What's a third date?

[Crystal]

All right, he could do this. There was no need to be nervous. He had tried the recipe before and it turned out well. He would just repeat the steps and put some heart in it. Besides, why did he care so much? If failed he would just order some delivered food, it would probably suffice.

It's not like he wanted to impress Tiny or anything. Conveniently he left his invitation vague, so the risotto would just be a nice surprise if he could pull it off. He didn't even care that much about what he was wearing: a simple denim button-down and a unimpressive pair of pants would do tonight - that showed he didn't care, right?

He looked around again to see that everything was in order and was satisfied: his apartment was on the 4th floor in a building in the nicer part of Sacramento. Big windows on the southern and eastern side made sure that the one big main living room-plus-kitchen was bright and comfortable enough. The only three doors in there led outside, to a spacious bathroom and to his bedroom.


The open kitchen was modern and clean looking, black and chrome surfaces contrasting with pops of colour from his appliances (among them a bordeaux toaster, a light-blue water heater and an orange espresso-machine). He recently bought some new tools and machines, just to make a young wannabe-cook's life easier.
Beyond a counter was a big glass table with six black leather chairs around it, apparently the place where the Mastigos did his reading: a few books about sociology and the relativity of Time were strewn about, post-its and folded pages bookmarking interesting parts. Two places were set with plates and cutlery, wine glasses and a cooler with the sweet white he used when preparing this meal.
The other side of the room was dominated by the huge TV on the wall and a couch big enough to comfortably place six or seven guests. A few cabinets stood around - mostly empty apart from some books since he hadn't brought a lot of stuff with him, but they made the open room a bit less overwhelmingly empty.

All right, now he had to get to cooking: if everything went as planned then his guest would arrive just when the food was done and that would make for a nice welcome. Crystal didn't just want to make a risotto, he planned to sear some salmon too - one couldn't just feast on carbs alone after all.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-05-20 14:52:19	Crystal rolls 9 to cook (Int 3 + Crafts 2 + Equipment 1) (10 Again, WillPower)	1, 6, 2, 1, 9, 2, 3, 1, 8	2 successes

Maybe he was trying to do too much, maybe his expectations were set too high from the last time. While it tasted fine it wasn't quite the level of food he wanted to serve his guest tonight. Not that he cared too much about that.
It was more about the principle of not taking steps backwards.

Still, it was good enough not to throw it out - the Awakened gave up the control of the situation by just waiting for Matthew to arrive and pass his judgement.

DrDog Tiny

[Tiny]

Tiny is wearing his work clothes, suit, tie, clean pressed shirt. The fact that all of his clothes were infused with his spirit made them perhaps the most comfortable set he owned.
And he knew he looked good in them. So his brings his properly clothed self, along with a pinot noir, and heads into the building.

He has trepidation about tonight. As much fun as they were having, Chris still seemed so closed off and scared. Was he seeing the predator inside, and just keeping himself guarded? A common problem within the People, true, but one Tiny had hoped to avoid with this Nexus living mystery man.

Perhaps, the invitation to his home was a sign of opening, a sign of trust that he would be more honest and forthcoming here, in his den.
Or perhaps this was all a very overly complicated ambush, in which case Tiny was always prepared. But he would not let fear rule him. Allow no one to Witness or Tend to your weakness. Carved as deeply in his spirit as the other oaths he held so dearly.

Or perhaps they weren't fitting. Tiny ruminated as he climbed the steps. Not every couple, even of compatible people, ended together. Sometimes it was even the right people, but in the wrong phases of life. The line between elodoth and ithaeur was fine and subtle, but to spirits, it was as bright and clear as helios itself. The wolf shook his head, No, don't go in with a negative attitude, that will just poison the well. He focused on the doorway, and nocked. Head in the game, you're here to enjoy yourself and try some delicious food. Tiny could smell something wonderful in the hallway, and wondered if it was from Chris' place. He hoped so.

[Crystal]

Crystal heard the knock and went to answer the door. On his way he pressed play for something subtle for the background. Matthew's timing was impeccable - the food was just about done, ready to be served after resting for a bit.

He felt some excitement, there was no denying that. Fuck if he knew why. Then again, maybe he should stop trying to prove anyone that he was too coll for all of this. Maybe he should see where this evening would go and what to make of it. One step at a time, starting with actually opening the door and welcoming the lawyer with a hug and a kiss, should he allow that.

"Hey, you're just on time. Hope you're hungry." Although that might as well be a rhetorical question as their date at the Beerhall showed. He led Tiny inside and straight to the table, taking the bottle of pinot noir on the way. "Thanks! Hope you don't mind us sticking to white for now? Goes better with the fish. Make yourself comfortable." He realized that he hadn't asked whether Matthew was allergic to anything. Worse: he was chattering like a nervous wife. Fuck, what was wrong with him?
"Okay, let's go from the beginning:How are you? I've cooked some risotto and salmon for us - sounds like something you could get behind?" He forced himself to calm down a bit, connect to his guest and wait for his answer. One step at a time.

[Tiny]

Tiny returns the hug and kiss, listening to the line about Midnight Walkers and City Slickers as he looses himself in the sensation of affectino from the other man. A cynical voice whispers in his mind, Who is who?

"I came with a healthy appetite" though not a starving appetite. It wouldn't do to eat his host out of house and home. The Uratha appetite was legendary. "Certainly, the chef has stipulated white, then we should follow his instructions. I understand he's quite good, did you know?" He handing over the bottle with a smile. "There is little I won't eat. I even ate a bridge once. Well, helped at any rate." How do you tell someone seriously that you don't eat human or wolf flesh? It wasn't exactly something you could throw into an allergy list. At least, not without a lot of questions. And always, the oath hung like a cloud over him. Do not show weakness. "Anywhere you want me to put this?" He offers his suit jacket.

Tiny looks around the apartment, noting the books. It doesn't fit the man to read so much, yet there was clearly no library. Someone who read for practicality, not for the simple pleasure of it perhaps. The large space suggested a social man, one who hosted larger groups, and who had good taste and style to throw around.

"So what made you pick this dish? Its certainly a technique heavy recipe. Are you showing off?" Tiny asks with a smile, as he seats himself on the chair

[Crystal]

"Oh yeah, he's a real pro. I heard cooking's not the only thing he's good at." He did what he could, now he might as well talk big game. Curiously, Crystal realized that while he cared about what he presented tonight, he wasn't afraid of failing just now. The dish came out decent, for fuck's sake. Plus, it was the thought that counted.

Eyebrows got raised when Matthew talked about eating a bridge. He heard about selling bridges, but this was new. And the Mage still wasn't sure whether Tiny was speaking metaphorically or literal in some occult-weird way. "Do I even want to ask about that one?" He took the jacket and hung it on a hook next to the door. "Also, you're setting the bar real low for what you're willing to put into your mouth.. which is comforting, I guess?" He opted to go for some more light teasing, although there were some wheels turning inside the Warlock's head. Being not in public for once created some golden opportunities to share more openly - if that's something Crystal wanted.
Annoyingly, the jury was still out on that one.

He then went on to put some salmon and a good portion of risotto on two plates. There was plenty more rice to get some second (or third) helpings, if the generous amount of butter and parmesan used weren't enough to saturate the lawyer. "As for the 'why':" He considered for a moment. What the hell. "Yeah, I kinda hoped to impress you. Why, did it work?" A mischievous grin was playing around the Warlock's face as he put down the plates and poured some whine.

Finally he sat across from Tiny and toasted. "To all the unhealthy but tasty things in life!"
Once they started eating a thought struck Crystal and before he could think better of it he just voiced that thought. "So, how was your day?"

[Tiny]

"Oh? I hadn't heard, merely suspected; what else is he good at?" Tiny asks, deliberately looking around at the lack of anyone else. Perhaps now he could finally learn what made this man tick. Just who was Chris?

Tiny pauses to consider his question. "It depends on how much you want to know, and how much you already know. But i'll be happy to talk." To explain the hisil to someone who knew nothing would require some gross simplifications, but perhaps Chris already was familiar with it?

"I prefer to think of it that I find joy in more things than average. If my expectations are exceeded, I get the pleasure I was looking for."

He sits, toasting back, "To the healthy and delicious things in life!" He says in counterpoint, looking at the vegetable lacking dish, and digging in. He takes his time with the first bite, chewing slowly to feel the texture. Risotto was all about the silkiness and creaminess. And Chris it seemed had nailed it. He swallows, "Delicious. I am suitably impressed. Well done." He says with sincerity, eyes locked on Chris.

"My day went well, helped do some document preparation. What about you? Anything interesting happen to you?"

[Crystal]

Crystal pursed his lips. "Well.. apart from being an incredible lover and kisser, this chef delves deep into whatever it is that caught his interest at the moment. Some people would say he's a grade-a genius." Was he overselling a bit? Maybe, but at the same time he undersold the fact that there weren't many things that held his interest for long - you could say it evened out. "But seriously: part of belonging to my.. social group is learning about what makes this world tick." He wasn't sure yet how explicit he wanted to get, but if he wanted to become more comfortable with his Awakened soul he would have to accept it as part of his life.

Which also begged the question: how much did the Mage want to know? "Frankly I don't know a whole lot about you, or rather: why we met at that rooftop bar." Fuck it felt great to talk openly about this for once. "Theoretically I know that there are many weird things walking around, probably way more than any of us can think of. That's where the knowledge ends though. I am pretty sure that we're not moving in the same circle and that you're not some kind of living dead." Although he couldn't be as sure about the latter. What a fun conversation for dinner! Then again: maybe it was time to leave the superficial stock-questions for first dates.
"I want to know everything you are comfortable sharing." Which was true. He was a Mystagogue for a reason. It would also set a precedent - all things considered it was still possible that Tiny wasn't all that into Crystal, in which case neither of them had to risk getting into hot water for oversharing. Now wouldn't that be ironic: the first third date in years and Crystal being the one that caught the feels. Potentially.

Yeah, the only healthy thing on that plate would be the salmon, and even that was stretching it. Well, life was too short to count calories anyway.
He held eye contact with Matthew and actually felt a bit of warmth creeping up his cheeks. "Why thank you. I didn't expect cooking being that much fun." Fuck yeah!
Another surprise was how well the sweet wine went with the meal. "I think you might have made me see the light when it comes to sweet beverages. So let's just call it a joint achievement."

"Oh, are you working on a new case? By the way, do you employ any secretaries or assistants or are you on your own?" The risotto was really tasty, although it was very filling. Crystal even paced himself with the wine - things didn't have to get sloppy again. "I spent most of the day doing some research on the terms and conditions of the social club I'm in." This was pretty close to the truth - was there a better way to explain how he hit up his mentor to get some information about the Lex Magica? "There was a pretty messy club meeting a while ago and I'm thinking of applying for a more influential position." Of course, saying it out loud was either dooming it to fail or was going to give the Mastigos a kick in the butt to actually to it. Time would tell.

[Tiny]

Learning what makes the world tick. Tiny felt a little frustrated, and channeled that into masticating the really quite well done fish. "Very moist." He complimented, enjoying the subtle flavor and hint of citrus.

Tiny listened to Chris's first true opening shot, and found himself, well, disappointed. The man spoke in vagaries and said much, without saying much at all. For some reason, he felt himself closing off, but was determined not to let this moment slip away. He ignored those feelings, and pressed on. How much was he comfortable sharing? Perhaps some myth would be a good start.

"Well, to put it simply, there is another world. One similar to our own, but populated by spirits. If you are familiar with animism, it is similar. These creatures, spirits, kami, whatever you like to call them, are reflections of our world, and our world is a reflection of them. A rotting tree here is a tree spirit being consumed by a decay spirit there. If you are willing to travel to that world, you can interact with those spirits. Some like People, most don't. Those that don't and are violent about it we fight against. Sometimes that is a nest of gluttony spirits condemning a drug den and exacerbating the humans who live there. Sometimes that is destroying a bridge spirit that is eating car spirits. So what does a bridge taste like? Crunchy" He chomps onto his salmon, with a grin, and then finishes the rest of the risoto.

"I'm by myself. Gmail is better than my last two secretaries, and its hard to find someone to handle my unusual clients." Read crazy but rich or desperate and deserving.
He nods as Chris discusses his climb up the ranks, "Well done. When I was your age I was hiking the corporate ladder myself. My temper kept me down the totem pole though." He shrugs, drinking down more of the wine. "As I told you, sweet is good." He smiled deeply.

[Crystal]

Crystal was far too used to being well-liked to have gained any substantial skill in empathy - he was oblivious to any of Tiny's sour thoughts. In turn he was quite good hiding his surprise when his date just went all-out and talked openly about the Spirit Realm. At least he thought he kept a straight face. Mostly.

He was no Thyrsus, in fact he never bothered to really learn about the Spirit or Death Arcana - but he could connect the dots well enough to see some similar topics in Tiny's description and those purviews. Stopping what he was doing, the Mastigos just looked at the man sitting across the table. The wheels in his head were spinning: was Matthew an undercover Mage? Another kind of will-worker? Did Crystal have to check the room for any nosy Guardians listening in on their highly problematic conversation? The last thing he needed was to get thrown out of this city as well.

Old habits died hard, and when faced with this turn of events he couldn't help but take a hearty sip of wine. Was he really doing this, would he really open up himself and share some of the secrets Sleepers shouldn't know about? Then again, Matthew obviously wasn't a normal Sleeper - plus, he was a lawyer. Maybe could represent him when Winter decided to lay down some judgement.

How long has he just been looking at Matthew? It probably wasn't as long as it felt. Fuck, he needed to say something, anything! A big smile appeared on Crystal's face - his go-to when it came to diffusing a touchy situation. "That's.. wow. So are you some kind of Shaman?" This could confirm either one of the two running theories and the Mystagogue could go from there. Still, he hadn't talked about himself yet. His heart was beating hard and he felt a similar rush of adrenaline as back at the Nexus. Fuck it.
"Although I can't say this is news for me. I mean, I don't know-know about the Spirit Realm, but I've heard of it." What was he blabbering on about? The Awakened sighed. "I mean- okay, here's the deal. Reality as you think you know it? It's a Lie. This goes beyond what you think of when you talk about Spirits influencing everything - all the natural laws people think they have figured out are just some Supernatural propaganda to keep humans stupid and weak. At least that's the top running theory in my circles." Running it back in his head, Crystal realized that all of this probably didn't make much sense either.

"What I'm saying is: I am some kind of wizard. Not the Harry Potter kind, something grander. People like me can see behind the Lie, like literally see what makes the world tick. I-" He threw his empty hands up in a show of resignation. "It's not all fun and games though. This stuff is Dangerous, with a capital D. I got burned pretty badly and there are all these cautionary tales floating around about staying humble even though one can literally change reality." His voice grew higher pitched and he spoke a bit faster as he went on. He had constructed some walls, and everything welled up inside him just poured out of the first crack showing.
He didn't like that moment of weakness very much - for the moment he pressed his lips together until the need to share subsided for the moment. "Do you want some more rice?"

At least they had some more mundane topics to go to as a pallet cleanser. He was sure that were was more Supernal talk to come, though. "I hear you. All hail the technological-overlords! What kind of temper are we talking about? I mean, I've seen you passionate and voracious, but I can't imagine those attributes standing in your way."

[Tiny]

Tiny wonders as Chris continues to stare. It goes beyond just curiosity or attention and stretches into uncomfortable. Tiny stares back, wondering if the man will start throwing out fire and silver. That would certainly not go well with the rice, but he wasn't opposed to salmon char. And it would be a good way to vent some frustration by shredding this rather nice apartment.

There are a few more beats of silence, before Chris asks his question. Tiny has a good read on the man, and can almost hear the capital letter. He stays silent, and listens in exchange as Chris explains his perspective. To say it is unusual is an understatement. To say that everything is a lie, it rubs Tiny wrong. If everything was a lie, than they themselves were lies, and there was no truth. It rubbed the Judge wrong, but seeing from other perspectives was what he did, both for a living and to keep everyone alive, so he tries to see how it would be, to know that nothing was true.
"Terrifying." He whispers. "Not the changing reality, but that there isn't a reality to change. Reality is readily mutable, we both agree, but understanding how there is no Reality." He shakes his head, trying, and failing to understand, "It must be truly terrifying. How do you handle it?"
Because that was the second part of good empathy. Trying to understand others yes, and putting yourself in their shoes, but also not internalizing what their perspective is.

He considers that his host has disclosed what he is, though not yet who. And Tiny feels confident that he certainly is no Herd at this point.
"As for myself." He closes his eyes, and his upper half morphs and shifts. Hair sprouts all over his head, his face elongates and his shoulders hunch forward until two small paws hold on to the table. Fur covers his whole face as a lupine wolf appears. His eyes shift into a pale yellow and two pointy wolf ears grow out the top of his head. Dark black and white and a smattering of red fur appears on his face. If Chris is being extremely cognizant, he will note that Matthew doesn't change from the waist down.
tiny wolf.jpg
It takes but two seconds to occur. And then the wolves licks the plate clean, his long tongue doing a fantastic job of getting everything. And then just as quickly, he shifts back to himsefl.
"No, thank you. I'm stuffed." He smiles, paying attention to Chris' reaction.

"I, like most of my kind, keep a fairly tight leash on our tempers. But I did lose my law license in ohio for decking my client in court. In my defense, he deserved far worse." Tiny sips at his wine, letting the embarrassment wash over him, and recede.