Tuppence for Your Thoughts

[Belle]

When Belle had first 'inherited' Kaze's Sanctum, it had felt hollow. And not just because she missed her budding new friendship; it just didn't feel like it was her place. So she'd been taking the time to remedy that.

Boxes from her recent move were gone and in their place were a number of simple shelves loaded with books on a number of subjects, some of whom may be recognizable as Kaze's personal library. A parting gift from the generous, big-hearted Obrimos. There were a few hanging posters of cutesy things like cats and birds, and a number of scented candles scattered the living room where the aviary of pigeons were kept. They were covered now, and clearly used to a loving hand to feed them, so the cooing was kept to a dull hum.

There's a knock on the door and Belle, dressed casually in shorts and a Disney t-shirt, rushed to answer it.

"Hey! Glad you could make it. Come on in." ​She's clearly happy to see her guest.
Crystal

[Crystal]

Did Crystal have mixed feelings visiting Belle in his buddy's old home? Maybe. Barely. Feelings were for wusses.

He parked his car nearby and walked the rest of the way to the gated community around Belle's condo. He wore Alexander McQueen - while it was spring it was embarrassingly enough from last year's collection. It might be what Crystal would try to sell as 'retro'.

When Belle opened and he saw her attire he felt a bit better. She wouldn't judge his dated outfit. That thought made him smile - that, and seeing her of course. "Hey! Thanks for having me." He followed her inside and looked around. Last time he had been was when they talked Cabal.. meh, that really sounded more ambitious back then than it turned out for now.

But that wasn't what he was here for today. "So, I see you've made this your own. Can I take this as proof that you're doing well?"

[Belle]

Crystal did indeed put a genuine smile on Belle's face. She's missed her Councilor. "Hey! Love the retro look, Chris. Got any budget options for sweet looks like that?" She motions Crystal in and heads to the kitchen. "Anything you'd like? My booze selection is steadily growing, so I can't promise any mixed drinks. But I've got beer, coffee, tea, water. Pick your poison."

Once the drinks have been poured (Belle gets herself a tall glass of water), Belle lounges at the edge of the living room and the kitchen against the wall. "I think I've been settling in just fine! Thanks." And her confidence is in no small part due to the man playing guest. "Haven't quite invested enough in this place's former glory, but it's home. I've been brushing up on some Arcanums to improve my defensive magics. And these guys..." She motions at the pigeon coops. "...have been keeping me busy. Oh! And I've been working on naming them! Just haven't settled on individuals yet. Right now they're the Couch Potato Squad." She seems really proud of her silly nickname. "But yeah, all's good on the home front." She walks over to Crystal and clinks her drink to his in a friendly gesture. ​"What's up in Chris-Land?"

[Crystal]

Ouch. So either Belle wasn't aware of how semi-current Crystal's outfit was or she was very aware and was mocking him. Her follow up question pegged her in the former camp - and without witnesses there was no fashion faux pas. "Gee, I don't really do budget. Have you looked at thrift stores?" He heard what he just said, then grimaced. "I mean, not to sound condescending or anything."

Fortunately Belle was a great host. And what better way to lubricate social situations than with alcohol? "I'll have a beer, thanks." Was he worried that she apologized for not having enough booze to host him? Eh, not really. It was actually almost touching.

He just kind of stood in the kitchen and looked around some more while she was talking. Crazy how even in not-huge apartments the change in owner could be seen in all those little details. He sipped his beer then focused back on Belle. "Defensive Magic? Like what exactly?" He has been taking some metaphorical laps around the block with his training wheels as well, but it was mostly getting back into the right headspace to use Mind-related spells. It was what came naturally for him after all.
The nickname earned a light chuckle. "I wouldn't have the slightest clue of how to take care of them. Are you training them or something? Then again, with that name it sounds like they're not the most active." He took a few steps towards the coop and watched the birds. Egh, he never really connected with animals.

"Eh, not much going on here. I'm spending my time here with various things. Nothing groundbreaking really. Was looking at some places around town to find something that gels with the vibe of our Cabal." But Eulogy and Guru had been quite busy lately, so his heart wasn't really in it. "I don't know. Taking it one day at a time, you know?"
That sounded depressing. Much more depressing than he actually felt about it. Ugh. "So, now that it's just us: you were talking about some magic item you found? What's that about?"

[Belle]

Belle was tempted for a microsecond (or whatever the shortest measurement of time is for someone who can perceive time differently) to be offended by Crystal's quip about thrift stores. But an earnest grin trumps her desire for petty vengeance this time. "Hey, it's not condescending if it's true. I'm not gonna make any assumptions, but I'm guessing that you've got something lined up that keeps you in a decent tax bracket. Actually, hold that thought..." She darts into the living room after handing Crystal his beer to grab a pencil and pad set on one a side table and starts sketching. "Just gonna do a quick research sketch so I can pick up on your style. Who knows? Maybe I'll try dressing as you for Halloween?" ​The Warlock's eyes light up in mischievous glee.

On the subject of her magic, Belle's clearly enthusiastic. "Wards and Bans mostly. My ring gives me some innate defenses against lesser spells, but I want to expand my repertoire to include some more versatile defenses. And with my Prime abilities I can rip spells apart before they reach their targets. I just need to understand their base Arcanum to do so." She continues sketching as she does this until she finishes her current thought, then flips the pad around to reveal a fairly decent sketch of Crystal's outfit, complete with shining lines around it like he was glowing. "Like it? Drawing has been a nice exercise for me to work on my illusion magic. As for them..." She motions towards the birds. "...I've mostly been trying out some low-level Life magics on them. Figuring out which ones are male or female and things like that. Maybe eventually I'll try picking up some magic to converse with them."

But the mention of the recently discovered Artifact causes Belle to shift gears entirely. "Yeah! One second..." ​She runs off into a bedroom, and there's briefly the sounds of drawers being shifted around. She comes back in with another notebook, which she flips through and opens to Crystal. Etched over the pages is a similarly detailed sketch of Roxie's Choker. "So, this thing is Roxie's Choker: it's got a nasty reputation for showing up in the possession of tragical lovers. It's got two bound spells: the first grants Sleepers the power of Mage Sight so they can perceive magic and appreciate their Mage partners, and the second grants the ability to speak with the dead." She looks to Crystal to make sure she hasn't lost him. "And the first spell is activated via kiss." She stands on her tiptoes playfully. "So be careful who you pucker up with if you're wearing it." ​She lands back on her heels with a grin. "Not that it'll trigger automatically. And it looks like you'd need a hell of a lot of free time to attune to its magical properties. So for the moment we just have an artsy choker with a bad rep."

[Crystal]

Crystal was far from being a narcissist, but the thought of Belle dressing up as him made the Warlock chuckle. "Careful there. Before we know it we'll end up in some Freaky Friday situation. Although," he looked Belle up and down, "I guess I could do much worse."

When Belle talked about her Supernal studies Crystal remembered something Aurora once said: the Shaman felt like she didn't really belong to the Mysterium. He could relate to her right now - it's not that he didn't like learning stuff, but he just didn't bring up the same kind of enthusiasm like Belle and Corn did. "Oh hey, that's cool. I focused on Prime too once - looks like we're not only walking the same Path, we're both Obrimos-rising." An astrology joke, though? Seemed like there was a Mystagogue in him after all.
Damn that girl could sketch! Crystal whistled through his teeth appreciatively and raised his beer in a toast. "Not bad at all." Then he took a few big sips of his beer, mostly to not think about whether he missed Kaze. "Don't know if he's told you, but Kaze used to practice his Life Magic on those pigeons too. Treat their illnesses and stuff."

Had he known her on a different level he would have suggested that she needed to get laid if all the energy she had was any indication. But hey, at least she was passionate about things. And his initial worry (that she stored an actual Artifact in her apartment just like that) got dispersed when he saw her come back with another notebook. "May I?" If she was fine with it he'd take the sketch to look it over while listening to Belle's account. "Where did you find that? It does sound.." Not powerful. Not useful either. At least as far as this Warlock was concerned. "Uh, magical." Her jab about how it was activated was ignored by Crystal - he didn't kiss and tell. "I take it this joined our magic grubs and papers in the Circle?"

[Belle]

Belle faux-punches Crystal in the shoulder. Damn! Those workouts with Phoenyx have been paying off. I think I almost had to hold back. "As long as I get to be Jamie Lee-Curtis. I'm not shaving my head." Was that a Lindsay Lohan thing? Or just a Britney Spears thing?

"You know, Corn likes to talk about astrology and how it might affect certain Awakenings. Normally I'd say it's bogus, but we're talking about magic stuff. Do you think there's merit there?" The talk of star signs puts Belle on a bit of a rabbit trail, but she's quickly put back on track by Crystal's compliments. "Thanks! I've been wanting to work on some more practical skills, but drawing has been a great stress reliever." ​He mentions Kaze and the pigeons and she gets a bit wistful. "Yeah, he did mention that. And as far as I can tell those birds are healthier than most people." She looks up to Crystal. "Hey, how's that been going? I mean Kaze leaving? It sounds like you two were pretty tight-knit."

She hands the notebook over to Crystal as she emphatically explains the properties like an NBA fan repping her favorite player. She clearly is invested in her Artifact knowledge. And she had confessed to Crystal about looking for romantic partners before, so his observation isn't that far off either. "Yep! Safe and sound in the Athenaeum. We won't be bothering with it for a while I think. Though Corn seemed to be pretty keen on it when it was first found. Maybe he'll find the time and energy to attune to it in the future? Me? I've got my own shiny to keep me happy." She flashes her own Artifact: her onyx Magic Shield ring.

[Crystal]

Crystal rubs his should with a fake scowl on his face. "Ouch okay, I surrender. You get to be me-as-Jamie-Lee-Curtis. Happy?" It occurred to Crystal - not for the first time - that Belle packed quite the temper. He would have said something, if he wasn't such a fan for minding his own business. Besides, he was no saint either.

When Belle talked about Corn's musings Crystal couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course he likes to talk about that." But he humored her and gave that idea some thought while drinking some more. "I guess it's a question of the chicken and the egg. If certain signs are more likely to display certain personality traits - you know, if this esoteric scam of the Sleepers is really true - this could relate to likelihood of Awakening on a certain Path. So maybe our Truth influenced that. Or this wild idea that pretty much everyone born at the same time shares the same personality rubbed off on some of the more superstitious Mages." He shrugged. "Short answer: I don't think there's truth in that. Nor do I believe in horoscopes."

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-03-28 07:23:49	Crystal rolls 7 to lie to Belle (Man 4 + Subter 3) (10 Again)	1, 9, 5, 3, 3, 2, 5	1 success

"How's what been going? I mean, we hung out a lot but then again I was only here for a few months before he took off." It wasn't as convincing as he'd liked it to be, but denial was his jam and he wasn't going to have her take him out of it.

The Warlock pursed his lips in thought. The last thing Corn wanted was to mix his Sleeper life with the Awakened one, and as a Moros the other ability was a freebie anyway. "Yeah, maybe he will. But hey, at least out little chamber of secret is getting filled up."
He gave Belle's ring an approving 'Ooh' - part of the fun of owning stuff was bragging with it, he got that. "So what's the story here? How did you get this beauty?"

[Belle]

Belle cracks the knuckle of her punching hand, more out of reflex from her playful blow than anything else. "Don't sweat it, Crystal. God forbid I dictate anyone's Halloween getup. You want to set up the Freaky Friday duo, just give me a heads up." ​It wasn't much of an olive branch, but Belle really wants to make sure Crystal doesn't hold a grudge. She shrugs at Crystal's response. ​"Fair. The tricky thing of living in a world where anything is possible is that nothing stays special for long. So we have to find new ways to keep stuff like stars and destiny fresh and new." And it was a task Belle certainly enjoyed.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-03-29 23:00:46	Belle rolls 5 to Detect Subterfuge (Wits + Empathy) (10 Again)	2, 3, 8, 3, 9	2 successes

Something about Crystal's response catches Belle's eye; maybe it was too fast, or the elder Warlock's smile too broad. He wasn't being honest with her. Or himself...
"I only knew him for a week or so, and I miss him. He had a good heart. You can't say that about many people, let alone Magi." ​It's what keeps us humble. She takes a sip of her drink. "Come on! You clearly trusted Kaze enough to consider joining a Cabal with him. That not something any of us do lightly, though I haven't had the chance yet." Another item for the bucket list. "I don't mind not knowing specifics, but just try not to hide it. Some of us might not fall for your voluptuous charms." She tries to soften the blow with a warm smile and a joke. She wasn't about to become her step-mother.

As for her ring. "It was gift from my dad a few years ago, after I'd advanced in my Prime training. We recovered it from a vault hidden in Hell's Canyon, South Dakota. You heard of it? It's a huge repository of dinosaur bones." She can't help but soften her expression a bit as she thinks back. "My dad gave it to me and said it was a reward for years of hard work. And it's one heck of a reward. One Sailor Moon pose later and I can shrug off minor spells with ease. The thing even supplies Mana in a pinch." She feels a bit hypocritical; talking about hiding feelings and playing close to the chest when she had her own complicated feelings about her dad and his constant adventuring. "It's a nice reminder of home." ​That much is very true.

[Crystal]

"Eh, I don't really do Halloween." Not the dressing up part at least - the parties he attended usually skimped on the clothing that night. "So it's all right. What would your alternatives be though? You seem like the kind of person who'd dress up as Sherlock Holmes or something."

He was unsure about her take on 'keeping destiny fresh'. Weren't they supposed to find the truth instead of the new hotness? He considered for a second, but ultimately decided he didn't care enough after all.


Seemed like he had to stop hanging out with Belle for a while Belle saw right through him. And she didn't consider his lie a sign to stop asking but an invitation to do exactly that. "Yeah, no. Appreciate the concern, overbearing as it might be, but that's really something I deal with on my own." Or didn't deal with. He wasn't the confrontative kind of guy, but he was all for keeping his own boundaries. Did that kill the mood? Fuck if he knew, but that thought made him roll his eyes slightly. "Ugh. Yeah sorry." Talk about lacking olive branches!

"A gift huh. I wonder if having your family be in the know makes things easier or harder." Ever since talking about the Artifact Crystal has tried to smooth out the waves of earlier, his voice carefully chipper-er. "You still in touch with them? Your family?" He was aware of the slight double standard, but he'd respect her not wanting to talk about it. Besides, the other question on his mind - really, a genuine Sailor Moon pose? - seemed way less substantial.