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Corn's car (Mysterium secret business)

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  1. #1
    Corn's Avatar
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    Corn

    Nimbus: Light purple aura and a scent of freshly dug earth after a rain.
    Status (Academics) 1.
    Corn Scenes
     
      Duplication cost
      Analyze life
     Improvised out-of-path, 

    2
    PRE

    Corn and Crystal are on the hunt tonight! They are operating for matters beyond the understanding of Sleepers and their mission is not even known to the majority of the Sacramento Consilium. Will the city reveal its secrets tonight to the Mystagogues undertaking this journey for knowledge? Only time will tell.

    Corn stifled a yawn as he waited a red traffic light during the early hours of the night, scanning the buildings with his life mage sight for the kind of life resonance the Grubs would leave behind as the radio went again to advertisement breaks. It was certainly not exciting but it was legwork grunts like them should undertake, hours and hours they have to sacrifice in mind-bogging tasks to water the tree of knowledge with their sweat, or as the case would have it now, the tears of their boredom.
    "So... do you want to stop for coffee? I will soon have to replace the sights." he told to the Mastigos. "Perhaps I should have brought a tape." He said indicating the cassette player of his car - old, probably as old as him, but he liked it. Other people could have their CDs and USB-sticks, but there was something special about the ... weight of a tape. Made one feel part of a special club.

    2 successes


    2 successes
    For scene effects, see Minisheet. No monthly rituals at this time.
    Occult 4 because Mysterium is about the knowledge!

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  3. #2
    Corn's Avatar
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    Status (academic)
    Corn

    Nimbus: Light purple aura and a scent of freshly dug earth after a rain.
    Status (Academics) 1.
    Corn Scenes
     
      Duplication cost
      Analyze life
     Improvised out-of-path, 

    (WP spent on roll)Willpower 1 Spent
    2
    PRE

    Expenditures: 1 WP for life sight (that failed)
    Spells were casted in Sanctum with duration factors and to take advantage of hallow
    For scene effects, see Minisheet. No monthly rituals at this time.
    Occult 4 because Mysterium is about the knowledge!

  4. #3
    Crystal's Avatar
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    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    (Improvised non-ruling)Mana 1 Spent
    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    Probably the most impressive thing about Corn was his persistence when it came to studious shit.

    Well, impressive and annoying.

    Before Crystal knew just how exactly Corn convinced him he found himself in the Moros' car, driving around more or less aimlessly. Yeah, there was a certain charm to looking at Resonances, but if he wanted to watch pretty colors there were far less dangerous (and far more fun) ways to do it. Alas, he couldn't bring himself to say no to Corn's eager puppy eyes.
    Besides, it's not like he was busy.

    2 successes

    3 successes


    He didn't really prepare for this ride, so he willed his Mage Sight into existence more or less on the fly - the imago was the one he could bring up the easiest: once you saw the true nature of what's around you, unveiled by the Sight, you could call onto that memory pretty much on demand. His spells were pretty fresh (to be honest, he hadn't cast anything for the first 20 minutes of their ride), so he could go on for a little while longer. Since he had no idea what they were actually looking for he just watched whatever caught his eye. "Huh? Yeah, coffee sounds good. My treat." Corn was driving and gas was not free, after. Or maybe for a Moros it was, how the fuck would he know.

    "So you're one of those retro-enthusiasts? Or are you too poor to afford a proper radio?" Crystal sighed and looked at Corn. "Sorry, that came out harsher than I wanted it to. The question still stands, though."
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


  5. #4
    Corn's Avatar
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    Status (academic)
    Corn

    Nimbus: Light purple aura and a scent of freshly dug earth after a rain.
    Status (Academics) 1.
    Corn Scenes
     
      Duplication cost
      Analyze life
     Improvised out-of-path, 

    2
    PRE

    Caught in the (paradoxical and oxymoron) excitement of doing boring work for knowledge, Corn didn't seem bothered at all by Crystal's remark.
    "Hmmm? So, you think retro cassette players are cheap? They are not unless you buy 4th hand garbage that would eat your cassettes." He said with a smirk. "I am not too poor to afford what you would refer as 'proper' radio. However, I am too poor to afford an antique cassette player from the 70s that is working and can fit the car. So I bought 4th-hand garbage from the ancient car sitting in an old man's garage and fixed it. I think that car must not have moved for 20 years in the least. I would also buy the seats, dusty as they were but they were already sold.

    Speaking about fixing things and making things... I have found several modern ways to make pure silver as you probably know from my paper. There are ways - time consuming ones - to make extract the silver from coins and cheap jewelry and then purify it again and again till you get very pure silver. The slight catch there is that to assemble the furnaces and make the tools you either need a lot of equipment, that can be traced mind you, or you need to make it yourself. I have the knowledge to make the beaks, and furnaces etc but I am not sure if I have the right level of skill.
    " He said to the mastigos with his most charming smile.
    "I wonder if you could give me a ... boost when I purchase the materials and tools so that I could assemble the machines. I would be grateful and it would take just a few minutes from your time every few days. It is for the good of everyone after all and I am sure Bart and Madison would be happy too. Not everyone in the group has to write papers or drive around looking for strange things. You can help people make the strange things.
    I would also be willing to help you of course if you need something similar that my expertise can cover. What do you think?
    "
    For scene effects, see Minisheet. No monthly rituals at this time.
    Occult 4 because Mysterium is about the knowledge!

  6. #5
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    Crystal scoffs playfully. "Well, of course they can be expensive, but I never got the charm of lacking audio quality. Guess I'm not retro enough. What is it that you like about them?" Still, Corn seemed to be quite the handyman - good to know. The Warlock did his best not to look guilty when Corn mentioned his paper. No, he hadn't read it yet and no, he probably wasn't going to.

    It took him a moment to realize what the Moros was getting at. "Oh, you mean using magic?" He fell, silent then tapped on his knee with his fingers in a hectic rhythm. Messing with someone's mind was a recipe for disaster, at least as far as Crystal was concerned. Yet Corn talked about it as if he wanted some help moving, nothing more. Fuck, was the Moros just reckless or was Crystal too scared of using his talents? He would have to ask Kaze for advice some day.

    Or he could stop being a pussy and deal with his baggage himself. Which didn't really answer his colleague's question. "I mean would you feel comfortable with me poking around in your head?" His tapping hand stopped, he looked out of the window. "You seem to play it pretty fast and lose with Magic. Don't you worry about straining the Lie too much?"
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


  7. #6
    Corn's Avatar
    Presence
    Status (academic)
    Corn

    Nimbus: Light purple aura and a scent of freshly dug earth after a rain.
    Status (Academics) 1.
    Corn Scenes
     
      Duplication cost
      Analyze life
     Improvised out-of-path, 

    2
    PRE

    When the discussion was about the retro casettes Corn shrugged. "They remind me of simpler times. I am in the minority, I assure you, as 'simpler' is a misnomer. Cassettes were not as easy to use as CDs or USB sticks."

    As the discussion turned more esoteric, he answered the 2nd question with a surprise.
    "No, I wouldn't feel comfortable with you poking around in my head. Why would you need to do that to give me a boost in my ability to craft things? My Imago when I improve my physical skills doesn't have me delving in my muscles or knowledge, I just make contact with my inner self and imagine myself being better at driving for example with more smooth movement, faster reflexes and much more practical experience than I have. And then, I use my awakened soul to super-impose my imagination to the fallen world and gain those reflexes and practical experience.
    How do you you it?
    Regardless, I think you would find my mind a bit ... boring. I have not lived such an interesting life. There are a few things in there that I want to keep secret, namely my real name, but all in all, it's a privacy issue first and foremost when it comes to not feeling comfortable with people looking around in my mind.
    "

    About Crystal's next question Corn chuckled. "You sound like the San Francisco mages. No, I don't worry about straining the lie. Minor uses of magic go right under it without a threat from the abyss at all. I could be changing water to wine, or coffee, or beer, or cherry-flavored chocolate milk all day and the lie wouldn't intrude. I have not have caused any significant paradox backlashes in my whole life although I had to push against the abyss once a while to avoid paradox.
    Regardless, Containing paradox hurts. Not using magic, that part of my soul, hurts more.

    Back when I was found, the mages were telling scary stories. Hunters! The Abyss! The lie! Seers lying on ambush! Banishers...
    All these were real dangers, to a degree. And I didn't know better. So I kept my head low. By the time I started to relax a bit and become more comfortable with magic, I moved out of San Francisco and... I didn't have a consilium to back me up. Now if I see an Abyssal manifestation as we look for the Grubs Chris, I have you in the car and I can contact the Arrows. When I was practically alone in rural California? Nearest mages were 40 mins drive. So, again, I kept my head down because if a Seer, or hunter or whatever spotted me, it would be me and the enemy. With the enemy knowing about me while I didn't know about the enemy.


    And that's how paranoia starts. I was miserable. I was looking behind my back. A stranger crossing through town looking at me funny could have me on edge for a week. That's no way to live.
    I will tell you what I told another mage 3 years ago, when we had a similar discussion: I refuse to consider the gift of magic, the awakening of my soul as a curse. It is part of who I am. I have those powers.
    Do you know who consider such powers a curse? The Banishers. Which, thankfully, I have never met. It is a glorious gift what we've been given by the watchtowers. It is not for everyone, knowledge has a price, but it is not a curse. I am glad I have magic and I enjoy it. In my everyday life Chris, I am surrounded by Sleepers. The lie is strong. I don't get to flex my magic muscles as often as I want because of the Sleepers around me. So, when I am with our society, I will use it, employ it, enjoy it and make my life easier with it.
    Magic is fun.


    I have more to say on the subject, since it ties with the superstitions - namely, for all the crap that can be traced back to the Guardians or other societies hiding the truth behind smoke and mirrors, many superstitions are there because they reflect a glimpse of the truth.
    But... I will not as we have reached the cantina. If you want to learn more about superstitions and the truths they hide I will happily oblige once we return. "

    Corn parks the car near a small cozy cantina. It has a few not-very-comfortable tables for customers to have their coffee there and it also has coffee on the go. Corn allows Crystal to choose whether they will sit in the cantina or have the coffee in the car, or whether he wants to go somewhere fancier.
    For scene effects, see Minisheet. No monthly rituals at this time.
    Occult 4 because Mysterium is about the knowledge!

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  9. #7
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    Corn's view on Magic - Mind Magic, no less - pissed Crystal off. It was abundantly clear that the Moros did come from simpler times. However, Crystal's past was really none of Corn's business. However, since he was stuck on this stupid Order-related business he didn't want to go off on him. Instead, he pressed his lips together, making them all but disappear as his jaw clenched shut. It probably wasn't Corn's fault that he had only fuzzy and warm experience with the Abyss, but come on! How can anyone be so fucking careless, much less a fucking Moros?

    When he spoke, the strained expression didn't leave his face. He looked straight at the driver and whatever his mouth did looked more like he was baring his teeth than a smile. "Well, I for one am happy for you that it's all fun and games. I for one choose to err on the side of caution with these things, including - but not limited to - not fucking with strangers' minds too much. And yes, as far as I'm concerned we are little more than that and no amount of flowery language can change the way I feel about this."

    Maybe he was being too harsh, but he was not going to have some mr. perfect with his happy little family and sleepy little life tell him about what a Supernal wonderland it all was. If being too careful was the first step towards paranoia, Corn's attitude was the first step towards the Abyss. Magic is fun. Tell that to the poor asshole that offed himself because Crystal-
    Nah, fuck this.

    When the car stopped, Crystal just got out a 10$ bill and threw it on the dashboard. "Go get yourself something, I need some time cool off and I think my stomach can't handle any more acidity at the moment."
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


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  11. #8
    Corn's Avatar
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    Corn

    Nimbus: Light purple aura and a scent of freshly dug earth after a rain.
    Status (Academics) 1.
    Corn Scenes
     
      Duplication cost
      Analyze life
     Improvised out-of-path, 

    2
    PRE

    Corn looked at Crystal perplexed as he stopped and the other mage was agitated and annoyed.
    "What's wrong? Did I offend you somehow? I assure you, it was not my intention." the moros said completely unaware of why he angered the fellow Mystagogue. He was not angry himself, or offended. He was simply surprised that Crystal acted like that over ... he can't be sure about what.
    "I will leave you some time to cool off and if you want you can tell me what was the issue once I am back." he said with careful words. He didn't want to cause issues with anyone, let alone a fellow Mystagogue. He got out of the car without taking Crystal's money and moved to the Cantina. After a few minutes he returned and entered the car with two paper on-the-way cups, with a black lid to keep from spilling. He took one sip from his coffee and put it in the holder next to the driver's seat and presented the other to Crystal sheepishly, with a concilatory smile.
    "I got you some chamomilla tea for your stomach."
    For scene effects, see Minisheet. No monthly rituals at this time.
    Occult 4 because Mysterium is about the knowledge!

  12. #9
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    "It's alright." Although Crystal's tone showed that it was anything but. Yeah, some time to cool off was just what he needed. He didn't know that the whole Magic stuff was such a sore spot for him - and he didn't particularly care to resolve this here and then either. He pushed the feelings away, not really planning to deal with them later but rather trusting in the power of denial.

    By the time Corn returned he was mostly himself again. He smiled radiantly at the Moros and shook his head. "Nah, tea is not really my drink of choice - but thanks. Also, hard pass on the skill enhancing deal." In case it hasn't been clear. The outburst was not mentioned again.

    "So, wanna tell me again what we're looking for?" Big part of repressing was making the other one believe that the issue had been resolved - or hey, that it hadn't even happened.
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


  13. #10
    Corn's Avatar
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    Corn

    Nimbus: Light purple aura and a scent of freshly dug earth after a rain.
    Status (Academics) 1.
    Corn Scenes
     
      Duplication cost
      Analyze life
     Improvised out-of-path, 

    2
    PRE

    Corn rubbed his chin. "What we're looking for... that's not too easy to explain. We are looking for resonance similar to the one the Grubs had or similar life forms or similar mind, thinking etc in your case I guess. Or, for the kind of reality cracks these things could have slipped in through. We look to locate possible places those things could be and then run them by Aur... by Madison. More or less... we look for what could be useful to track and understand those things to the best of our limited ability. And since we know very little caution is the key word here. If you see anything that you think it could be related to the Grubs, make a note in a notebook or your phone.

    In fact, if you see anything that you think it could be interesting to investigate, that would lead to a better understanding of anything, not just the Grubs, it's a good idea to write it down. Those 'patrols' may not be the most interesting but we're starting from the beginning here. So we need to find the end of the string so we can follow it. I guess that's the best answer to your question: We're looking for the end of the string to follow it to the source."
    Admittedly it took Corn a few more words to express the quite simple concept but he was still distracted by the previous conversation and by the various life forms and resonance all around.
    For scene effects, see Minisheet. No monthly rituals at this time.
    Occult 4 because Mysterium is about the knowledge!

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