Liar Liar

[Briar Rose]

A laugh.

Then a sigh. "People leaving is shit!" she says, nodding, and just straight up chugging what was in her fancy pants wine glass, and reaching for more. Not caring about the novelty of pairing it. "But you still have your cabin? We can go out there, I'll get a canvass, and paint it, or something, we can all go up and do a dinner. Fuck, did you guys ever do a dinner?" did the Moros have any happy cabal memories around his cabin?

Looking about Tyche and Star, she looks over at Campanella, and hums.

"Soooooo.....am I gonna be the one who's asking how much Space your mysterious brunette, uh....friend? Date? Has?" she says continuing her look about, stopping on Star. "Not gonna lie. I am, curious now. Is it just like - " she makes a popping sound, "Portal? Or is it like hella fancy, like pairing wine with pizzaa fancy?" she blinks, "Or it the less fun, gotta take a train, plane or automobile visiting?" you never really knew unless you asked.

Returning to her pizza she tears a bite off, licking sauce off her thumb.

"I agree with - " she stops before saying mop head out loud. "Star." yup let's just go with that, "You're like, all of that, " B-Ro waves her half finished slice of pizza at the Pretty Guardian's direction, "You could go anywhere, and pick up whoever...for like whatever."

[Tyche]

Tyche looked at Star her mouth slightly agape in surprise.

Did he just call me a slut? Because it sounds like he called me a slut.

But the corners of her mouth soon curl into a smile, revealing the Acanthus was not offended. In. The. Slightest.

She grants the group a non-committal shrug.

"Free spirit's gotta... free spirit?" she offers, "but I haven't like, dated or 'dated' another Awakened in years. Keep it simple and keep it Sleeping. No sympathy, no fuss."

The Acanthus never said she wasn't active. She just said she was keeping it mundane.

Then a glance to Campanella and Briar Rose as the latter suggested a little getaway.

"I mean I'm down with a night away," she says, "If we can work it out. With duties and all that."

Guardians had to Guardian and they didn't have Sac-Town's resident bitter loner for a few months.

Then came Briar Rose's compliment, in the usual Rosey style.

"Sometimes I prefer the other way around," she offered, granting a slight eyebrow wiggle in response as she pulled another drink from the glass.

Yeah, yeah. Tyche was hot. She knew that.

[Star]

"Weird, huh? I mean, it's always been like that, when I was here." Sacramento. The great stopover. A Supernal Motel 6 before Awakened trickled off to the bright lights and big cities. "I remember Truce struggling to keep his crew together."

That magician made that first slice disappear. The second one? It's getting lingered over like a Langford Double.

"Just, uh, right into the deep end?" He blinks at B-Ro. Some people want the world to know what they can do. Ever been to one of those Consiliums? Colored sashes for Arcana, striped or thickened for proficiency? Masters standing with their left hands out with signet rings like a newly engaged or high school graduate with the first ring they've ever owned? Booming cries of 'Eureka!' every time someone created a new Rote? Give this guy a pair of khakis and tennis shoes over sashes and rings any day. Besides? His Intervallutrix isn't a shiny toy to trot out to satisfy curiosity or impress anyone. "Um. You'll just have to ask her yourself if you ever run into her?"

Of course, he could be lying. This could totally be the Awakened version of 'I totally have a girlfriend but you wouldn't know her because she lives in Canada'. He's grinning, too, like that's a very real possibility.

When his blue-green eyes finally flick back over to a spot over Tyche's left eyebrow, they're blank and guileless. Insinuation? Not his forte.

"Oh. Like. I thought you mean, just, you didn't. Much. Or it was super lame, like those people on OKCupid fronting profiles that read like Alanis Morissette. You know? I'm suuuuuuch a dichotomy. I play sports, but I don't watch them. Confident, but introspective. Erudite, but read Vanity Fair. Because I've got one hand on this keyboard and other one is playing pocket pool."

But all that? It's kind of like Arcana for this angel. Do what you do, but he doesn't need the deets.

"Speaking of? Business, that is. We," he nodded to Rose, "May have picked up a Soul Stone the other day." Yeah. Super casual. Soul Stone, just lying around. No bigs. "If anyone wants to peep what that looks like."

Mystagogue. Guardian. Yeah. There might be some interest.

[Campanella]

Campanella started chuckling and raised a hand to slow Briar Rose stream of thought.

"Stop. Stop. I sold it a few days ago. I honestly didn't think I had need of it once I moved my gear back here."

His hand went for his wine glass, but he did not drink.

"But. I am not without funds. I can always purchase another. I am sure I could find a suitably rustic aspect if you really want to spend an afternoon at the easel."

Now that had bought a twinkle to the art dealer's eye.

And then Star had his complete interest - perhaps scarily so. The Moros simply stopped and stared across the counter at the Illusionist.

"Soul Stone?"

And dammit! I'm going to end up crossing my own streams here XD

As for a getaway cabin - Campy has lots of money. So if we want he can easily buy a Cabin as a function of Resources if we want to have some rustic entertainment.

[Briar Rose]

"Oh poo." she says, a weird change over her more...colourful vernacular. "Sure. We can do that, but like. The point was memories. An' replacing them. With, y'know. Not lonely shitty ones." she tears at the crust, shoving one half into her maw, biting down and ripping. "So." she grunts around her mouthful, "Don't go waistin' your money on me."

A laugh, "After she cusses me out, sure." if she ever does, y'know. Meet this brunette. Which might, or might not happen. Girl wasn't an Acanthus.

Snort, but a nod. She could get behind that. Finding someone who wasn't intimidated by the gorgeous brunette at the bar, but that wasn't Briar Rose's style. One. She liked the fantasy and Two. She wasn't gorgeous.

Fucking hell. When Star brings up their misadventure. She shakes her head, downing more wine. "I'm never gonna get the stains outta that shirt." never mind the holes...girl did not know how to sew. Well, sew clothes.

[Tyche]

Tyche listened as more glimpses of history were offered. Cabals, it seemed, were a rare thing in Sac-town. Rarer still if they lasted. Noted. She liked a challenge.

"Nah," she quips at the statement of spilling money into a cabin getaway, "We can always like... rent a cabin if the time comes for a retreat or whatever. Don't go wasting your money."

Then the statement of the Soul Stone and Tyche stares at Star with a terrible mix of disbelief, surprise, and plain old tiredness. Sacramento had waaaay to many secrets. This shit was getting exhausting.

The Acanthus has been here for what? A month? Two? In that time, she's learned that the Consilium is protected by an immensely powerful artifact presumably created by hidden, powerful benefactors, that the Consilium is in the possession of some statue of unknown origin and, presumably, unknown power, and now Star and Rose have found a Soul Stone.

A Soul Stone.

Just willy nilly.

"Any guardians? Failsafes? Security?" Tyche asked, "Because if not that sounds like bait."

See? At least Guardian Tyche was still functioning. Even if her face just plain error 404'd with the reaction.

[Star]

"I know I may look all macho and rustic..."

No, he does not. At all. Now, that, he knows.

"...But I'd rather go to a Star Trek convention dressed as Jar Jar Binks than sit around in the woods."

Sure, the great outdoors was nice. Even a cabin in the wood was nice... for half an hour. A day of it? That's how you end up with a bunch of trees with holes in them from somebody seeing if any of them had syrup.

"Doing a river, though? Or bouldering? I'm in. Or, or, spelunking. Speaking of," he added, "You know there's all sorts of tunnels and caves around here, right?"

There's a snicker all around: for B-Ro's shirt, and Campanella and Tyche's reactions.

"Well, okay. 'Picked up' may have been understating it? It's not, like, we were at Rock Mama's and it was in the discount bin. We totally, you know. Went all Ripley and Newt on some Abyssal aliens for it."

[Campanella]

"Where... Where did you find this?" When Campanella spoke, the emphasis lay on this and on the Moros' tongue the word took on a sinister serpentine tone.

Grimacing he turned away from the Stone, looked over it and back at the Illusionist.

"Indeed? Tunnels? You refer to the famed Sacramento tunnels? Or is there something on this side of the river?"

Nope. No good. His eyes are dropping back to that fabulous Stone.

Campy is still grimacing, no doubt holding his tongue before he starts gushing like a newly initiated student.

[Briar Rose]

She points at Tyche, while looking at Campanella. No wasting the money. She didn't add a verbal component, as her mouth was busy with the wine. But she hums. Doubling up as an agreeing sound, and one of praise. Sure, any wine would do the trick, but there was something nice about nicer wine.

"Tunnels eh...?" hmmm, those offered up a few possibilities. History, secrets. Dimensions and discoveries.

Briar Rose gave out a huff, lamenting her lost shirt. It had been comfortable and wonderfully broken in.

"Was inside a house." she starts, "Had some really evocative murals on the walls. Couldn't place the signature of the artist. Don't think there was a proper one. Only a forger." which left a bad taste in her mouth. "Cultists and Abyssal bull."

She snorts, "Yeah, was bad ass. Got a few swipes in, drew blood. Watched one give a banshee a run for the shrieking business when it coming outta that one guy's skull. Which, how. I don't even...how." she says, not really asking questions, but still not, not asking questions.

[Tyche]

"Abyssals?" she asks, "Jesus."

Then she listens to the offered tidbits by Rose and starts to drink. And drink.

You get the idea. The wine is gone, washing down Tyche's throat while she just takes all this in.

Sometimes it felt good to be an Emissary. Sure it could be boring, but sometimes a lack of fieldwork wasn't that bad. Especially when you're dealing with beings from a realm you can't even begin to quantify or understand.

"Well!" she offers with a smack of the lips, "I'm glad you two are okay? Ish? Aside from the whole, y'know, witnessing things that should not be thing."

Then a pause.

"This part of the reason you want West Sac on lock?" Tyche asked, the question leveled at Star, "You think there's to it than just an abandoned stone?"