Checking out of the heartbreak hotel

[Kaze]

Kaze chuckles, “I think you’re giving me too much credit, Shodan! Maybe it’s not that I’m hard to get secrets out of; maybe I just don’t really know a lot of secrets?”

He shrugs, “I think people are interesting. You know I can talk a lot when people are asking about something that I’m interested in. At most of the meetings the other people talking usually seem to know more about what they’re talking about than I do or at least be saying something interesting that I’d rather listen to them then interrupt. Or else they are just arguing about something that I don’t feel like it is necessary or helpful to jump into the middle of.”

Kaze smiles, “Sorry. I’m doing that annoying thing people do when they’re happy in a relationship, trying to match up their friends. Whatever though, I totally ship you guys.”

[Kaze]

“Nuh uh.” Kaze says chuckling, “I can handle being the designated driver, but not the bartender that tells people, ‘Go home, you’re drunk.’ That’s pretty much the definition of jumping into the middle of things that aren’t my business and getting everyone together by having all sides take shots at me. That’s Winters thing, I think.”

Kaze chuckles amiably at Shodan sincerely protesting about focusing on his own personal feelings and potential relationships and drops the subject despite feeling like Shodan’s interest in Kaze and Phoenyx ‘s relationships seems a lot like a desire to live vicariously.

”Well you know, I am not so much interested in death and spirits as I am in entropy. Stopping combustion’s pretty cool not just for engines but guns too. And it combines with Life too not just Forces. I don’t think I would ever go for mastering death, but it really seems like an enhancement for some other arcana I could see myself mastering, someday.”

”How about you, Shodan? I remember Winter kind of shooting down your plan to map the leylines—which I think is a good idea by the way, as long as we leave West Sacramento alone I guess—is Prime your main focus now? I would have guessed Mind.”

[Kaze]

"Thanks, I have my hands full just figuring out myself enough to do me." Kaze smiles.

"Oh interesting. I know a Moros who did the same. She was really artistic and spontaneous." He sighs. "Actually, she was the one they caught, the hunters. I'm sorry I brought it up now, never mind."

Kaze tries again, "That totally makes sense, working from your strength to enhance how the magic works through you. I've been kind of scattered, but really my most consistent progress has been building up my physical stamina, and the number of spells I can carry physically active on me."

"There's so much that works with Force and Life that I've been putting off deepening my connection to kind of stretch out and breath in laterally, you know, organically learning and blending the different arcana at the level I'm at to get a better understanding of the interconnections before taking it all to the next level. I keep finding little enhancements, like if I learn just a little Space, I think I can use Force to passively receive any video signals in the area and display to my phone, even cabled signals. And I know I want to take Life higher at some point, but there's so much connection to Matter when you change your physical form, to shape your clothes or possessions too."

[Kaze]

Kaze shakes his head, "No. Actually, that was just a blurt. I guess I haven't gotten over it though. Here's the thing, though, the person I was referring to, the one who had the deep connection to Aether, she was especially good at improvised magic over rotes. She wasn't the one they got. Her name was 'Banshee', and she painted and I think sculpted too. She was in a Cabal with another person named, 'Epitaph'. They both had a kind of goth thing going, I guess. Anyway, Epitaph was the one the hunters got, but Banshee just left right after that. So, no I didn't mean anything by it." he explains with utter sincerity if not perfect clarity.

"I can't really tell you. I mean, it's not a secret, it's just that when I am learning an arcana, there are...I don't know, ideas on who to use a little bit of another arcana to get a kind of blended effect, or just to enhance. Like if I can learn enough Life, I could change into a bird and fly, but if I didn't take off my clothes first, I wouldn't fly at all; I'd just be bird all tangled up, but if I learn enough Matter, I should be able to change into a bird and change my clothes too." Kaze says eagerly!

[Kaze]

Kaze opens his mouth to correct Shodan about Banshee's Path, but shuts it again, deciding not to interrupt and just listen as Shodan changes the subject. He smiles at Shodan's question. "I trust the Hierarch. I know he's not telling us everything, but I think he knows what he's doing, and isn't the type to treat us like pawns to sacrifice. He looked like he was still recovering from whatever he went through. I think if he gets a chance to rest without having to deal with a lot of arguing and resistance, things will work out and get more clear. It's just my feeling on things."

Kaze thinks a minute and says, "It was really nice to see new people showing up. They all seemed like they wanted to help, too, like they might stick around for a while. Mobius was pretty open I thought, offering her contact information to pretty much everyone. Spark not so much, and the new Talon least of all, but they all seemed to have a good attitude about things."