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[Philip Crosen]

Philip arrived, dressed in casual clothes. Blue jeans, gray-green running shoes, gray jacket, red shirt. It was just another day for him. Sure, he was curious but that was all it was. He just wanted to meet him, `Salem`, as he called himself, judging from the text he`d sent him. And from his text he also seemed to be a fellow Libertine, though he had been surprised before. Finally, some fresh air, with all of my stuck-up colleagues! Some free, unrestrained conversation and thought. No weird double-blinds, oaths, protocol or etiquette. For once, I can really relax on my home turf. he thought. He had high hopes for this newcomer.
Salem
Lionell

Hope I did everything correctly here, linked the players and characters I was supposed to link, and everything. My first time opening this type of scene, as while Ive already been here almost 11 months now and you`d think I`d know the ropes, I kinda still feel new here too and I`m still learning all sorts of useful BBcodes.

[Salem]

Salem looks around the area as he arrives, also dressed in casual clothes: dark blue jeans, black-white sneakers, cream-colored polo-style shirt. He stands at an average height of 5'8", hair is a messy tousle of dark locks and he has the start of a goatee growing in. He looks on the younger side, probably in his early twenties. He looks around the area, hoping to spot his fellow Libertine, though he isn't sure what they're supposed to look like. A name is all I've got.. he thinks to himself.

[Philip Crosen]

Spotting someone new, and not quite sure but hoping it was Salem from their texts, he walked up to him and greeted him with a smile in a casual, but still business-like manner. He would not make the same mistakes he made with Walker with a second chance at talking to a Libertine in quite a few months, assuming he was the same guy.
"Nice to meet you. And you are?"
he asked unsure. Then again, the guy likely already had them anyway, judging from the fact that he was the one that tried contacting him in the first place, if he was the same guy. He then tried sizing the newcomer up, trying to get a feel for his gestures, mood and body language. This was actually very unlike Philip, who then continued, moving over to questioning him, as one did.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-04-10 01:12:21	Philip Crosen rolls 2 to read person(Wits 3 -1 (untrained in empathy)) (10 Again)	2, 10, 10, 6	2 successes

"So, what takes you to Sacramento? And here, of all places?"
And he meant it, his greed for info and gossip knew no bounds after all, so he`d take whatever he could get.

[Salem]

Salem is looking around the area, taking in the grandeur of the place, when he sees, or perhaps senses, the movement of his fellow Libertine towards him. He turns to face Philip with a soft smile on his face. "Hello... Hi, I'm Salem," he starts, looking the Acanthus over for a moment. "Philip?" he asks, hopefully.

The Warlock appears to be relaxed at the moment, inquisitive of his surroundings and this person before him. He smiles slightly at the question. "I was offered a job in the area and an opportunity to work on my doctorate," he asks, chuckling slightly. "Why? Is Sacramento not a good place? Why are you here?"

[Philip Crosen]

"Salem was it?"
making sure he got the pronounciation correctly, before continuing.
"Yes, I`m Philip Crosen. So I take it you`re that fellow Libertine, the one I texted with? Anyway as I said, delighted to finally meet you."
he said, still somewhat cautiously but getting more optimistic by the minute, enough to offer him his hand to shake as a welcoming gesture, not acknowledgement, but a gesture of comraderie among Libertines. Even if that wasn`t a thing, he was making it a thing. He`d do everything he could to make this guy feel welcome, learning from his failure with Walker. His reading of the guy seemed to indicate he was relaxed and cool for the moment, after all, if somewhat curious, which was understandable but also positively surprising. But there was one thing that he kept asking himself, how Salem knew as much as he did about Philip. So after a beat, letting the pleasantries get over with, he asked him, curiously but also slightly concerned:
"So anyway, before I tell you more about me, I`m curious. How much do you know about me, exactly? Seeing as you contacted me. And how did you find out?"
He maintained his pleasant countenance, but turned into more of a deadpan expression he reserved for business discussions. Afte all, if it wasn`t via Free Council records, like say, a data breach with one of his clients, he could be having an annoying headache when he got back home.

After a longer beat he turned the conversation back to pleasantries and small talk, opening up again with a slight smile. So far, the conversation seemed to be going casually enough, for Philip, after all. There`d be a time for serious talk once the pleasantries were over, except that one question he had to have an answer to immediately. So he cordially continued:
"Anyway, I`m here because I work here. And I`m here- here, because of our texts."
he said, gesturing to the structure of the Circle around them, before continuing unabated.
"And yes, it`s great here. I can say from personal experience Sacramento is awesome-sauce, you`ll love it. So anyway, I work in consulting and in that position I work for the TELM Trust. Have you heard of it? Have for several years now. Anyway, I decided a little less than a year ago to make my presence known to my fellows here. But your things sound awesome, tell me more. Like what`re you writing about exactly or working on? And, got any big carreer shifts planned once you finish?"

[Salem]

The Warlock smiles and nods. "Yes, like the city, but not because it's me," he adds with a chuckle and a smile. "A pleasure to meet you, Philip. I am indeed a fellow Libertine. I've been a member for a couple of years now," he says, smiling at the Acanthus.

He takes the offered hand into his, giving a warm shake. It's not a truly common thing anymore these days but it's not something he's against and it does warm him up to the man before him. Perhaps this Philip could indeed become a good friend. He laughs slightly at the questions and nods. "Not that much. When I got the offer for CSU, I asked around with a couple of people I know and trust to see if there was any presence of our kind and one of them, shall we say, lucked into your phone number? I don't know if they already knew you or if it was just a touch of fate... I didn't even know your name into a few moments ago. I hope that doesn't sound too weird." he says with a bit of a laugh.

He grins at the city being called awesome-sauce and he nods. "I've heard of the TELM but don't know that much about them. I'm part of TCE, myself. You heard of them, I hope?" he asks, nodding to your question. "I am still trying to pick just one thing to write on," he says, with a chuckle. "Theoretical physics mostly. Specifically I'm working mostly on TOE and QFT. I don't know if it will change my career path. I'm already on a track for tenure. It might though, depending on what becomes of it.. and me I guess." he says with a chuckle.

[Philip Crosen]

Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief, nodding at the statement of how he obtained his info and what he knew. He`d have to accept it at face-value for the time being, and he hoped he could. Because it seemed it was just fate that they met, and there was no data breach he was aware of. Salem having accepted the handshake also put his mind at ease too.
What a breath of fresh air, compared with the other guys.
"Yes, I`ve heard of TCE and their goals. I am a Libertine after all. But more importantly, I love randomly researching stuff, so I`ve actually heard of all the acronyms you just used. And I know quite a bit about the details of the underlying subject matter, too. So, trying to sound smart by using them, eh? Or did you just expect me to be overwhelmed?"
he chuckled sarcastically but light-heartedly, almost seeming to be attempting to troll him.
"Not everyone is on track for a doctorate, let alone tenure, you know."
But he then became more serious and continued with a nod of admiration.
"But it sounds fascinating. You`re trying to integrate quantum field theory into the theory of everything in order to advance the human theoretical understanding of the universe, I take it? And all that, in order to make the world more magical through technology? That`s quite a task you`ve undertaken, so count me in for a detailed discussion about your work sometime."
he then became pensive. Being Acanthus, he knew quite a bit about Time, so what Path was he to discuss this? Obrimos, to deal with quantum gravity, perhaps? But he did say quantum field theory and not quantum gravity. So I dunno.
"Anyway, so I`m an Acanthus. What`s your Path? And how does it help you consolidate the theory of everything with quantum gravity or quantum field theory?"

[Salem]

He nods to Philip but his smile starts to fade after a second. "I didn't mean it like that at all.." He then hears the soft chuckle from the Enchanter and realizes he's being trolled. "Nah, dude. If anything, I guess I kinda assumed you'd know of them, or at least have heard of them. We do tend to research the weirdest things.." he says with a grin. I really could get to like this guy...

He gives a small shrug, perhaps a bit of embarrassment in the motion, but mostly pride. He's proud of his accomplishments, especially at his age. He nods at the explanation. "Yeah, pretty much yeah. More emphasis on the theory of everything and using more math than technology, but eventually that too. Everything is math, after all," he says with a soft laugh but he certainly sounds serious.

"Ah. Okay. I'm a Mastigos. Everything's connected fundamentally. We just have to find the right way of showing it to everyone."

[Philip Crosen]

"A Mastigos? Well, if you think in terms of masters and slaves, like the stereotype of your Path going around among some Acanthus, no offense. Then a word of advice. There are several masters in this Consilium, even a second-degree one. And while they`re nice enough, that second-degree one indirectly threatened to turn me into a fish during an altercation. They are not as much into playing with open cards like us libertines because most of them are Mystagogues. And one, I have no clue as to what he is. Do keep that in mind. With that said, here`s some more about me: I`m an Adept of Fate, Disciple of Time and Apprentice of Life at the moment. So tell me about your arcane capabilities. I`m curious."
he asked him, tilting his head with interest and giving him a beat to answer his questions, before going back into the theory of everything discussion he`d started earlier.
"Lots of math? That part is boring for me. I`m more interested in the metaphysical significance and the concepts and meaning behind the math, no offense. Perhaps you could explain that to me sometime, though?"
He knew about TCE, but he had his reservations, and he`d already decided to play with open cards with Salem. After all, this approach had worked wonders with Chambers previously.
"But I do have one question about TCE. I mean, I know the reason the TELM trust has for seemingly maintaining the status quo with the current Lie-protected worldwide financial system, by defeating the Seers from within it. But you`ll know that many attempts at explaining arcane concepts to Sleepers by mages in the past, have only resulted in damages to the Veil and might have contributed to why enlightened will has become harder and harder to make manifest in the world currently. So how do you plan to formulate your explanation in such a way that it doesn`t increase the strength of the Lie?"

[Salem]

Salem begins to lift an eyebrow, thinking, at first, that the Enchanter is making his own assumptions about Salem. In a way, he was, but the Warlock quickly realized it was more of a warning for those in the area he had yet to meet. "Not all of us Warlocks are of that persuasion. I tend to try to lay low and not rock the boat.. Unless it's within my own wheelhouse," he admits with a grin. He listens to the explanation of the Masters in the area and nods when Philip speaks of his own capabilities. "I'm a Disciple of Space and an Apprentice of both Mind and Forces." No overlap between the two Libertines. Yet. Could be quite advantageous.

He chuckles and nods. "Not a lot of people like the math part. I would very much like to discuss it with you sometime, when we have a bit more time and I can try to explain it in a more metaphysical sense. It's sometimes difficult for me to not think of it in terms of math but I will absolutely try. Math's kinda how I came into all of this..." he says, a bit enigmatically.

"That's one of the things I'm also trying to figure out. I haven't worked out all of the kinks and yeah, I've seen evidence that some folks in the past have tried and it seemed to just reinforce the lie. Could possibly have been caused by a bit of subterfuge by the Seers," Or Guardians, he adds mentally, "but I am trying to find the right angle. I'm sadly far from the completion of it."