americano. “Sounds like a welcome is in order, have you been in the city long?” another sip.

[Campanella]

A frisson of awkwardness flowed through him as the unacknowledged gentleman sat down at their table. His jaw pulsed lightly for a moment before he schooled himself into passivity, drinking from his cup with quiet calm.

"Hello," Campanella inclined his head slightly as he laid down his cup. "Always a pleasure to meet someone new over coffee." He settled into his seat and chose not to fill the space between them with pointless words. Not when Aurora had gently laid down a question first.

A familiar chill and itch continued to work on him. It had been some months since his sixth sense had chimed quite so much.

Campanella raised his cup for another sip, hiding his reactions while he gently studied the fellow across the table.

[Aurora]

Blue eyes sparkle as she watches Campy over her cup of coffee.

So formal! She thinks with amusement, and wonders if he can ever let his hair down and just have fun.

Those same eyes widened in surprise as she lowers the cup, grinning,

“Why thank you! I haven’t been recognized in quite some time.” She says humbly, cheeks slightly flushed. And it was true, her chosen job didn’t draw the attention it used to. Laughing gently, “All I can say is years upon years of practice. But it’s nice to know there are still those out there who read or see those magazines.” Maybe it wasn’t such a dead art form after all.

Yikes, algebra teacher! Math had never been a strong suit for the Shaman, and she tended to avoid it at all costs.

But it sounded like he was an educated man, putting him up there with Campy. Maybe the two would have something in common?

“Algebra huh?” it was then her turn to hold her hands up in defense, “Please don’t hold my lack of any math skills against me.” She jokes with an easy smile. "Are you enjoying your time at the Charter School? Teaching seems like it must be very rewarding." at least from what she's heard.

“Do you plan to stay after the semester?” she asks, curious. Though she wanted to ask about his Magey info, she just hated veiled talk.

Glancing at Campy, “Have you had a chance to meet anyone else since arriving?” she sucked at this. Why couldn’t they be at the Circle?

[Campanella]

Campanella raises an eyebrow as he lowers his cup.

"Magazine? You were on a... cover?" Genuine surprise bloomed from in the Moros' voice. So did something cheeky. His eyes twinkled.

He turned quickly back to the man who called himself James.

"Teaching. Well you certainly look the part." His voice was self depreciating - Campanella himself could pass for the college professor under most circumstances. "Is this a temporary job or is teaching your preferred vocation? I'm in the book trade myself. I've always felt more comfortable with Art and History than with hard numbers."

His interest remained genuine as he began to mentally pigeon hole the newcomer. His chiming sixth sense could not be coming from Aurora alone.