Whenever life presssed on him, Animus felt the call of nature more strongly, the desire to surround himself with living things, the emptiness when alone. And now, between Ankh's sudden departure and the living nightmare that Granite Park had been, those feelings had become nearly overpowering. So when he had found time to meet Jordan, he decided on Tahoe park as the location, hoping that the surroundings might help balance out the subject matter under discussion.

The trip to the park was no challenge for Jordan; Sacramento was so much more civilized to drive in than Los Angeles...only Paris was worse. He emerged from his T-Bird, and started into the park. Ultimately, he saw Animus, and Jordan experienced that wierd feeling of wind beneath wings he didn't have. Approaching the Hierarch, Jordan greeted him in that calm, quiet voice.

"Good day, Hierarch. You found us a beautiful place to meet...so green and vibrant."

Instantly, waves of depression wash over Animus, deepening his already dour mood. He tries to force a smile, but it simply flls flat. "Places like this just make me feel more comfortable. I guess it's still not enough to hold back what the Abyss did to me, though."

Mournful eyes turn to look into Jordan's own. "So what did you need to talk about?" Guards-the-Pack moves closer to Animus, trying to cheer him up -- witth all the success of a candle attempting to ward away the chill of winter.

Jordan considered. "Let me try to get this in some kind of order... A Mysterium team found the homeless/not homeless person in the park. The person, who I call the Watcher, has been tracking ley lines in the city for years, and cleverly concealed results in knitting patterns. The Watcher committed suicide before our eyes. The circumstances aren't clear; we believe our memories have been tampered with. I don't know if I can handle another dying person...it shakes me up badly."

Memories flash through Animus' mind. Desperately scrambling away from a hostile spirit, his own life's blood spilling to the ground under him ... the flash of light as Blackfire reached to the obelisk, and was incinerated for his trouble ... Invictus' dismembered corpse, revealed as the Ananke disintegrated ... What dark force brought him back, compelled him to serve as he did? ... Calligan Wellmer, nearly bleeding out before his eyes ... the depths of the Bell building, Tug's life a blown out candle ... and the innocent who fell under his own claws. The Thyrsus shudders violently at the last. That building had been hell. Be glad you don't have that particular guilt, Jordan.

"No, it's never easy to deal with. Nor should it be."

After a heartbeat or two: "The Watcher's knitting turned out to be a map of Sacramento, with ley lines mapped as well as seven nexus points. To explain those points, I need to digress a moment. I completed the translation of the journal from the Kruegen sanctum. It was a spell annal; a kind of generational grimoire that followed mages and their apprentices attempting to Awaken Proximi...developing their own force of Awakened, we think. They try to do it by ley line fibrillation, and in the last few generations, they have used the presence of Soul Stones. We believe that the seven nexus points are...or were...dark Demesnes. Dr. Primoria is mapping the points to Sacramento to locate the places involved. One was the Church of Final Atonement, the Guardian headquarters. Dr. Primoria says that a Stone was recovered there. Another was the Kruegen sanctum. That's the report, Master Animus. And my question, was a Soul Stone recovered in the Kruegen raid?"

At the mention of soul stones, a wave of disgust flashes through him. Shards of a person's soul, torn away. Some costs weren't meant to be paid.

Finally, he shakes his head, more painful memories welling up. "The Banishers had a Demesne there, but they took the stone with them when they fled. We still don't even know their exact location. We've been too busy with Granite Park."

Jordan nodded wearily. The Hierarch looks no better than I feel. He's also carrying a burden, but not only of office, I think."That means that there are at least six Soul Stones at large. If they can be located and removed from their sanctums, it would set their experiments back. Ruby and a new Mystagogue have gone to speak with Epopt Pym."

Then he turned to face the Thyrsus. "I hope you will pardon me, Master Animus, but you look fully as beleagured as I feel. And perhaps you and I both need to move beyond the oppression. You, in particular, sir, have reason for hope. You have good people behind you, who trust in your vision and your judgement. It is a burden, but it is also a vote of confidence that should give you encouragement. We as a Consilium appreciate your burdens, and look to you for that balance we don't feel. I have great admiration for you, sir. You endure what must be endured, and you persevere. I wish to heaven that I had that kind of strength. But what little strength I offer is at the service of my Order and yourself."

I may have good people behind me, but so few of them can be counted as friends. And why do they seem to always be drifting away? Maybe there was cause for hope in their somewhere, but at the moment, he couldn't see it. But whatever came, he'd press on through it. What else could he do? "I guess I'll see you around, then." So saying, he heads off further into the park. Maybe without Jordan and the constant reminder of what might have happened in that other reality, he could manage to relax a bit with his familiar and enjoy himself.