Corpses, Boxes and Rats

[Jacque]

He shook his head with another soft chuckle, "I was being facetious when I took that moniker. I had no idea they actually were referring to me." He waved off the thought, with a coy air of annoyance.

"Yes, Holden has my deepest suspicions but the absence of the others brings forward some questions. Not all is what it may seem," He listened to her limitations, or rather the limitations of Auspex, "That will suit our needs well enough. Whatever is uncovered I will have to bring out using my family's power."

"With that out of the way, I did want to talk to you about something else." The Lord relaxed in his chair with the talks becoming more personal, "I am doing some various research and I keep running into a wall. My lack of knowledge about abilities like Auspex keep me from reaching any definitive conclusions. I'd need a professional level of understanding to accomplish the goals of my research." His hand flicked gently in turn, "Learning Auspex is not my only recourse though, simply the most practical. With that in mind, I wanted to see how you felt about being the solution to my little dilemma."

[Quinn Durant]

Yup, she believed that about as much as she believed the jokes about the moon being made of cheese. She tilted her face to the side with a knowing grin. "Not a lie though..." she gently pointed out. The Seneschal didn't get near enough credit for his good looks and charm.

"Vincenzo was chomping at the bit to stick around too. Though he claims to want to see Pope destroyed. Has he come forward to you or her Grace to request the elders destruction officially, or even to be handed over?" She asked him with a raise of one eyebrow.

Quinn listened intently to the Lords reasoning, and pursed her lips slightly. She had after all agreed to teach Milton the first step of Auspex and she remembered his stumbling, but Jack was not Milton. He didn't have the emotional hang ups that Milton displayed. That was a novice level of the discipline, and what he was proposing was a lot more involved than that. She also noted how few Mehket their were, and how much having others with at least some knowledge could be useful to the domain as a whole.

"There is something I should mention. I didn't need to mention it to Whip Northbridge due to his novice level learning it would never come up, but with what you are proposing, it has the possibility of being so." She hesitated but only a second. "Learning high levels of Auspex teaches you to see the unseen and open yourself to those influences. It unfortunately can also leave you open to psychic attack and visions that you never asked for. You could touch a seeming innocent object and have your mind hijacked." She licked her lips slightly, and shifted in her seat. "I have experienced psychic intrusion before and it is not something to take lightly." It also wasn't something she usually had to discuss outside the clan. "There is a reason Mehket don't teach high levels outside of the clan. We have it built into our very blood and souls to weather these storms. You do not. I would be a poor ally if I didn't at least make you aware of the risks before jumping to the mutual rewards of such a venture..."

[Jacque]

The Lord shrugged at her inquiry, "No, that was not part of our arrangement. He was content enough that we did not intend to wake him, and then the official record was that the tomb was empty upon discovery."

The Lord nodded at her warning and her explanation, "I can't claim to truly understand what I'm in for, but I have been around long enough to understand the time it may take to adapt and incorporate those sensitivities into my Danse." The Lord considered the warning still for another moment, "It is a risk I'm willing to own, should we reach an agreement." Those...mutual rewards as she put it.

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn nodded, seeming to relax her natural suspicions for the time being. She remembered Conner had said the Lance wanted Pope destroyed. Probably not a bad plan, but not one that they had unilateral authority over. Her Grace would make that decision. She didn't envy that decision. You mollify one and piss off another. So it goes.

She nodded to his agreement to what Quinn considered one of the only real drawbacks to Auspex. He may not be so eager if he could experience it himself, but then many seemed to desire Auspex. "This is a first for me as well. I would normally never even consider such a request." She paused and looked thoughtful as she watched him. "I trust you, and I think you would use the knowledge carefully and with benefit to the domain, but I think I am going to have to have some time to think it over." It had been a Major boon for the novice level of Auspex. A Professional level was a lot more involved. Not just in recompense, but also in her personal time and attention.

On the other hand, for what Jack had already done for her, for his unconditional support he had shown her, and his loyalty she could agree to lesser level for now.

"While I will have to think of proper recompense for that high of a level of Auspex, I can agree to teaching you a novice level for your displays of loyalty and support you have offered me as I was working to obtain my position in court. I see your efforts, and know they have extended beyond what I can see and hear..." A coy grin at that last. So at least they had somewhere to start.

[Jacque]

"I certainly understand not wanting to knee-jerk to an agreement," his fingers carefully folded together over his abdomen. A corner of his lips pulled into a grin, "Or to take time to wordsmith a polite decline. There is an inherent danger to each of the family's power. It is important to every Priscus to consider those facts carefully."

He smiled at the offer of at least the first steps, "My pursuit of this knowledge is quite a deep, personal investment of my time and energy. Whereas I appreciate the temporary counter-offer, unless I know I'll be ultimately getting the benefit of the rest of the lessons I can't currently invest my resources in the novice learnings of auspex." He reaffirmed, "As I stated, I do have an alternative means to reach my goal. This one simply presented a few less hoops given our time together."


The one word she used seemed to nag at the Man and Beast alike. It was so insignificant of a thing most could let it slide, but the Lord's subconscious clung to the word with such fervor that he struggled to stifle his nature.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-05-16 12:30:17	Jacque rolls 6 to Resist getting irked over word 'loyalty' (res+comp) (10 Again)	7, 5, 10, 4, 10, 9, 1, 6	3 successes

"I am an ally, perhaps even a rare friend in this world we walk in." The Lord carefully worded. "I am glad my investment in you has resulted in your rise and success."

[Jacque]

After a few short moments the Lord added, "Once you decide on the rest, please feel free to reach out." He slid his business card with his personal numbers across the table.

With that business concluded he rose and opened the door for Quinn, ready to follow her to the rest of their evening.

Closing this up since we're now over time. Good scene!