On The Same Wavelength?

Mar 20th, 2020 04:28 PM

Once you reach Shodan's apartment after entering the Masonic Temple, you realize it's pretty normal, and not exactly large, too - he could expand it, open up more of the space, but there is always a million more interesting things to do. Well, at least he cleaned up and got some extra food and drink in the fridge.

Aurora was told to come whenever, so the Libertine stayed home all day and tinkered with some machines to pass the time. When the Shaman comes in, there's an assortment of parts, from CPUs to dissected alarm clocks on the kitchen counter, as well as tools and contraptions with no discernible use or function. Clearly, the Obrimos didn't like idle hands.

He's wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with an admittedly terrible joke printed on it.

**Aurora** · Mar 21st, 2020 01:30 PM

The only thing he mentioned for her to bring was the beer. Which she had, in two growlers, figuring he could keep one of them if he wanted.

Walking up, it wasn’t what she expected. Though she wasn’t really sure what she would expect from Shodan, flashier maybe? Yeah, maybe. But flashy had its drawbacks.

There was a knock as she got to the door. Because rude to randomly walk in.

She was also pretty casual for the day, jeans and a white sweater.

Mar 22nd, 2020 03:32 PM

He's reattaching some wire or another when the knock on the door comes. Right, he forgot to leave the locks open and put up the notice for Aurora to just let herself in. Beacause there are no neighbors here, who else could it possibly be?

Still, he looks through the spyhole before unlocking the door - best to make the most of the unplanned caution, especially since there might still be Abyssal demons on the lookse. Letting out a sigh of relief when he sees the Shaman.

"Welcome to my humble abode" He says, smiling, motioning for her to come in "Oh" The Libertine comments, spying the growlers in her hands "Let me undburden you from that" And if she lets him, Shodan will set the containers on the table. Not the kitchen counter, mind you, because it still looks like a surgical ward for machines "Make yourself at home. You hungry?"

Whether she is or not, he'll have to put something out. Drinking on an empty stomach is just not healthy. For the moment, however, the only thing he takes out of the cupboard are two glasses.

**Aurora** · Mar 23rd, 2020 03:01 PM

Smiling, “Thanks for having me. I’ll have to return the favor when I move back into my apartment.” Winter had been right, her old place hadn’t been rented out. The growlers were handed over, “I brought an extra one in case you wanted one. The summer ale I’ve been working on isn’t done yet, still has a few more weeks to go.” But if he didn’t want the extra one, she’d drink it. No problem.

Putting her hands into her pockets, “Wow, looks like you have a lot going on.” Noticing the various machines on the counters. “Working on anything exciting?” it seemed to be an interest of his. Machines.

“Hmm? Oh, yah, food is good.” Plus she did bring beer. And even though she could take care of any drunkenness, she’d rather not.

“How you been?”

Mar 23rd, 2020 06:44 PM

"Oh, you haven't already?" He is a little surprised, it's been a while since the Shaman announced her return to Sacramento "I mean, it's none of my business, but..." The Libertine has no idea what should come after the 'but', except he can't take the word back if he wanted to. So let's just hope that the loose end will have no impact on the larger conversation "And thanks!" He's eager to take the two growlers, putting one a little to the side and filling their glasses with whatever comes out of the other.

"I try to keep myself occupied" He says "But this isn't work so much as... excercise, I guess. For keeping my skills fresh, give the imagination something to do, have some fun in the process" You need space, money and time to make the really groundbreaking stuff, and lately he's been lacking in all three.

A sip of the beer is taken when she asks how he is.

"I'm okay, considering. You might have noticed that certain problems hang over my head, but other than that I'm free to do my own thing, which is good. Trying to be my positive self, is what I'm saying" So far, he was afforded a fair amount of personal freedom and enjoyed good health, which was enough, at least for now "And you? I remember you saying your trip was a little underwhelming. Have things taken a turn for the better?" He hoped they did. They need their fill of Masters as a Consilium, and Aurora was... or seemed... nice.

Incidentally, he has a batch of skewered satay chicken he kept warm, so he can offer that "Hope you like Thai" And aren't vegetarian the Obrimos says, setting the plate on the table.

**Aurora** · Mar 23rd, 2020 09:47 PM

Shaking her head, “I just figured he’d already rented it out. Being an open floor flat would seem prime real estate to me, but,” a shrug, “guess not. So I’ll be moving back over there at some point I think.” But it had been nice actually staying at the Circle with Phoenyx. Living alone got lonely. “And no worries. If I didn’t think it was any of your business I’d say.” The Shaman wasn’t bashful.

“I’ll let you know when the summer ale is finished. New recipe, so eager to see how it turns out.” Worst comes to worst, she throws it out and starts over.

“Exercise?” sounded odd, but she listened, and then understood. “Ah, I get it now. Use your skills or lose them. Then when the time comes that you need them, you’re still sharp. So anything particular you're working on?” A nod, “I do the same with my routine. I don’t perform anymore really, but I still practice everyday.” Then a thoughtful look, “Though it might be a bit different?” a shrug, “Or not.” But she was trying.

Sipping her own drink, she nods once again, “There are quite a few problems hanging over your head. Seems you found yourself some more while I was gone.” She teases gently. “Being positive is good, and you seem eager to put it all behind you and move forward.” Another good thing. “Eh, I can’t really complain. Being back has helped me work a few things out that the trip couldn’t. So that’s good. Still a way to go though.” But she had help, and that was a bonus.

“Thai? I love thai! Especially spicy thai.” And eagerly takes a piece. “So seems our numbers haven’t improved any since I was gone.”

Mar 24th, 2020 05:36 PM

"I'm not working on any particular project at the moment, at least not... physically. But if you have a spare ten million dollars, a pile of perfected metals and some books, I could start tinkering with my cortical stack idea tomorrow" Of course, getting all these would be the easy part. getting the appropriate levels of mastery in the... at least four Arcana that are likely to be involved, now that's problematic "So until then it's like you said, to stay sharp. Honestly, the biggest job I did since settling down here was bringing Campanella's car back from the dead" And although the circumstances of the vehicle's death were less than pleasant, the Libertine still smiles at the memory "And yeah, I think it's not that different from performing, or martial arts or whatever. You keep doing it to retain the skills and maybe push yourself an inch farther to get better" Ultimately, it all came down to muscle memory and discipline of mind, no matter what ability was involved.

He looks at her with interest when she mentions his problems, raising an eyebrow slightly. Did he miss some kind of memo? Did Aurora know something he didn't? "Oh, quite a few? Those being? Because the way I figure, once I'm clear of the law breathing down my neck, I'm good" Or is he? Again, he'd like to know if there are any other bear traps waiting for him, and his tone is enquiring.

Like the Shaman, he eats a piece of the chicken before answering "Uh, at one point we were reduced to, like, four people. Even Campanella was gone for a while, and next thing we know he pops up saying half the city is off-limits. I'd call the current dozen or so a good number, provided we can keep it up" Which is far from certain. People can be gone with the wind in no time, it's happened before "Besides, too many and the city might start to come apart at the seams" Even with a low numbers tempers - and spells - have clashed. Imagine not ten but thirty mage egos crammed into one Californian town.

**Aurora** · Mar 25th, 2020 02:02 PM

Both eyebrows go up as she drinks her beer, “That’s it? Only a spare ten million?” then a thoughtful, though brief, look, “Don’t think I have quite that much. Maybe a million or two, but not ten, sorry.” A shrug as she sips again, “Books might be easier for me to get. Cash money takes time.” And she just wasn’t an Acanthus anymore. “You fix cars?” color her surprised, “I’ll have to remember that if mine starts to act up.” Though she’d been lucky with not having many serious car problems. A nod, “Yeah, I still have some skills I want to master. And I’ve been doing it for so long that not practicing just feels…wrong.” It might sound weird to some. But it was just her way of life.

“I say quite a few because of how serious the others are about it. It sounded like there was quite a few things that had happened.” A shrug. “But if it’s only one, my bad. No one’s really filled me in on what’s going on, so.” Another shrug.

A look of surprise, “He was?” huh. “And half the city is off limits? Which half?” might be good info to have. “Now I’m glad I don’t go out randomly walking around.” She jokes.

“That’s the key right there. If we can keep it up. In my experience Sacramento has always either had a good number of Awakened, or too few. Always kind of wondered if it was the Time War that kept people away, or if that’s just the nature of our community. Always moving around and all that.”

Mar 26th, 2020 12:04 PM

He smiles "You left out the part where I ask about perfected metals. I'd argue those are harder to get than the other two combined, at least in usable quantities" Which was one of the reasons not to talk about them now. He'll have to jump through some hoops to get those, and they had nothing to do with the Primal Wild or Aurora specifically "And yeah, I can fix or build you pretty much anything. Cars, computers, chemical compounds - it's all about imagination, after all, and we're suposed to have plenty of it as Awakened, right?" Nevermind the tools or time - on all those corners can be cut.

Handle the experimental designs at your own peril, though.

The Libertine grows more serious when the Shaman admits her lack of knowledge, but remains silent. For the moment. If there's one thing you should know about Shodan, it's that he can rarely keep his mouth shut for long. But he will gladly impart the knowledge Campanella shared with them way back when "West Sacramento. I don't exactly know why, and I doubt Campanella knows, either. Point is, there's someone - or something - lurking there, that did us a favor of taking care of the Seers in the city. Well, mostly. We've found an entrance to their sanctum, but didn't have the time or tools to explore" Which irked the Obrimos somewhat. He was no burglar, but he'd love to check the place out. And an idea already started to form in his mind...

But right now the elephant in the room needs to be addressed.

"And as far as my alleged problems go, here's the thing. Everyone is just so willing to voice their opinion on what they think happened and what should be done about it. I don't know why, maybe they just want to look like they are Big, Bad and Serious" He takes a sip of his beer "Now, am I, as a member of the Free Council, opposed to people speaking their minds? Hell no. But I really do try and form opinions based on known facts - wouldn't it be cool, if everyone else just did the same?" Fat chance. Being 'Wise' and 'Awakened' doesn't protect you from talking nonsense. Or saying things you later regret, cough cough.

"But hey, I'll bite. You are a master, after all, a former Councilor and a respected member of this Consilium. So clearly you have your shit together. I've been thinking myself about both the topics you mentioned, but I'm curious to hear what you have to say about my public image. And my fuckups" That last word is punctuated by a slightly wider smile. And a piece of chicken eaten. At least from what he's said so far, he sounds prepared to take Aurora's advice without any prejudice.

**Aurora** · Mar 26th, 2020 06:58 PM

A nod, “Ok, fair point. I would have no clue where to even begin to look for those.” It was true. And without a bit of luck on her side, she’d be taking a shot in the dark. “Imagination? I can see that, just don’t use it if I ask you to fix my car.” She jokes, “Kind of attached to it.” Well, she used to be. Now? Probably not as much. “And yes, I think it’s safe to say imagination is important to have for us. Especially the higher up you go, the more that is left open for imagination.” Especially with Life.

“West Sacramento huh?” a nod as she took a bite of the chicken, “Noted.” Probably wasn’t much out there anyways, but she’d look it up to refresh her memory. “Wait, someone or something is there that is taking care of the Seer’s?! So we stay out of the area and whatever it is, helps us?” she sounded unsure. “That seems, odd? Yeah, odd.” Very odd. “If the sanctum is anything like the one I went into, it’s not fun and you’d want to go in well prepared.” Very well prepared.

“I try and only voice my opinion when I know the facts. I used to be a Ladder, it’s basic 101 training. So I won’t say either way on what’s going on with you and everyone else. But people will always form their opinion about someone else based of facts and what they think are facts. And you are right, it would be cool if everyone did the same. Though I have yet to see it happen that way.” A shrug. “I just believe everyone should get a fair chance and a fair trial. We all make mistakes and screw up at some point, it’s just human nature.” She murdered three Seer’s.

There was mild surprise, “Trust me, I don’t have my shit together. But glad I’m able to make it look like I do.” Hey, bonus! “Your public image?” huh, interesting. “Well, if I’m basing it off what I’ve observed in meetings? Then I’d say there are a few who have a low opinion of you. From what I’ve heard? You’re someone who acts without thinking. Which is a danger to everyone around you. That you’ll try and talk your way out of any consequences because you think your way is the best way. Now personally? You’re opinionated, which isn’t always a bad thing. But sometimes it’s best to keep opinions to yourself for the sake of building and maintaining relationships.” She shrugs again, taking a drink from her beer, “But public image is always a mixture of what people see and what they think they see. Others thoughts can cloud those opinions, skewing fact and fiction.”

On The Same Wavelength?

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