Books pick-up

[Corn]

"I knew it!" Corn said from the back seat of his own car, excited. He was holding open his laptop and he was skimming the files in the USB they have just got from the Mysterium Order in Oakland. They were on the way back from a trade.

The trade has been arranged by secure phone lines and in person meetings on open land about an hour's drive from Sacramento. Corn would give a nice package about the superstitions of Mesoamerican cultures and how they relate to the Lie and he would receive a USB stick with encrypted files on the Aether, Astrology and how it all combines together. Considering that Astrology could be considered Middle Eastern superstitions, and that Mesoamericans had their own tools for astronomy and explanation for the stars, it was not too far. The addition of how all these celestial bodies, scholar explanations and superstitions tie with the Aether would complete the picture in a way. A Win-win trade for all involved.
The Trade has gone off without any complications. They stopped at the appointed place, a sleepwalker was waiting for them, they could sense some magic probably from a mage that didn't want to show his face, they made the trade, they confirmed the contents of their respective USBs and they left.

Not even a minute on the way back, and Corn has left one of the Mystagogues with him take the wheel and jumped in the back of the car to start reading those sweet sweet files.

"I knew it!" he announced triumphantly to the others in the car. "There are proximi aligned with the Aether, after all. They don't all display the same powers and they are much more likely to awaken. But even if they don't, they do get some of the powers of the Aether through the proximity. And this is the tip of the iceberg here, lads. This is gold. Gold! This is not digging in a dozen books trying to make sense of what is the crazed imagination of a sleeper, what ties to low magic of the Fallen world and what indeed ties to the Supernal. These are highly distilized, proof-read articles, and some are as far back as the 17th century! Guru , that's the benefit of being in an order with a looooong tradition. "

Corn doesn't have any magic active on himself. He has given instructions to the person driving to avoid densely populated areas and use back streets - as the last thing Corn wants is for a mage to pick up their magic and investigate.

Belle Guru Shane BoxingUnicorn

Any other Mystagogue that wants to come in for the ride, is welcome.

[Belle]

Belle had filled a number of hats in her old Circle, but she hadn't yet added getaway driver to the list.

And honestly...she was digging it.

Not that they were in any great hurry; Corn wanted the group to avoid attracting attention after all. So she was in charge of making sure they stayed at the speed limit and let the cops pull over the next driver, which has already happened. Jerkwad had it coming! The Warlock was able to contain her road rage for today.

"Nice job securing this find, Corn! This should keep us busy for quite a while." She's internally just as excited as Corn at the prospect of this new knowledge, but she's also focusing on the road. "Does Sacramento have a history of Proximi being around and about? Or is this more about the Aether?" No reason they can't talk shop in a secure vehicle.

[Corn]

"About the number of Proximi in Sacramento, or in the world, I have absolutely no idea! We should ask the Silver Ladder, which is ... Eulogy only at the time, I think. I don't think proximi are common, probably less common than mages as I haven't met any proximus. Or I didn't know he or she was one. This is more about the Aether but the article I clicked on mentioned the Proximi families that are suspected to be tied with it.
It has a lot more things, too. Some theories about the Oracle behind the Tower there, etc. The more practical, in my opinion, is how it ties with the movement of the celestial bodies; not just the moon and the sun, but even distant galaxies like Andromeda. Yes, I know Andromeda is the closest galaxy to ours, but still.

So, anyone wants to stop for snacks or coffee? Guru ? Belle ?"

[Belle]

Belle shoots Corn a conspiratorial smile through the rearview mirror at him in the back seat. ​"My step-mom was a Proximi, though I didn't find out until I Awakened. It's honestly kind of cool: being able to live with a foot in two worlds without having to worry about the fundamental forces of reality crashing down on your head because you tried brushing your teeth with magic." There wasn't any real envy in the Warlock's tone, just stating a fact. She wouldn't give up her magic for the world, but there were definite risks to the situation.

"Celestial bodies have been studied for thousands of years by mundies and Mages alike. No surprise there'd be something cool about magic and the stars. But you're thinking this might be about those bodies affecting Awakenings or similar phenomena? If so, what's the possibility for those who can manipulate those bodies?" Put enough magic in one room (albeit a very big room) and maybe it would be enough to move the stars. Of course, that sounds more like a Seer plan than any sane Mystagogue.

"A pit stop sounds nice. No offense to your ride, Corn, but a gal's got to stretch her legs after driving for this long."

[Guru]

Guru tested Belle once or twice with his own lead foot, having to be reminded to ease off the gas only to go a soft groan and a coast down to speed. One hand on the wheel, his phone providing the soundtrack for the trip. He'd have taken his car but Corn had been right, his was definitely more spacious for passengers. He'd been happy to play wheelman for the drop, the advantage to volunteering for such is a little sneak peek at what might be in it.


"Living a double life is hard if you want to keep people close. To be that close to the truth, to know that you may never really know. Super Villain shit too..." He shrugged, his fingers tapping in time to the music on the wheel as he merged through traffic . "Proximity being a factor makes sense, it'd be one of the base assumptions I'd have tested first too. 17th century is no joke, I gotta get some of your equipment up to the 21st though. Right tool for the right job." The tone it came out in read like a mantra, or a manual.


He let out another sigh and let his foot off the gas preemptively, "I just don't get how they have an effect. Like saying your sign has something to do with the path you awaken. I'm going to need to read the data on that one and see the conclusions they drew, depending how old it is they might have had an unconscious bias. But, not really my realm of expertise now." A gaze shot to Belle and offered her a grin, making a move to get out at the next exit. "Might as well fill up too, proper pit stop then."

Sorry for the delay guys.

[Corn]

The revelations have been cascading. Here Corn was trying to see whether Proximi were an actual thing or just people enchanted by magi and then tried to be passed of as "something more than awakened" and Belle drops the bomb that she knew a Proximus. Personally.
By the time Corn has somewhat recovered from that intriguing revelation - and frankly, forced himself to chill before starting intruding very heavily on Belle's life plus pushing away even more privacy shattering thoughts a mad mage would have and not a respectable mystagogue that shouldn't take advantage of other's people families when he tries to keep them away from his...
Guru came up with a very, very interesting question.

"Man, this is an amazing project! " He told Guru, enthusiastically. "I see we have our very first, awesome question: Do the celestial bodies influence your awakening? Whether it is astrological sign or the proximity of the moon, it is a very interesting question. And we now have juuust the right tools for that. A library on celestial bodies and the Aether. I am very pleased and I hope I will have news for you soon on that, Guru. "

A pit stop it is... Corn addressed the others. "Do you think I should risk making an extradimensional secret compartment in my shoe and hide this USB stick? Or the magic may attract the kind of attention I really want to avoid? I am not leaving that USB in the car, I can tell you that. I should have thought to make a secret compartment up my sleeve or something, using mundane means. I guess this will have to do... " he said and put the USB stick in a hankerchief and then tied the hankerchief below his wrist before covering it up with his clothes.

Getting out at the pit stop the others chose, Corn looked around and concentrated to see whether he gets any active magic. Catching nothing, he simply smiled.
"Thanks guys. This is a really fun trip. Buy anything, my treat." He said.

I had in mind one of this tiny villages that have a gas shop and a cafe-and-burger thing near it. If you have a different idea, simply make up something different. Else we could go with "Mrs Martha's Pancakes & Coffee"

[Belle]

Belle takes Guru's need for speed in stride...for the first solid 20 minutes and just before the first stop sign. Since then she darts many a passive-agressive look at the Shaman whenever a stop light or intersection approaches. She was not looking forward to being pulled over by Sacramento's finest when they had sensitive cargo, no matter how small. ​"It's rough, yeah. But I think anything worthwhile comes with some risk." ​She nods in agreement to Guru's assessment for having good, up-to-date tools. "One of the advantages Athenaeums of old didn't have: proper research tech." As the subject of a pit stop comes to mind, she taps Guru on the shoulder as they reach yet another stop sign. "Hey! How about that place?" A cozy diner approaches sight, and Belle doesn't want their overeager driver to miss it.

As the Mystagogues park and Corn preps his secure stash, Belle shrugs. "I'd only go that far if you don't trust yourself to keep it secure manually. Less magic the better while we're out in the open. Though, if you think more of these road trips will happen in the future, maybe we should invest in a purse collection for easy carrying?" I'd be a good excuse to carry her or Aurora along, unless the guys minded the odd accessory. "Actually, let me know if this would be more of an 'in the car' thing, but I had a question for you two big shots from last get-together. Specifically about your money question, Jacob." She makes sure to switch gears to mundane names since they could be in earshot of some diner-goers.

I for one love the idea of stopping at some little Denny's-type place on the way back!

[Corn]

"Mrs Martha's Pancakes & Coffee" shop, next to the gas station, was a small suburban coffee-stop with low ceilings, a few tables and a bar that smelled of coffee and pancakes. Aside of a few teenagers that should have probably be in school and a local reading a newspaper, only one middle-aged waitress is there at the time.

Corn enters and takes a seat in an empty booth, grabbing a menu. As he checks the not-so-great selection, he answers to Belle
"I think we should put together a bag for expeditions. One that includes a flashlight or two. I have one that I plan to give to the book club. I think I will take the flavored coffee and pancakes with cherry syrup"

[Guru]

For his part the Shaman took the looks in stride, he knew she was doing her job and he was the one stepping out of bounds. A look up in the rear-view, a smile spread over his face as Corn said he might get an answer for that soon. "I'm certainly interested in what your findings on that might be." Though Guru held his skepticism in reserve for now, he didn't have the confidence in that area to even make an educated guess.


His head looked to where Belle had pointed after the tap, a nod, a quick change of lanes and he began their approach to the diner. "Yea, I gotta go with B on this one. Though that's not bad to set up for something in the future. A proper bug out bag then? Could have deep pockets, deep, secret pockets now." He said turning a knowing look to the two as he put his arm over the headrest behind Belle's head while he backed up into a spot.


Parking, glad Belle was the first one to shift gears making it easier for Guru as he killed the engine and began stepping out of the car. The first thing he did was stretch, his back twisted and he was turned to Belle, "Bigshot? Me? Nah. But as for the question, I can't answer that without knowing it. And while we're speaking of money, I appreciate it Jacob, thanks."


He followed the two of them into the cafe, making sure to position himself so he wouldn't accidentally be elbowing them as he ate. He gave a quick look over the menu, "I'll just have a water and the bacon and eggs combo."

[Belle]

Belle's adventuring interest was peaked at the thought of secret compartment bags. "Ooooh! I like it. Some Mary Poppins action would be nice for emergencies. Or even long trips." With her Space magic and hankering for Artifacts, she'd be just the gal to jury-rig something for the Mysterium.

Belle isn't shy about personal space in the diner, though if next to Corn she does her best not to jostle the arm with the hidden zip drive. "Coffee please, and the pancakes with two eggs over easy." Just like dad used to make. Once the coffee arrives Thank God for bottomless cups at these places she leans in to discuss with her compatriots. "I know you in particular discussed options for funding the computer division, Jacob. And as much smarts as we have between us, I think it's a worthwhile idea. As far as funding, I think we might have an option or two that could work. Ever heard of Etsy?" She pulls out her phone and uses the smartphone browser to locate a website for custom designed goods. "I think we could put our various talents to use getting some customized merch out there for sale. Stuff that would appeal to big-time collectors. And if shipping isn't our thing, then there's also just getting custom prints and images on sites like RedBubble. And we can get custom designs churned out a lot quicker than the competition." She's made some good use with her Prime illusion magic. Might as well find a way to get some worth out of it. "Sound too off the wall?" She looks between Corn and Guru to gauge their opinions while eagerly awaiting her brunch.