Women of Focus

[Winter]

The Guardian Wing, an anonymous building on the left side of the Circle, a monotonous and dull succession of large polygons forgotten in a sea of dust.

In the poorly lit hall, a lone Guardian sits besides a large table surrounded by a few foldable plastic chairs, his torso is bent forward, as he tries to garner some clues from the images cycling over the old flat screen in front of him. His nose twitches under a pair of glasses; on his left, a steaming cup of tea and an ashtray brimming with cigarette butts. The man has seen better days.

The room is spartanly furnished, bare, decluttered. On the floor, a camping mattress amidst a few piles of alphabetically ordered books; on a stove a boiling teapot, in the right corner, a pristine cupboard.

The images were burnt in his cortex. Yet, he couldn't help it, he pressed replay again.

Nemo Cayce Nebula Curiosity Eurydice Stray

[Eurydice]

Eurydice had seen the flyer and knew it's meaning well. The Guardians were gathering.

For Eurydice the meeting was a boon. Prior to the incident in the Consilium and the shift in time, Winter and Nemo had been pointed out to her by Knot following her arrival, although the Acanthus did not yet know the polite Moros' affiliation. However, after the shift, the air in the Consilium had changed. The Wise had dispersed, some to meetings and others on more personal outings to acclimate to the news that change had befallen the Circle. Eurydice was part of the former, but seeing the flyer reignited her previous intent.

She needed to make an impression. She needed to link up with other Guardians, otherwise how would she succeed in guarding the carefully constructed Veil of the Awakened?

Thus, Eurydice entered the Circle with a sense of purpose, proceeding deeper within to the listed meeting place. She was dressed for the occasion, formal enough for a meeting and subdued enough to blend in when necessary. She had little else on her, save a small black purse. Once she reached the hall, Eurydice hovered outside the entry for some moments, peering in on the man with in. She made no attempt to hide of course, but instead took the time to acclimate and center herself. Taking a deep breath, she would knock on the entryway to announce her presence, her face now composed with a small, polite smile.

[Winter]

The knock on the door caught him unawares. Truth be told, he had put the ad half-expecting it'd be ignored, when your peers are psychotic killers or happen to be more interested in the competition, well... you need to plan for plenty of lonely meetings, this time however, somebody had bought the hook.

So his expression was one of genuine glee, that's it - if one could read beneath his mask of stoicism - for the brunette looked professional, and she had the good graces of announcing herself by knocking loudly, that surely scored her some brownie points.

"Enter, this place is open", he announced. He didn't take any measure to cover the violent images flashing over the screen, she had heeded the call, she was here by right. Nevertheless, whether he'd share the unspoken details he was privy to, or not, it was a decision he wasn't ready to make yet.


He stood from his seat, adjusting his glasses and pulling out a chair for the lady. "I hold no special claim over this place. If you're here because we're comrades, this place belongs to each of us in equal parts".

"I'm Winter, Susceptor of the Visus Draconis. The only member of our order in Sacramento, at least until a few moons ago", a hand brushed against the chair he had so hastily pulled open, "please, sit with me. I was conducting business that was long overdue".

He reached for the cupboard, "Fancy a cup of tea?", it was a genuine offer.


It had been months since his last serious conversation with another member of his Order.

[Nemo]

An unfamiliar woman bearing familiar Glyphs stepped into the Guardian Wing of the Circle as though this was as natural as stepping through her front door. She gave Winter a small wave, her fingers meeting her brow and then casting away, not in a salute but in ASL.

The woman went rifling through the cupboards, producing a bag of trail mix before she collapsed into a folding chair.

"What's the word?" she asked, ferrying a bite of trail mix from the bag into her mouth.

2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-09-24 16:39:18		Nemo rolls 8 to Hiding the guns (Dex3+Larc3+equip2) (10 Again)		1, 6, 1, 8, 7, 4, 1, 8		2 successes

Spells and Such

In addition to her Sight and Shield, Nemo is using a Ritual Two Faces (hair, jaw, nose), 2 weeks. 2 successes needed to spot the guns (derringer on ankle). Makarov in purse.

[Eurydice]

Eurydice viewed the scene before her with a mild expression of genuine surprise. Winter's efforts to make her feel welcome were forward, but when he mentioned he had been alone, any hesitance melted from his guest's face. She understood it now. The path the Guardians walked upon was already a lonely one, walking it truly alone could be very taxing.

Thus, Eurydice's small smile returned and she dips her head lightly in a sign of respect. One does not become a Susceptor from idleness, after all. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Susceptor. I am Eurydice, Neophyte and... Cleaner." She offered, exchanging his introduction with one of her own as she moved forward to take the seat he had offered. In response to the offer for tea, Eurydice would give a nod, "Yes, please, if it's not too much trouble."

Eurydice would fold her hands on the table and smile to Nemo as she entered. However, Nemo wore a different face than when she had been pointed out to Eurydice and, due to her unfamiliarity with the faceshifter, Eurydice would remain in the dark about her identity. The woman's casual demeanor was curious to Eurydice, a stark contrast to the stoic Winter. Still if the woman was here, she was a Guardian and that was enough to make Eurydice beam. Three members was a small group, but it was something and a tight-knit crew was all that was often needed to weather the trials that often came. Eurydice looked forward to contributing to the building of such bonds.

It is then that the Eurydice catches a glimpse of the images Winter has been looking at. The smile fades to almost the point of imperceptibility as her face turned to an expression of concern. To business then. This is not a social call.

With the Guardians it rarely is.

They rarely had those luxuries. Someone had to protect the Mysteries and, despite all the posturing from the other Orders, there were very few if anythat were better suited to the task. That is why they endured.

Turning her attention back to Winter, Eurydice would allow her smile to return. She was ready.

"I, too, am curious regarding the nature of our gathering," she offered before canting her head towards the old flat screen. She needed more information, but for the moment her mind told her that her experiences as a Cleaner may be needed once again. Being a Disciple of Death was useful when one needed to shield the eyes of Sleepers.

[Winter]

An eyebrow was quizzically raised at the upstart that had so casually joined the caucus. Could it be her? He wasn't sure, he couldn't detect a disguise.

"Speak of the devil?", as he moved in the trail she had left running away with her bounty. "I suppose she's the other one, can't be so sure nowadays. I'll leave her introduction to herself", he twisted the knob of the stove to the right, filling three mugs with warm black tea.


"Here", he said while serving a cup to each of them, and then, slipping into his seat, "the recording is something I've retrieved from the site of a Paradox infestation a few months ago. The other Orders didn't have resources to spare, so the investigation has lagged. Watch it, I want to hear your opinions, before I share mine and the details", he nodded toward the screen.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-09-25 13:25:06		Winter rolls 6 to perception (Wits + Composure) (10 Again)		6, 1, 7, 4, 8, 3		1 success

[Nemo]

"'Sup, Dicey," Nemo replied, giving Eurydice a brief jut of her chin before she popped some more trail mix into her mouth and began to munch.

"You know, you really shouldn't call yourself a Cleaner, right?" she continued around her mouthful of nuts and raisins. "It's, like, demeaning. You have to accentuate your skills. Advertise your value. Materials removal specialist. Sanitation Consultant. Something like that."

Nemo shrugged and finished chewing.

"I'm Nemo. Fellow Neophyte. Huge Game of Thrones fan. Like Jaqen H'gar, but I'm not limited by gender. I mean, seriously Many Faced God, representation issues, much?"

The self proclaimed Nemo scoffed and went back to munching, turning her eyes to the screen.

[Eurydice]

Eurydice nodded in thanks as Winter returned with tea, cupping the mug in two hands, one on the handle, the other caressing it's more bare side. Dark eyes fluttered to Nemo as she spoke, suggesting a list of new titles by which Eurydice's.. 'talents' could be referred. A light, muffled giggle sounded as Eurydice drank in the tea before her hands gently returned the cup to the table's surface. First, she turned to Winter, for he held rank within the group assembled thus far.

"Thank you, Susceptor," she offered, granting the stoic man a gentle smile before turning to Nemo.

"I appreciate your suggestions, Nemo," she said, her voice traveling on the side of kindness, "However, I don't feel the title is demeaning. And the first one that can demean your words is yourself. If you feel more comfortable, I welcome you to describe me in whatever manner you see fit to your contacts in the city and Consilium."

A Cleaner is a Cleaner, no matter the title.

It seemed petty to Eurydice to be bothered by something as simple as title, but she was appreciative that Nemo was trying to find a means of making her talents sound more appealing. It could be useful going forward, especially if the greater Consilium proved... sensitive. Eurydice's personal definition for what she did was not likely to change, but she'd happily use whatever title stuck.

As for the revelation that the woman was Nemo, the other Guardian pointed out to her in the Consilium days earlier, Eurydice's mind could not help but be a little curious. However, questioning Nemo on her skill sets could wait another time. The Guardians had gathered for a reason and Winter had asked them to view his findings and provide their thoughts. Thus, Eurydice turned her attention to the recording, leaning forward to focus on the fleeting images dancing before the eyes of the Awakened.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-09-26 02:57:45		Eurydice rolls 5 to Study the Recording! (10 Again)		2, 5, 5, 10, 4, 3		1 success

Messed up roll! Should have been six dice for Wits+Composure, but meh. Still got a success!

[Winter]

Double post

[Winter]

A wary smile surfaced on his lips more in response to Nemo's table manners, or lack thereof, than in acknowledgment of Eurydice's amiability.
He wanted to roll his eyes at Eurydice's ill-placed interest in Nemo's rolodex, was she buddy with the Libertines? Though, he refrained from expressing his disapproval, perhaps the Cleaner needed a bunch of clowns after all.

"That's Room 1408 of the Cortez Motel. The whole building was burned to the ground a few months ago. An accident, the official take. A cleanup job, the truth", he took a sip from his cup.
The images kept cycling on the display, the sudden pop and barely visible flash of a gun, then the the older woman comes back to her bedroom, under the purview of the camera, "There were some casualties at the main site, 20? Maybe 30, all Sleepers", his tone of dismissal was perhaps a tad too callous and indifferent.

"I've inspected a secondary site, source of the original minor breach of the Veil, to ascertain its long term impact, if any. No sanitazion was required". He turned to Nemo. "You two are starting fresh. Without the details, you're free from biases", he paused.
"What's your hypothesis. Neophyte Nemo, yours first", she had munched on enough proteins to power 3 brains.