Signs of Sorcery

[October]

There was a brief look of concern before he speaks. Cause choking is bad. “Yeah, for real. Well, I try not to outsource all my friends from the Middle Ages, I try and space them out as much as possible.” She jokes. “And that would be simply because no Order has caught my interest long enough.” Easy version.

“Wouldn’t it be easier, and better for the Consillum if we staged a rescue mission instead? Unless you think the androids wouldn’t have stored the real you somewhere, using your intelligent for some diabolical scheme. Because in that case, then yeah, end the fake Shodan.” Taking a bite of pizza she shrugs. “Oh, well we can run the numbers for you. Break them down into something affordable, monthly plans and all that. We’re reasonable, willing to work with you.” She tosses back with a grin, “Well, define weird. What is weird for one is normal for another.” All a matter of perspective.

A nod, “Yes, that’s true. But even the Grinch had something besides being an asshole driving him. For the Seer’s, I wonder if it’s not someone more powerful pulling the strings, using them to do the dirty work. Some vendetta against Sacramento maybe. But there is always a reason.” Just not always obvious. “Yeah, certainly is more convenient, which is why we have to keep being a pain in their ass each time. Though there is something to be said for bringing the fight to the enemy. And no worries about that, I’ll make sure my guard is up.” Being Awakened, it wasn’t hard to always be wary.

“Would be worth looking into. Maybe there’s a pattern to it? Or maybe the places have some sort of significance? Do you remember any of the places?” she asks. “During the plague? Oh wow, that had to be something to see in person.” The medical part of her mind was jealous. “Not big on ghosts?” some liked them, some didn’t and some didn’t care. “I wouldn’t mess with it unless everyone was on board, I don’t want to overstep anyone.” She was too new for that. “A translator? I think I’m afraid to ask.” Some Enchanters could be quite eccentric.

“Oh, well, yah, usually. But where’s the fun in that?!” cause it was about fun. “I thank you for that. And yeah, there are calmer ones, but those get dull. If everything was always calm and orderly, we’d never get to have fun. Don’t get me wrong, I like calm, just not all the time.”

[October]

The Acanthus manages to look serious, “Well, yes, of course. The numbers are very important to determining everything.” A solemn nod. “I’d say we are minor acquaintances at best right now.” She replies, taking a sip of beer, “But we can work on that.” There was a small smirk. “A rocket launcher? Well, that would help with the traffic, but I’d have to buy a car instead of renting.” Then a snort as she laughed, “A female Pablo Escobar? Now that sounds like it’s all kinds of fun! Either way, I think we can work something out.”

A nod, “What you’re saying is true. But you don’t hear about this type of thing happening at every Consillum. Sure, the Seer’s attack here and there, but nothing this specific. No,” a shake of her head, “I think there is something else going on. And I think if we can figure it out, we can better plan a defense and attack on them.” She’d wager a lot on that. Chuckling, “Worse than the Guardians? Isn’t that a bit extreme? They’re not all bad. Every society needs people like the Guardians, keeps the rest of us in line.” And she needed that. “But see, we know what drives the Westboro Baptist, it’s hate and fear. Which can be flipped and used against them. We figure that out for the Seer’s around here, we get a step ahead. And we can totally turn the tables and have some fun at their expense.” There was a spark of something in her eyes. “We might not have anything concrete to support the theory, but Time Travel? That’s high level shit.” If that’s not Archmastery then she didn’t know what was.

“So might be worth asking him about it. If there are buildings that have gone missing, it’d be interesting to know. Also interesting to look at on a map, maybe there’s a pattern.” A stretch, sure, but you never know. “I’ve spoken with a few, none that have been a broken record, just more seeking answers. Death is kind of something I’ve picked up over the years, and the ghosts just seem to come with it.” A shrug, no big deal to her.

An amused look, “Wow, seriously? That would be annoying. I mean, sure, with Fate there are things we can see. But I think it’s rude to talk about them without either tuning someone into it, or explaining it.” But maybe that was just her.

“Oh, I’m quite content with the politics of the Orders. Too many and it turns into a giant fucking mess and nothing seems to get done.” Too many personalities thinking they were right. “Oh? Well that’s good to know. Guess they took it personally. Have they come here and made a scene or anything?”

[October]

A shrug and nod, “Yup. We’ve only talked less than a handful of times, so it only seems natural to say acquaintances.” Pouring more beer into her glass, she laughs, “Or I’m showing my age, either is plausible.” True enough. “If you actually have the textbook kicking around, I’ll give you fifty bucks here and now.” Humor in her voice as she watches him. “Hints? Now where is the fun in the game if there are hints? Lets see just how resourceful you are.” She raises her glass. “You do make a good point, and I think I know more than he did. Plus, they had a good run for a while before screwing it up. I think we’d do better.”

Shrugging, “Nothing wrong with being paranoid if it keeps you alive. I might leave some things to Fate, but when it comes to Seer’s, I’d rather be paranoid.” A nod, “That would be ideal, but it’s knowing where said pylon is and getting the power to win. Well, now we can have a little bit of luck on our side, and who knows? Might be all we need.” She could be optimistic at times.

“Oh, that always sucks to lose a cabalmate. We’re you guys close?” that would make the loss even worse. “Think Tank? Can’t say I’ve ever heard a name like that for a Cabal. Unique, fun and bonus points for being easy to pronounce and remember.” She’d heard some bizarre ones in her time.

“Well, lets hope it stays that way.” She raises her glass once again, “Huh, that’s interesting, now I want to go digging and find out the reasons. There are just so many fun little secrets here.”

omg, I am soo sorry about that!

[October]

A shrug with a smile, “Better luck next time.” She teases with a laugh. “Oh, it really doesn’t. It’s just one of those sayings. And really? Twenty-one? See, you keep that up, and you’ll be making friends left and right. Plus earning points.” A nod, it was true.

At the revelation, she almost choked on her beer as she laughs, “Wow! Seriously?! I hope she was at least a good sport about it, cause even steakhouses sell rabbit food.” If the girl was a bitch about, then fuck her.

“A little, not enough to be an expert on them or anything. But enough to know how annoying and persistent they can be. I’ve fought along side other Awakened against some, but I try and avoid face to face confrontation. I prefer to work my magic from behind the scenes so to speak.” Where she couldn’t fight, throwing curses from a safe place worked just fine for her. “The crap they seem to be pulling here is new to me as well. The big league is a great way to phrase it.” She had to agree.

“Oh,” she sounded a bit surprised, “does the city have a high turnover rate?” hardly any time to get to know anyone. “What kind of plans if you don’t mind the question.” Every Cabal liked to have a purpose, something they did for the area. Shaking her head, “Wow, that’s crazy.” How were they supposed to get anything done if people kept leaving? A nod, “I have, a while ago, back in Boston. Wasn’t anything special, but it was nice to have people you could count on. But then school got insane, and things fell apart. Like with most things in life.”

Virtue!

Her Virtue is Charity

[October]

Had she struck a nerve? The thought amuses her, and she doesn’t hide it, “Of course.” A shrug. “And yes, it is my department. But for me to have known that, I would have had to cast a spell, and your little toy would have gone off.” She points out, “And glimpsing the conversation before hand just isn’t my style. I like talks to be organic. I just simply cannot help it if you didn’t have the book.” Clearly she was having fun with this. A solemn nod, “Oh yes, very on point.” she could give him that.

“Yeah, that’s what salad is. How anyone, except a rabbit, can have a full meal of just salad is beyond me.” Was that, disgust in her voice? “Damn right you do. Grew up grilling steaks year-round. Best teak I ever had came from grilling it in a snow storm.” She was a meat and potatoes kind of girl.

“Good term for them.” She could get behind that. “But I get what you mean, it can be dangerous to the rest of us if we depend on someone one and they flake.” Good way to get someone killed. “That’s actually a really good idea. There is a lot we can learn from each other. Though there are those who will push against learning something new. Think it shows a weakness in them or some crap.” She never understood that.

A shrug, “It’s how life goes, some stuff falls apart for something else to be built.” And they needed to be open to it. Chuckling, “Well, the job offer helped me make the decision to leave. The Cabal could have been rebuilt, but I needed a change.” And working at one of the top trauma hospitals was what she wanted. “There wasn’t a whole lot of us, six in total. A mixture of everything, from Paths to Orders. Everything from artists to teachers and everything in between. We just got along well and wanted the same things. Was nice.”