Ariadne Glimpses

[Ariadne]

Alex walks into the clinic, clothes somewhat messy and arm wrapped in a towel. After the incident she had gone home and cleaned up. Smelling like smoke after a building burns to the ground? Not smart. So it took time, time long enough for the wound to no longer be fresh. She will have to lie about that as well.

So she walks into the clinic, a somewhat bloodied towel wrapped around the wound; though under a coat jacket for now. Approaching the receptionist’s desk she pulls the coat off the wounded side of her body. Ariadne explains to the receptionist what happened. A terrible accident involving a kitchen knife, her cat and an edge. She says it all just right and the receptionist nods and asks her to wait.

A short bit later she gets called back to a room. Shifting as she waits for a practitioner to enter. This all feels odd. As the practitioner enters Alex blushes and explains the story again. Again just right. The practitioner nods and explains something similar had happened to a friend of theirs once.

Alex gives a laugh that has passed for real from more people than she has ever cared to count. Yes accidents are unfortunate. Good thing it wasn’t severe isn’t it.

Some painkillers and needles later and Alex walks out of the clinic with a nicely taken care of cut. She almost pulls out her phone to call her mentor and explain what it felt like. But she stops. After looking at the phone she puts it back away and walks towards the closest crowded place she can think of. For a brief time she looks inward at what she has become, what it means, and her new place in the world.

[Ariadne]

Alexandria’s life as a human ended when the judge’s gavel struck his desk and she went from being a rising socialite married to a rising politician to a divorced woman with fifty dollars to her name. As her head fell to her hands the world spun away and she found herself somewhere completely different. When she opened her eyes again the court room was emptying and the women hugging Alex’s now ex-husband was giving her a glare.


As her head fell to her hands the world spun away and she found herself somewhere completely different. Alex opens her eyes and finds herself staring at a wall. An old wall, a wall of stone mortared with things best left unthought-of. Behind her goes an endless tunnel, in front the same. Ambient light fills the tunnel with eerie shadows, shadows that seem to move. Then from somewhere a feeling.

Finding herself belly down on equally odd stone. A slow twitch flows through her as she tries to move in response. And it is cold, bone numbing cold. Kicking at the floor behind her she starts to move forward. Then…

Pain

Biting into her arms, her body, her legs. Everywhere. A wary eye turns and looks at the ground again. This time it is covered in barbs and edges and sharp points. Anything that can cause pain. What clothes she is wearing do nothing to stop the floor from biting and tearing into her. This goes on as she wiggles her way forward. Not knowing why, begging the nothing to know why this was happening. Finally she pushes herself to her knees and then to stand. The ground becomes smooth stone again as she pushes herself that last bit to standing.

Several painful stumbles later she finds herself walking into a cavern. A giant hollow space seemingly underground. The walls to either side of her extend beyond sight, forming a giant perfectly hollow sphere. Ahead of her lies a narrow path of wrought iron, faces seem to leer out of the metal at Alex. An odd wind pulls at her tattered clothes as she waits at the edge. The first step brings a low moan of pain from somewhere. A second brings a scream. The tenth brings a wind that bites through Alex. Ripping what clothes she had on off. To her it feels like it is ripping her skin off as well. Not wanting to know she doesn’t look down and instead continues to walk. Each step bringing more and more of the wind but now voices join the pain. Calling to her, asking her to jump. Begging her to.

Stumbling to the edge she looks down and sees herself at work. Then herself with her parents. With her friends. Herself. Normal, some beauty. Happy. Sad. Her life flashes around in the depths of the sphere. The voices grow louder, finally her own, begging her to jump. To come back to it all.

Again the feeling. Looking away from the deep dark a tower of equally leering, equally dark wrought iron stands on a pillar of obsidian in the middle of the sphere. With a fleeting glance at the deep dark Alex turns and stumbles her way down the path. Finally she comes to the edge. The end of the walkable path. From there on it falls down into the deep dark. Whatever it is down there. Alexandria falls to her knees as she finds herself at the end. After all that pain nothing. An end.

She screams against it all, lost, alone, afraid. With who knows what is left of her body and this is it? The scream shifts into a yell of anger and with a soft pop Alex finds herself at the top of the tower. A soft look of surprise crosses her unblemished face. Her hand extends up tentatively into her sight. Whole, untouched. She sighs a low happy sigh and looks around. In front of her rests a mirror, in its reflection she sees herself standing wrapped in midnight blue robes. A smug smile spreads across her face as she watches in the mirror. Ha.

A flash of golden red light imprints that smiling face into the glass. She feels it burn into the side of the tower, joining an uncountable number of other symbols. Alex closes her eyes as the flash brings back memories of warmth and sand.

Opening them again she finds herself back in the court room. When she opened her eyes again the court room was emptying and the women hugging Alex’s now ex-husband was giving her a glare.

Alex returns the glare and feels herself pull on something. “Not now you.” Calls a voice from her shoulder as an iron coin pounces loudly and rudely in front of her. She turns to glare at the source of the voice but the coin comes to a stop and a demon face stares at her from the surface. Like one of the faces from the path. Alex looks at the man at her shoulder with a hint of fear. He smiles at her. “Called it, Zephyr owes me one hundred. Come now Ms. Summers we must talk.” He pulls on her arm lightly as her ex-husband and the women disappear from the room.

[Ariadne]

Clubbing clothes...clubbing clothes...what normally would take only a few moments instead took far too long. With only an indignant thought. I am not too old for this I am not too old for this.

Some time later Ariadne steps out of a cab and gives her attire one last look. It should work and if not...well that's what magic is for.

A drink in and Ariadne is working her way through the crowd. Dancing with some, talking with others and importantly watching how the crowd moves. How it grows and lessons with the music. The more intense the larger the crowd, mellow could go the same way but not always. Watching it all she compares to it speech.

Moving the crowd this way or that, like opinions being swayed. Crude equivalent? Maybe.

Ariadne smiles, laughs, and frowns on cue. Sometimes feeling what she shows and sometimes as a bold faced lie. It was necessary, like what she tells herself when work gets messy. It was always necessary even the things that leave her with nightmares. Someday all would be forgiven.

But for now Ariadne moves through the crowd, feeling as she dances, jumps, and slow dances about.

[Ariadne]

A quick aided internet search told Ariadne what was appropriate to wear. Conservatively leaning, modest, but appropriately so. Some weird mix that Ariadne doesn’t exactly understand but can mimic well enough to play along. Well enough by Guardian standards which is just short of appearing to be perfectionistic. Stepping in front of the mirror Ariadne combs her hair while chanting quietly in High Speech. Slowly building a spell of mental and physical protection hidden from others eyes. After she feels that wrap protectively around her she leans forward and watches herself flow through the mudra granting the prime sight. It ends with a flourishing tap of her finger on imaginary glasses.

At the meeting Ariadne sits quietly in the back along side other newcomers. There seems to be a section set for them. Close enough to feel the speakers voice but far enough away to be easily led out. Which works... Maybe

Sitting quietly Ariadne watches the way the speaker moves around the stage. How they use their arms to add emphasis or detract. When their voice rises or falls. What causes the audience to react. Why they react. It all makes sense in a way. On this large of a scale you have to have something to grab the audience with. Small groups and one on one conversations are one thing. Harder than this but effective. This however was something entirely else. Gradually Ariadne feels herself pulled in by the speaker's fire. As the speaker concludes however as the crowd roars with approval Ariadne only mimics their enthusiasm, one step closer to learning the next step. Her somewhat repaired Soul fills with the realizations of the cult of personality.

[Ariadne]

Alex looks at the address again as she walks. A coffee shop. Someone is going to explain to me why I went to Hell at a coffee shop. The coin weighs heavier in her pocket as she gets closer to the store. It had been so unreal...but real. Despite her misgivings she enters and easily finds the man who had introduced himself as Isaac.

Sitting down across from the man he slides over her favorite drink. "How "

"We've been watching, like I said we would. After your husband we weren't sure if we could trust you." Isaac replies.

Blue eyes narrow. "If I find out one of you was spying on me while I was in the shower...."

Isaac laughs and waves a hand dismissing the idea. "No no, some might but we are civilized. So tell me have you thought over what I told you?"

More blue shows but she isn't convinced just yet. "..yes and I am wondering why we are discussing this in a coffee shop."

The man called Isaac smiles at her question. "Because right now this place is safe. I am not alone in this city."

[Really? Did he really just do that?]

[Yes now shut up I'm trying to listen]

[Come on you know about this chick. Isaac has plans, her husband getting]

[Quiet]

Alex looks around the shop and sees nothing out of place, just customers drinking and eating. "Uh huh"

"You don't see anything?"

"Nope"

Isaac leans forward and quietly explains how mage..mage...ha!.. society works. Who are friends and more importantly are enemies. Enemies like the women who took Alex's husband.

"Uh huh, so how does this all work exactly?" Alex asks quietly, politics was one thing but this whole Magic thing.....

[Zephyr] Across the room a tall women puts her book away and leaves the coffee shop. Seemingly intent on being else where.

"I can teach you some..enough to be safe for now." He stands and looks at Alex, waiting.

"Ok..but this is all still..." She stands slowly, taking a sip of the coffee.

Isaac smiles sympathetically. "I know, it is like that for everyone." He starts to walk. "Follow me, there is a place I need to show you."

[You really plan to introduce this chick to the Labyrinth so quickly?]

[UGHHHHH will you shut upppppppp]

A mental sigh silences his two allies as Isaac leads Alex from the shop to a more discrete location. There she would meet her watchers and learn some basics.

And see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[Ha, thought of it, Ariadne, goddess of the labyrinth. Irony for the win!]

[How did you ever get past the Veils?!]

[O you know it] A young man winks at an elderly women who just glares at him.

Shortly after Alex and Isaac leave the two stand and the young man walks over to the elderly women. "Lets go grandma time to go home." The elderly women continues to glare at the man but grabs her things and leaves along side him.

[Ariadne]

Soft classical music plays in the background as Alex sits at the kitchen table. Leaning over a piece of wood she slowly carves out another line. This repetitive motion has been going on for some time now. The image of a maze slowly becomes evident in the seemingly random carved lines. Putting down the knife she sighs and flexes her hand. The image of what will be carved into the wood rests easily in her mind like the Imago of a spell. Unlike calling upon the supernal however wood carving is proving to be far harder than she had expected.

Maybe that is why her mentor suggested it for today? Something to bring calm and focus to her mind as she devotes all of her attention to the piece. It will never be something worthy of public display but to Ariadne it will be more than enough to remind her of the role she plays within the Wheel. All Thrones are False and All Souls are Flawed. Yet with work Souls can be refined and purified and Thrones can be watched and judged.

Flexing her hand again she picks up the knife and looks at the tip. Still sharp, good. Pushing it slightly into the wood she picks away another small piece of wood. Imagining the finished piece as an Imago over the wood she follows the pattern with her knife. Slowly carving out the work as she wills it.

All Souls maybe Flawed but with the right goal and the right will they can be restored.

[Ariadne]

Ariadne sits quietly letting her mind settle. As she reaches a calm but not point she rises and slowly moves through some stretching exercises. Gradually her body gains speed until sweat starts to bead on her forehead. Picking up the jump rope nearby she moves into that.

Several minutes later the jump rope is tossed aside as Alex moves to the yoga mat for some ab work. After the abs she stretches again before moving to pushups and weights. Rising from the mat Alex picks up the jump rope again and exercises through several more minutes.

Putting the jump rope down again she kneels on the yoga mat and closes her eyes. The blood pumping in her ears makes it hard but she gradually gets herself to calm down and relax. From there she works herself into meditation like she had been taught.

Some time later, she isn't exactly sure, Alex rises and walks towards the wall with the light switch. Holding out a hand tentatively she makes her way across the wall feeling for the light switch. She flinches as light floods back into the room. Looking around quickly through squinted eyes she walks to the bathroom for a shower. No one told her how gross she would feel meditating after a workout...

[Ariadne]

With a learing demon mask and a blue dress Ariadne leisurely makes her way around the room. A fund raising event for a rival news group. And a favor called in. A smile hangs below the mask. Gleaming at those she walks past.

A small wake hangs behind Ariadne. Others in more fashionable or naive masks parting for the demon women. Every now and then she stops by a group sharing a few words. By the time she leaves the idea is planted.

The news group has lost their edge. Their reporters are emblemishing stories. The Editor is having an affiar.

Nothing so blatant however. One does not become a Guardian by being overt. Sure she is taking this a tad further than she was asked but it would serve her purpose. Boosting her Allies by harming their opposition. One more flawed shield for the Veil. One more way to slow down leaks.

All it will take is the rest of the night and some convincing lieing. Her soul remains enclosed and her will on this realm. There would be no magic tonight, only what she had been trained to do.

[Ariadne]

It had taken most of the day but Ariadne had severed the Lies of Space to everything in her room. Her clothes are packed in boxes and already dropped off at the local clothing drive. Maybe a bit excessive for what they need but they'll make it work.

A note rests on the table of the sanctum.

Thank you

Is written neatly on it.

Beneath the note rest three letters, all sealed with names on them, all stripped of the Lies of Space.

Aquinas

Sir,

Thank you for your efforts in town. I fear that remaining in town will only slow things down. The newer arrivals have the fire that this town needs. I am returning to my home town. My the gods help us all in our efforts.

A

Ermon

I am sorry that I as well as our friend are leaving you alone in town. You have done well in finding a place and will do so in the future.

Best of luck with it all

A

Nous

I fear that remaining in town will impair progress that must occur. My tenure in town has come to a close.

The wheel never ceases, one day we will all meet again.

A

Pixel resting on one arm, her other hand holds the lead coin that has served its purpose so well over the years. Slowly Ariadne begins to chant the words of Power and Will.

Location is merely a figment of the Lie and Alex breathes the words that will weave into the Pattern.

A picture is all she has. It works. The lead coin is moved slowly between fingers on her free hand as Alex brings her Will down onto the fallen world.

Like the Mind, Space is a Lie and it's hers to control. A Nimbus of illusion uncurls around Alex as the spell culminates and the Lie is revealed. One moment she's standing in a quiet corner of Sacramento and the next she's back in a familiar room.

This time it is the one with the claymore who challenges her. "Ariadne of the Veil. I've come back to stay. Who do I need to present myself too?" She replies to the man in a business tone. Pixel stretches on Ariadne's arm and looks intently around the room.

"One last thing." Alex says as she opens the door. A hand waves towards the center of the room that she appeared in. Will lashing out and ripping apart the Lies of Space.