Warlocks welcome!

[Crystal]

Crystal's apartment was on the 4th floor of a building in the nicer part of town. 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. Various books were scattered around the table and two places have been cleared to make room for a glass each and a bottle of water.
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.

Was it reckless to welcome any strange woman who claimed to be an Awakened into his home straight away? Maybe, but that never stopped him from inviting any faceless hookup from various apps. Crystal never had a serious run-in with Seers or Banishers and that showed. He didn't dress up particularly well or prepared anything special for Belle - the affairs of Sacramento's Mages was pretty informal as is and with him not being an official Councilor yet there was no need to make this into a dick measuring contest.

There was one thing he did do though: muttering a few words of power he imagined some thick walls going up in his mind. A safety measure he didn't need when Sleeper came around, but if Belle turned out to be a fellow Mastigos and up to no good he had at least something to keep her from outright mindfucking him.

Mental Shield 1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-08-12 03:23:56	Crystal rolls 7 to cast Mental Shield (Gnosis 2 + Mind 3 + HS 2) (10 Again)	3, 7, 4, 4, 8, 4, 3	1 success

Kaze was right: he needed to practice more. The Imago barely took form, but it'll have to do for now. He was in no danger anyway. Probably.

Belle BoxingUnicorn

[Belle]

A teal Honda Odyssey parks itself outside of Crystal's building. An unassuming, yet sturdy vehicle that offered few luxury amenities. What it did offer, in this moment, was privacy.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-08-12 03:49:12	Belle rolls 4 to Eye of the Mind (Wits + Empathy + Mind - Mind Shield Penalty) (10 Again)	4, 4, 6, 7	failure

What it didn't offer was noise cancelling headphones. Whispered words fail to conjure up the power to detect the minds of mortals, but there's an audible shrug from the driver's seat.

"What's a new hometown without a little risk?"

The young woman who steps out of the vehicle and into the building is just shy of 5 1/2 feet tall and dressed in a green tiger-stripe shirt and jeans. She has a purse slung over one shoulder, shoulder-length brunette hair, and a confident stride. Within moments, Crystal hears a knock on the door.

​"Hello?"

[Crystal]

The door was opened and Belle was greeted by a crooked smile and a raised eyebrow. "Why hello there. Belle? I'm Chris, come on in." Because he wasn't going to yell out his Shadow name where nosy neighbours could hear. Crystal led the newcomer to the table and sat down himself. He hasn't managed to change out of sweatpants and a white t-shirt yet - to be honest, he hasn't been awake for long and was still a bit groggy from the night before.

He poured his guest some water and leaned back afterwards, looking her up and down. Animal print, huh? "Welcome to Sacramento, I guess. Wanna tell me a bit about yourself? What's your story." He sure wasn't going to talk about sensitive stuff without making sure she actually was a fellow Awakened. Could he try to read her mind or her aura? Yeah, but Crystal believed in the old-fashioned values of talking to each other.

[Belle]

Belle flashes a bright smile to Crystal. "Yep! Thanks for having me." This was clearly one of those cases where the face behind the words was done no justice. Even in clearly causal clothes like herself, he was quite handsome. But she wasn't here to admire the scenery.

She enters, taking a brief look around the space before taking a seat at the table. She accepts the glass of water, taking a brief sip as he looks her over. "Well, I'm from up north until recently. Mostly been moving my way down the coast until I ran into some dude in a coffee shop. Called himself Campanella?" She looks at him to see if the name registers as familiar. "Anyway, I guess he saw something in me and mentioned that Sacramento was a nice place for someone like me to put down roots. Mentioned a thriving arts scene, good views, and a community of people who look beyond what others think is reality." She sips again, the smile still there but just a hint of weariness in it. "I've been looking for someplace to build up my education. Stop moving around for a bit." She looks up at him. ​"But what about you? What do you think of this place? The people here?"

[Crystal]

Still no obvious lingo used to eliminate the doubts this vigilant Councilor-to-be could have. On the other hand, she seemed to know Campanella to some extend - not only that, but knew him by his Shadow name. Ugh, he really should have went to bed earlier yesterday. Crystal took the calculated risk of coming clean first. Because fuck it, there was a difference between being careful and being absolutely paranoid.
"Oh great, Campy is good people. People around here also know me by the name Crystal, I'm a Mystagogue walking the Path of the Iron Gauntlet. But I suppose you kinda knew that already?" A smiled slyly. Why else would Campanella give out his number specifically otherwise?

"I've been here a few weeks short of a year myself and that'll probably tell you the most important fact about Sacramento. People come and go quite often. There aren't many of us attending the Consilium, and even less have been around for much longer than I have. Also means we lack those grand hierarchies and means of organisation. Don't know if that's your cup of tea, but on the bright side there aren't that many people you need to justify yourself to. If you don't fuck up, that is." Or say the wrong thing to the wrong people, but he would get to that.
"Mind telling me what made you move around so much?" Funny to think that almost a year ago he was the one giving all the explanations - but that also meant that he knew that there were many possible reasons to look for a fresh start.

[Belle]

Belle's face lights up just a bit at Crystal finally opening up. Apparently the password wasn't 'Open Sesame', but 'Campanella'. ​"Yeah, we're kinda twinsies there. Rocking the Pandemonium powers." It was like that magical moment when you found out you both went through the same terrible experience as a child. "And yeah, he seemed really nice. A little intimidating, but I guess that comes with the package." Can't help being a little scary when you're Awakened to the realm of Chaos and Daemons.

She takes in Crystal's description of Sacramento's Mage community. "So high turnover with a loose government and lots of new faces...sounds perfect." She'd never really aspired for Consilium positions back home, though she certainly valued the leadership and solidarity it brought. ​"But yeah, no, I'm not too hung up on the whole informal thing. Consilium's important, but so is having a dedicated peer network you can pull knowledge from. As for fucking up..." Here she raises an eyebrow "Not part of my agenda. I'm not here to cause trouble." But if trouble came to her, she'd just find a way of sending it somewhere else. Like the Rockies.

Crystal's question about her past causes her smile to dim just a little. "Treasure hunting mostly. I'd been working with the Mysterium back home, and it kind of runs in the family. But the family and I had a falling out, so I decided it was time to make a name for myself out of their shadow." There's isn't bitterness in Belle's voice, just a weary acceptance. Like describing the death of a friend long past. "Of course, no Sanctum means precious few places I can continue my studies, and there weren't too many communities I ran into that seemed a good fit." She'd briefly considered a stop in Las Vegas on the way to Sacramento, but Campanella had been quite mundanely convincing when he sent her Crystal's way. "I'm hoping here I can get some upward mobility in the Mysterium, keep building up my knowledge, and maybe help some people along the way."

[Crystal]

Crystal chuckled at Belle's enthusiasm about their lack of structure. "Well, let's just say it comes with it's perks and disadvantages. But I won't spoil your neutral first impressions by talking shit about anyone. I think you'll handle everything just fine." After all, she wasn't here to cause trouble. She really didn't seem like the confrontational type, but you never knew.

When she talked about her past Crystal's eyebrows went up. "Treasure hunting?" Just went to show how different any given Mystagogue tackled their Order duties. "Well, congratulations: we're double twinsies then. With Campanella's departure the Order is kinda lacking leadership as well, but I was planning to call in an Order meeting soon anyway. We'll get you introduced and can discuss how we're planning to go forward from there." He could see her getting along with Corn or Guru, given her focus on research.
"So Awakenings run in your family? That's remarkable. If you don't mind me asking: were you in any way pushed into your Awakening or is it just random happenstance that several people in your family found their way to a Watchtower?" The Mastigos either didn't notice or simply didn't react to the tone in Belle's voice. He tried to imagine what it would be like to share this with his parents and quickly discarded that thought. That was the last thing he needed.

[Belle]

Belle visibly warms up to Crystal's encouragement. Not that he wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know, but it was nice to hear all the same. "Sounds like I came at just the right time then. I'll certainly be eager to see how I can help." That and she was genuinely excited at properly joining the Order; something she hadn't got the chance to do back home.

And speaking of back home...Belle shrugs. "To an extent, I guess. My family was blended; my dad remarried and my step-siblings had Awakened at a young age. My dad was Awakened too, but I didn't know that until after I'd Awakened myself. If anybody pushed me into anything it was the damn family cat." She chuckles; she never did find out what happened to that cat. ​"The little furball was the catalyst for my Awakening. I never got to properly thank him..." Or kick him out a window, depending on how she was coping with the mysteries of the universe that day. "It kind of brought us all together. My step-siblings tutored me, and my dad would take me on some of his expeditions. Even my step-mom was in the loop, though she was just an informed Sleeper with a passion for adventure. We were kind of a team." Belle leaves it at that, letting the memories be happy ones for now.

[Crystal]

Oh yeah, Corn will either love this one or develop a fierce rivalry. Either way, that was at least something to bring a whiff of fresh air into the city. "Then stay tuned for the invitation. Then again, you can basically drop by the Circle any time - it's where all the Orders have their base of operation so to speak. I'd wager that you'll meet Corn - yeah, that's his real Shadow Name - there just about any day of the week doing some research. I'll just text you the address if you don't already have it." And if Belle didn't object he would do just that, lest he forgot later.

Her story was really interesting - although she didn't seem to think it was a big deal to have that many people around you awaken. But he didn't want to dig too deeply either. "Huh. Just a heads-up: I would keep that detail about your step-mom to yourself. We don't have a strong Guardian presence here, but I reckon some people would take offense in that. You know, with that being literally against the Lex." He pouted in thought for a moment. He probably should have prepared for this a bit better. "You do know about the Lex Magica, don't you?" Because if not, a vague run-down would have to suffice for now. "Oh, and one more thing: I've already mentioned that it's a bit less firmly organized. That means we don't have a Hierarch, but there is a Councillor for almost every path." He counted each name with a finger. "Phoenyx is the Obrimos Councilor and First Talon of the Arrows - Asian women, you can't miss her really. The Moros are represented by Eulogy, the only Silver Ladder Magus to my knowledge. He dresses old-timey dapper, you'll know it when you see it. Puck is representing the entirety of both the Free Council and the Acanthus. Look out for the carefree blonde model that isn't me and doesn't bring baked goods to every meeting." She probably couldn't work with all those vague descriptions, but at least she got some pointers. Now about the Thyrsus Councilor? Aurora had told him that she wanted to leave the city and while Guru was the only other Shaman in town he wasn't sure if he was up for politics, so he kept his mouth shut in that regard. He finished his lecture with a slight shrug. "And to be honest, that's already about half the population of Awakened here. Do you have any other questions?"

[Belle]

Belle's eyes flash with excitement as Crystal mentions a location. "Yes please!!!" For a Space Mage especially it was all about location, location, location. She chuckles a bit at the mention of Corn. "Hey, Shadow names don't have to be pretty or elegant. If anything the more mundane the better. And research? Does the Circle have a library?" If there was, Belle WOULD be there ASAP!

The mention of the Lex drew a bit of raised eyebrow against Crystal. "Yeah, I know about the Lex. And yes, it's against code to work with Sleepers, but not Proximi. That's what my step-mom was. Though that didn't stop some Guardians from being jerks." She takes another sip of water to clear her head. Crystal didn't deserve her ire, he was just being responsible. She softens just a bit. "But I appreciate you looking out for me there. And don't worry, I'll be keeping that topic under wraps."

Crystal lays out the leadership of the Sacramento Consilium, and Belle nods as each name is introduced. "So, dapper Dan Eulogy for the Moros; Slightly less-cute Puck for the Acanthi; and...how does Phoenix dress again?" Her smile is tempered by mild annoyance. She wasn't going to call him out on the verbal choice, but it was telling that only one of the Counsilors was listed by culture.

"And I'm sure the other half will be just as colorful as the first half. Maybe there's a 'Broccoli' or a 'Cabbage' somewhere in there." A joke to lighten the mood. Belle refused to fall into the Warlock stereotype of brooding loner. She was honestly looking forward to meeting new people here. "I guess the only big question I have is about training facilities. I'll need time to invest in my own Sanctum here, so would the Circle be the best place for spell practice and such? Or is there another dedicated space? Maybe a hidden room inside a clocktower?" If not, she was calling dibs on the first abandoned clocktower she could find. "Other than that, are there any big dangers I should be worried about. Any named big bads?" Beyond the usual ignorant Sleepers she knew there could be Seer agents, or possibly other rogue factions always looking to put a kink in Mage's day.