Net Cafe, srsly

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Jabberwock

[Jabberwocky] And then, there was the rules:

1: Keep to posting order. Order starts with me, then you guys go alphabetically.
2: No time limit for posting on this one, cause it'll be more of a narrative scene, but I do ask that people try to keep up efficiency with response times and not play in any other scenes unless they know that they can do so without affecting their participation here.
3: If anyone has any questions, either pm me on aim or ask in the aim chat window. I may miss things that are said in the chat, though.
4: Relax and have fun. I promise no one will get hurt. ^_^

[Jabberwocky] It was a good day to visit the woods. A bit on the cloudy side, but for once the rain wasn't coming down like a modern-day biblical flood. The paths were mostly dry, though a few spots glistened with residual mud. One of the more pleasant byproducts of all the rain was the vibrant burst of growth that had occurred over the past couple of months, and now Tekakwitha was in full bloom. Wildflowers sprouted in crevices, rocks were overgrown with moss and lichen, and all around the verdant green of high summer set the backdrop for mother nature's canvas. Birds and squirrels could be heard, chirping and skittering about, as they finished collecting food for the day. Evening would turn to night in a couple of hours, and the sun's low position left a muted golden glow.

All in all, a perfect day to go hiking. Or meditating. Or just to hang out in the woods with a beer and a friend. Regardless of why the two Apprentices were here, they were about to fall victim to the persistent coincidence that seemed to draw Chicago's awakened populace to the same places at the same moments. Maybe today it really was just a coincidence, or maybe they were here for a reason. One never really knew, with these things.

The parking lot was quiet. Most of the families and hikers had gone home for the day. One of the paths, the one going east, seemed particularly inviting today. Hard to say why. It called like a song in the marrow of one's bones; like the pied piper playing his flute.

[Alex] Since his arrival in chicago less than a month ago the weather here had been HORRIBLE. It was always raining, had just rained or was about to rain. Sometimes all three. Today was different however and Alex thought he would take advantage of the uncommon dryness. He had yet to visit the woods just outside chicago since his arrival and so it his destination was decided.

He walked slowly through the carpark, the sound of his pointed toed boots muffled by the departure of the bus from which he had just exited. He wasn't much of a driver coming from New York, overly dependent on public transport. And then the bus was gone. Silence except the tap tap of his echoing footsteps. He stopped, a few scuff sounds as he pivoted scanning the exits. East. Yes, that looked rather promising.

He had no reason to choose any path over any other since he had never been here before but he knew better than to argue with his urges on his day off. He wasn't particularly well dressed for hiking, he didn't really intend to go too far but he had a small backpack with water and nibbles etc... Out of the top of it peaked his coat which he had discarded on the bus.

[Riley] Geeks supposedly follow a certain mold. They're either terribly skinny, or terribly overweight, their similar diets affected by the differences in their metabolisms. They're shut-ins who shun the light of the sun, who prefer to stay indoors, venturing out only to harangue the employees of comic or video or game stores. They wouldn't be caught dead out in nature, not unless they'd been dragged there, kicking and screaming.

Riley Poole is not your average geek. She's one of the growing trend of pop culture and technological aficionados that actually enjoys going outside, being active. Her partner does, too. It's one of the many reasons they work together so well, both as coworkers and as mages. She likes jogging through her neighborhood as time allows. She likes going out and camping on the weekends (whenever in the week that happens to be). Family activities she enjoys the most, but then she and her father are about as close as a widower can be with his daughter.

It helps that Matt's a personal trainer, that he instilled a healthy lifestyle in his daughter from a young age. It's why the tall woman is so skinny. There's a leanness to her frame, tone to her musculature. It's why she's out here tonight.

She's dressed in hiking boots, denim shorts, and a brown t-shirt ironically proclaiming her to be an INDOORSMAN. There's a kink in her ponytail, where her wavy hair had been twisted up into a clip for hours earlier. She's not taking care to be quiet. Riley doesn't expect to run into other hikers out here, not right now, anyway. Then again, she hasn't been here long, and isn't far from the parking lot where she left her Honda CRV.

[Riley] [percept + aware]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Alex] Decided upon his destination he began his introduction to the 'wilds' of chicago. It began with a slightly muddy pathway and the sudden sensation you get when its quiet but you know there is life all around you. It never happened in the cities, where he spent most of his life. You could be surrounded by people and feel nothing, at least before his awakening. Out here a few cicadas and a bird or two made for a bustling atmosphere.

He stuffed his hands into his front pockets and strolled down the path, his hair in its perpetual state of messyness, something the wind could neither fix nor worsen. He almost felt like he was the only person here until well.... he wasn't. Upon rounding a corner in the path he spotted a girl up ahead, now SHE looked much more appropriately dressed for such an outing.

As he got closer he wasn't sure if he should say hello or not, his footsteps had surely spoken of his awareness but still he found it rather odd saying hello to someone with their back to you.

[Alex] [perc+aware]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 2, 7 (Failure at target 6)

[Riley] [don't freak out: WP!]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 4, 5, 8, 8, 8, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Alex] ((need an invite back to wonderland!))

[Riley] Riley didn't expect to run into any other hikers along this path, but then being so close to its start, before the first fork, it's always possible to run into a family out enjoying the weather, or another hiking enthusiast.

As is her habit, she keeps her awareness stretched out, questing tendrils looking more for other awakened than anything out of the ordinary. Though, after her conversation with Emily earlier, she knows to keep a weather eye out for other dangers.

Like that creeping feeling of calculation, of a desire to commit a crime. Out here. Alone. In the woods.

Where no one can hear you scream. Where it would take weeks, months, years even to find the body.

Tension spikes up Riley's spine, stiffening her shoulders. By now, it's instinctive, her hand slipping into her messenger bag, feeling the reassuring hilt of a weapon. She turns her head first, catches sight of the figure out of the corner of her eye. Then the rest of her body follows, turning so that she's facing him squarely. Feet shoulder width apart. She smiles in what is probably supposed to be reassuring, what in another person could be Hey hey, look, I'm friendly and not afraid of you, you've got nothing to worry about. Except that this is Riley, who cannot lie to save her life. Literally.

"Heeeeey," she says, voice strained. "Nice day for a walk, eh?" Within her bag, her hand slips a little further, loosens a blade from a sheathe. For now, the weapon stays hidden.

[Jabberwocky] The world was both a miraculous and a terrible place. No one understood that the way that the Awakened did. Even the youngest among them were likely to encounter strange and terrible things on a regular basis. At this very moment, a demon was loose on this side of the gauntlet, hiding out somewhere in the city. Not too many weeks ago, Riley had fought for her life against satanic winged beasts. Who the hell knew what else might be happening while no one was looking; what horrible nightmares-come-to-life were wandering the streets.

Small wonder that the Virtual Adept reacted to the Euthanatos' presence with readiness and suspicion. She'd learned. Probably learned the hard way, too. But aside from each other, and the ubiquitous presence of forest life, it seemed as if they were the only ones out here. No other approaching steps could be heard. No voices. They were alone.

And underneath it all, like a gentle lull, that feeling of invitation stretched out before them.

[Alex] Alex raised an eyebrow at the introduction from the girl standing infront of him. He smiled of course, it would be rude not to when one is offered but the smile seemed odd... he couldn't quite put his finger on it, after all this was just a normal girl going out for a hike. Alex didn't LOOK scary or intimidating, the reaction didn't quite add up but perhaps he was just reading her wrong, after all he didn't have much time or desire for social interactions as of late.

"Hey there." His voice was calm and warm, comforting almost. He found it odd that he could still sound so utterly normal when his life was anything but that. "Yeah it is, one of the few opportunities of late to get up here."

He took a step closer, half hoping that she wouldn't take a step back. Surely he wasn't that terrible a person? Sure he sometimes hunted down disgusting cretins and continue the turning of the wheel as his mentor had taught him but that didn't make him a bad person right?? Right?! Not yet at least.

[Riley] When Riley Awakened, she was a full grown, well adjusted adult. She was, and still is for the most part, completely normal. She responds to most situations the same as any other full grown, well adjusted adult would, with one exception.

She's seen what happens next, seen it in movies. She knows what's going to happen next the same way she knew she shouldn't go down into that basement, and she knew she shouldn't go into the woods, and she fucking well knew that woman was going to be a zombie. Undead. Whatever.

Her movie going experiences are tempered with her real life experiences now, though. She knows what the feeling she got from the young man behind - now in front of - her meant, knows what e is without being able to pinpoint it. And she knows that ones magic is affected by how one casts it, by their paradigm and their state of mind. She knows that this young man is a killer, knows that he's going to kill her now if she gives him a reason to, knows that she can't not give him that reason because now she's scared and she can't hide that she's scared.

Riley wishes she wasn't so honest. She just can't help it.

He takes a step forward, and it takes every bit of her strength of will not to pivot, turn on her heel and bolt into the wilderness. It's common sense that keeps her rooted. If she runs into the woods, he could chase her. She could get lost. He could catch her or she could die on her own. Her only real chance of escape is back the way she came, back in the direction of the young man. Except...

Except...

She wants to continue down the path. She needs to stay calm.

"Yeah," she says, her voice a little quavery, a little thready and weak. "It's been raining a lot. Summer in the Midwest." And there's the nervous laugh. Damn it, Poole! She takes that step back, though it doesn't exactly look like she's preparing herself for a flight through the wilderness. "Looks like we're headed the same way." Invitation without words. Friends close [enemies closer]. A beat, and then, "I'm Riley."

[Morgan] [.....but it's not quite right (Per + Aware)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 3, 4, 6, 7 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Morgan] Morgan misses camping. That's what brought her out here, really - it's only been a year, less than, but she and her dad would have been camping for at least one weekend by now. It feels weird to not have been in a tent or the camper, somewhere - on the lake, at the Dells, whatever. There's a smell, some combination of bug spray, sunscreen, campfire and outside that smells like heaven, or so Morgan reckons it. That's what she's in search of, but what she finds as she gets out of the car is something different. There's a path that feels far too tempting (I am the Luxor, come, play!), and her initial impulse [Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?] is to go down one of the other paths.

But there's something else - electricity that tingles along her skin, setting the tiny hairs there on edge. Premeditation, cool and calculating.

Well then.

Needless to say, the eighteen year old Hermetic apprentice, tutored by a Tytalean, heads the way that seems too good to be true, that calls and pulls. There's someone else there, and she moves with a steady, ground eating stride to find out who, and maybe why.

[Alex] He tilts his head slightly to one side as she speaks to him, the smile still plastered on his face like some mask hes decided to wear for the evening, it is quickly wiped away however as she takes that inevitable step away from him. He pretends not to notice but can't help it as the smile turns slowly into a grin, he didn't know why but he found the reactions of sleepers much more amusing now that he actually knew they WERE sleepers.

"Looks that way." A pause, and then he does something unusually kind. "I just need to get something out of my bag."

He slips the backpack off his shoulder and places it on the ground directly infront of Riley, opening it up in clear view in a crouched position. Out comes the jacket which he slings over his shoulder for now before removing a water bottle and taking a few gulps. Look! No garottes, no chainsaws or scalpels or hidden shovels...

Of course there was the .45 in his jacket but she didn't need to know about that. Suddenly he frowned, looking into the bottom of his bag. Drat. He had thought he had taken that out. Surely she wouldn't be worried about that though, it was just a roll of duct tape after all. Everyone uses duct-tape not just serial killers!

He hurriedly put the jacket and the water back in his bag before shouldering it once more. "After you."

[Riley] If Riley hadn't picked up that resonance, that afterimage of magic used, she'd be a lot more relaxed. She'd probably be talking up a storm, being her usual charming, friendly, open and honest self.

Instead, the stranger says he needs to get something out of his bag. Riley sucks in an nearly audible breath. This is where the killer pulls out his weapon of choice. A gun, a knife, a grenade, whatever. There are no such things in the main pouch of his backpack, but that doesn't mean they aren't in the other pouches or pockets. Riley's an incredibly clever girl. Usually, that's just code for Incredibly Overactive Imagination.

Besides, he may not need a weapon carried with him. He could kill her with his bare hands. He could use a heavy branch. He could trip and cause a rock slide. He could have friends lurking in the shadows.

Riley's dark eyes are wide, and she takes another step back, away from the man. Her heart is racing so fast she's feeling light headed. Her fingertips are tingling. Her limbs feel funny. But Riley keeps her feet. She tries to keep her head.

After you.

Riley's hand stays inside her bag. The stranger can't see, but her knuckles are white against the hilt of her dagger. When - if - she pulls her hand away, there will be grooves in her fingers. There's a rustle behind him, and a red-haired teen bounds up behind the man. Riley is so relieved to see a friendly face she feels like she could float away on a breeze. Her eyes narrow slightly, and she tries to remember. "MmmmmmMorgan! Hello!" She stretches out her hand and beckons the girl over to her, urgently. Frantically.

[Morgan] They're not moving that quickly, or maybe just aren't that far ahead - regardless, when Morgan hears voices she slows down long enough to pinpoint how many, what gender. She doesn't expect to run into someone she knows this far from where she usually haunts, though goodness knows that by now, she should expect just about anything.

That male voice? Vaguely familiar.

She steps around a turn and there they are, just ahead of her - a woman, as tall as she is, and a man, a little bit taller with . . . it's the hair that's familiar, of course. And the voice. Of course she didn't look at any other parts; she is, in fact, as pure and clean as the driven snow. (That's what she tells herself, anyway, when boys are intimidated and men think she's to young, if she's thinking about that sort of thing at the given time.)

Regardless, she pulls up even with the pair easily enough, with the intent to pass - but of course it must be them that she felt. Because who else is out here on the paths at this time of night? Except, it's . . .

"Adam. Aaron. Alex? Yeah, Alex. Hi."

Riley gets a polite nod, and the smile of a pretty, popular girl who will, no doubt, be a pretty and popular young woman if she puts her mind to it - if other people can get past the intense directness of her gaze.

"Don't tell me you decided to take my advice already."

[Alex] He turns towards the voice and look who it is. A grin spreads across his face and he waves his hand to her. "Yep, Alex. Hey morgan." He could have tried to pretend he couldn't remember her name to keep it on an even playing field but we all know that's not very plausible. It's morgan after all! Pretty red headed thing with endless energy and smiles.

He laughs at her last comment, his laugh is thin, almost forced but with a hint of genuine mirth to it. "Yeah, something like that. Though I think I will leave the marathons to you."

He looks from Riley to Morgan and back again. "Do you two know each other?", looking pleadingly at morgan he says. "Want to come along? I just got here, I think I want to go check out what its like deeper into the forest." He turns the final part of the statement to Riley, a weak attempt at invitation to the obviously distraught girl.

Gulp.

[Riley] They know each other. That...actually doesn't set Riley's mind at ease. Knowing that the young woman she's met once in a park somewhere knows a man who feels like a calculating killer doesn't make her want to wander the woods with them. Morgan could be an accomplice.

Probably not, but one could never be too sure.

Morgan smiles but otherwise ignores her, her attention for a man she must find attractive in some way. It's probably the Pattinson hair. All the young girls are into the Pattinson hair these days. Worrying that a man is going to lead her out into the woods with the intent to kill and skin her and dump her body in a ditch doesn't leave much room in Riley's head for aesthetic inspection.

"We've met...once I think," she says, thinking it over again. After all, she remembered the girl's name, even if she couldn't place a time frame or an exact location for that meeting. Meeting. Maybe she saw her at the meetings at the chantry.

Alex wants to see what it's like deeper in the forest, and Riley, feeling the same, can't help but prefer to keep her potential murderers where she can see them. And stab them.

"That's where I was headed," she says, trying to sound normal. And failing. "We could all go together. Like a group hike...thing."

[Morgan] Meetings.
Park?
Somewhere with Ashley, probably.

Being the apprentice of who she is, she meets a lot of people. Many of them she only meets once. Since she isn't constantly reorganizing those files, as it were (she works as a file clerk, more or less, for a private investigator - folders and paper, oh my!), things get dropped by the wayside if it's too long between meetings. This doesn't mean she's ignoring Riley - it means, quite simply, that there's a fresher connection in her brain.

"Maybe once? Probably with Ashley. I'm sorry, it took me a minute . . . and I don't remember your name." She looks disappointed with herself over this, and that intensity is not at all lessened for it, but then, it dawns, bright, and the smile reappears. "No, I kinda do. It's the same as a character in something, isn't it? Something recent and Indiana Jones adven . . . Riley!"

There, pleasure, and it's infectious (can be, used to be). She's just that sort of girl.

"Let's all go then, yeah? Safety in numbers, or whatever."

She doesn't wait for an answer, though - just steps forward, and assumes they'll fall in. Now, she's wearing jeans fashionably worn and torn, and a ringer tee with red collar and sleeves, white body, and a Hermes-foot on the front with 'Track and Cross Country' emblazoned on the back. Her shoes are Adidas trainers, comfortable and practical.

[Jabberwocky] And then there were three. All of them Apprentices. None of them terribly familiar with each other. Curious thing, that. A Euthanatos might suspect that it was fate, but then, the only Euthanatos present had yet to become aware of the Awakened nature of his compatriots. Introductions were made, albeit... hesitantly. And should they desire to hang around and converse, nothing would stop them. The path beckoned, but it was a patient sort of temptation, and would still be there when they were once again ready to move on.

Which, eventually, they did. And the woods welcomed them into it's midst as if they belonged there. At first, it was only a feeling. Some gut instinct that wanted to traverse this path and see where it led. If the apprentices continued the way they were heading, that sensation wouldn't so much intensify as it would become... clearer. Like a cell phone signal as one drew nearer to a tower.

At some point, both Morgan and Riley would notice the faintest inkling of a resonance that wasn't their own or that of the other mages present. It was subtle here. As if they were traversing the edge of its influence. But the further along the path they went, the more noticeable it became. It sparkled like fairydust. Like the limitless imagination of a child. Creative. Morgan would be able to pick out the familiar workings of both prime and mind magic. Its trail led in the same direction they were already headed. Except... There. Suddenly, it broke away and diverted into the woods. That feeling of invitation went with it. Poor Alex, of course, would only know that suddenly he had an intense urge to go trekking through the undergrowth.

[Alex] And there she was! and there she went... a tornado of crimson charm leading the strange entourage. He allowed Riley to go ahead of him before bringing up the rear.

Here he was, doing some sort of group hiking thing with two people he barely knew, one of whom obviously thought he was some sort of leather-face character. He pondered that a moment. He really didn't see the appeal of wearing someones face, also cutting it off would be quite difficult and kind of gross.

The path wound around and around weaving through the woods as the surrounding vegetation became denser and denser. It felt good and everything seemed to be taking its correct course. That was.. until it wasn't.

The path suddenly didn't feel so good. He stopped in his tracks and surprised himself when he spoke out loud to the other two. "I want to go off road."

[Riley] Alex tried to hang back, to bring up the rear, but Riley was reluctant to let him out of her sight. And she certainly wasn't going to show him her back. Just because Morgan knew Ashley, who Riley was vaguely certain hadn't been there when they met, didn't mean Morgan's connections could be trusted. This may have led to a pause while the Euthanatos and the Virtual Adept tried to encourage the other to go first, no really, after you, I insist! The end result is that the two walk side by side, or as close to it as they can. Riley keeps Alex in her peripheral as much as she can, concedes to going ahead of him only when absolutely necessary.

Her hand eventually relaxes its grip on her dagger, moves out of her messenger bag to rest against the spot where the strap meets the pouch. Her fingers are reddish, and crooked strangely from where she gripped too hard.

Morgan leads the way. After a while, Riley feels that tug on her awareness, her senses. She turns her head more and more often in the direction that it comes from, head up, ears pricked like she can actually hear it. But of course she can't. She can just sense it, tugging her off in another direction.

The feeling suddenly leads off the path, Alex stops suddenly and says he wants to go in that direction. Riley turns away from him for the first time, looks back behind them at the way they've come. And she reaches into her bag again, not for a weapon. For her cell phone.

"Yeeeeah..."

[I'm not gettin' lost with you, killer! Corr!: coincidental diff 3 +1 (sphere) -1 (foci)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1 (Botch x 1 at target 3)

[Riley] ['dox!]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Riley] [soak!]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 10, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Morgan] By the time Riley and Alex decide to walk side by side, Morgan's already a bit ahead - her gait is purposeful [strong] and her posture is straight [proud]; there's a near arrogance one associates with the old sort of judges, long before the legal system became what it is now.

That is to say (or rather, the important part is to say), by the time Alex determines he wants to go off road, Morgan is already doing so - picking through bushes and brambles, curious. [knowledge through exploration]

"Hang tight a minute, yeah?" She's the youngest by five years, and it's she who's diving headlong into this - there's an impulsiveness, a need to learn, that drives her to reach out, murmuring something as she sketches a set of scales in the air with a certain wand.

(Hey, ho, anybody home? [Corr 1 + Mind 2, -1 focus, -1 resonance (discerning)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 5 (Failure at target 3)

[Morgan] [WP for Gaki]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 3, 6, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Alex] (Let me see the truth!!!percep+aware)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 4, 8 (Success x 2 at target 4)

[Jabberwocky] Come, called the forest. This way. And it could have been something sinister out there, calling to them. Reeling them in like fish on a baited hook. But if it was, it was very good at hiding its motives, because this... didn't feel sinister. (Well, aside from Alex, who was an entity all to himself.) It felt like they were following a trail to buried treasure. Or like some kind of magical glade full of fairy creatures might be waiting up ahead.

Morgan jumped into the lead, striding off ahead of the others. She paused a moment to attempt an effect that might locate the source of the siren call, but no luck. She couldn't feel it. Only that it lay ahead... somewhere.

At the back, beside Alex, Riley hesitated long enough to attempt to orient herself so that they wouldn't get lost. Unfortunately, she was even less successful than Morgan. When the Virtual Adept reached out with her senses, instead of feeling the spaces around her come into clear focus, the world began to spin. For about ten seconds, she'd feel as if she'd just gotten off of the teacups ride at Disney World, and then, when she was able to focus again, she'd find that things were a little... off. Her depth perception wasn't what it should have been. Obstacles got in her way, tripping her up as she bumped into trees that hadn't seemed so close a moment ago. It wasn't so debilitating that she wouldn't be able to walk with the group, but for the rest of the evening, she'd find herself rather more accident prone than usual.

Luckily, it wasn't long that they'd need to walk. The forest was growing dim as evening passed into night, but they'd still be able to see around them. At some point, Morgan, in the lead, stepped out into a clearing.

It was empty. Just a normal clearing. Except... it practically glowed with energy. Dreamy, sparkling wisps of resonance danced around the trees and diffused into the air. Even Alex would be able to detect it now, so close to the source.

[Alex] He watched with a slight grin on his face as Riley stumbled into branches and roots as they picked their way through the undergrowth. "Are you ok there?" He offered the words with just a touch of compassion. This all seemed rather silly.

He wasn't much of a hiker these days, let alone a jungle explorer or whatever they were attempting right now. But the path just wasn't for them. This is where they wanted to go and this is the way they needed to get there.

Oh and what WHAT a there it was! The glade was alive with energy, he could feel it all around him. He knew morgan would be sensing the same thing and instinctively looked for her reaction, as if to confirm what he was experiencing. Riley he ignored. She was probably walking face first into a tree or something for all he cared right now. This was NOT what he expected for a casual hike. Or group hike or whatever....

"Woah.."

[Riley] [short fuse: ow not again!]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Riley] Well that didn't help.

Riley pulled out her phone, not with the intent to make a phone call, or check an app, or use a GPS like a normal person. She pulled up a grid, focused on it, and

the world spun. For about ten seconds, she's scared she's going to lose her dinner. And it had been such a good chicken and Swiss, too. That needs to stay in her stomach and continue to digest.

When it passes, her vision is off. Things are closer or farther than she thinks they are. She takes a step and slams her shoulder into a tree. She lifts a booted foot too high to get over an exposed root. She looks like a lunatic.

The killer offers her a moment of what may or may not be genuine compassion, asking her if she's okay there. And then he leaves her. Just in time for her to trip over a root she thought she was safe to step over. She winds up falling behind, severely, slowing down so that she can stretch her hands out before her like a blind person, eyes squinted like that's going to help her at all. She places her feet as carefully as she can, but still she scuffs her toe there, steps too high over there.

Morgan and Alex are already in the clearing by the time she gets there, probably already investigating. Riley just stands at the entrance, and she frowns. At the edge of the clearing, she drops into a crouch, wrapping her arms around her legs and dropping her head to her knees. She came out here to relax, to let go of her anger and frustration, and now it's all coming back to her tenfold. She doesn't let it get to her, though. Deep breath, let it out slow.

Ignore the jerks who are ignoring her. They're jerks. And probably going to murder her, anyway.

[Morgan] Morgan is there, with her childhood so steeped in mythology and legend; she stands in the middle of the clearing and spins, eyes wide, taking in as much as she can both of that feeling [so come with me, my pipes I'll play . . .] and whatever might be around her (up, down, round and round, secret hidden, secret found), who might be causing this. She wants (no, needs) to know more.

Trees are touched (marked [felt]), and the edges of this strange resonance explored. Riley is ignored, it's true, but not purposefully - there are clues here, things to be uncovered. A case to be tried, perhaps, or at least solved. This takes precedence over everything, frankly; even Alex and his RPattz hair are ignored.

[OHAI U GUISE, GUISE, WHO'S THERE HAI GUISE (Per + Alert)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 6, 8, 8, 8 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Morgan] [Oh, hey. Mysterious things are mysterious, let's scan too! (Prime 1, Spirit 1)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 6 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[Jabberwocky] If there's anything there to notice, Morgan notices it. The details on each tree; every flicker of resonance... it's all there. At first, there isn't anything out of the ordinary to notice beyond what they can all see, but then...

Flickers in the shadows. Something glittered. Something moved. In the bushes across the clearing.

And then it washed over her: Prime. This whole clearing was steeped in it, but the biggest source by far was that thing that was moving beyond the bushes. As if it was made of the stuff. Not spirit, no. Not exactly that. This was raw quintessence given life. Shaped into some strange form.
to Morgan

[Morgan] Not a word - or rather, very few. "I'm following it."
[Silly Hermetic.]
She catches sight of something, just there - moving, strange - and she's off, following, wand still at hand, just in case. To defend, to attack, who knows? But my, oh my, this is intriguing.

The others? Poor Riley and her depth perception issues, and Alex-the-possible-serial-killer? They're left to follow, or not, though after the barest of seconds she says (with authority, as if she has place to give orders), "Help her, won't you? She's going to break her ankle or something."

[Riley] [do we let the scary killer man help us, Poole? do we?]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 7 (Failure at target 6)

[Jabberwocky] `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

It was not so much a voice as it was an echo of a voice, like the whisper of a ghost. Only, as the poem continued, the words became louder, until it seemed as if the source was right beside them. Then... a flutter. Rustling, like leather. And a great black shadow jumped out from behind the bushes on the far side of the clearing, soaring clear over Morgan's head and landing between her and the other Apprentices. Feet tread back and around as it swung away to gain a vantage point where it could see all three of them.

It was... a dragon? No. If it was, it was a very odd looking dragon. It settled in to sit on its hind legs, stretching out gossamer-thin wings that quivered and sparkled, like some kind of cross between a bat and a butterfly. Its head sat at the end of a long, curved neck. More flat-faced than a dragon, and lacking the sharp fangs. It blinked two large, opal eyes as it regarded the group, then reached up to scratch at one of the two goat-like horns on its head.

When it spoke, its mouth didn't open.

You came. Thank you. Please... do not be afraid. I do what I am commanded, but I do not wish you harm. I am alone. I am... lonely. Will you stay awhile? I am so... curious about you.

The creature rolled its head to one side, almost like a dog. When it smiled, it revealed gleaming white teeth. Not sharp but... rodent-like.

[Riley] [percept + alert!]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 4, 9, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Alex] [percep+alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 5, 10, 10 (Success x 2 at target 7)

[Jabberwocky] There is something wrong about this creature. By all accounts, it looks and sounds as if it has physical form, but the world around it does not react to its movements. When it jumped the bushes, they didn't sway, and when it landed, it didn't kick up any leaves.
to Alex, Morgan, Riley

[Alex] Alex looked astounded at the back of Morgan as she simply darted off like alice after some rabbit she had seen. 'But it had a pocket watch' is no excuse! There was also the order to help Riley, Riley.. who probably was holding a gun or something incase he got too close. Further more he actually felt compelled to help her. "Come on Riley, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep falling over like you have been."

The words were offered as he reached down to grab her hand."I promise I wont eat your liver or whatever it is you're worried about. Besides I dont have any chianti!"

It was a joke, quite possibly the worst joke he had ever said in his life and quite possibly with the worst timing because she did not at ALL seem like she was going to co-operate. He was about to attempt to force her to her feet when a voice sounded from behind him. He turned and saw the... thing.. whatever it was. It was some kind of goat-horse-turtle-dragon. He stepped out of the way of Riley so she could see whatever it was and offered her his hand to stand up.

"Riley.. its curious.....you should get up. Now."

The thing was odd and not just in its horseturtle goat thingy kind of way but it didn't seem as if it was quite all there.

[Morgan] [I KNOW ALL. I SEE/HEAR/SMELL/TASTE/FEEL ALL. (Heightened Senses, Life 1, Mind 1), -1 focus]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 10 (Success x 2 at target 4)

[Riley] The youngest member of their party orders the middle to help the eldest. And the eldest, crouched just inside the clearing, will have none of it.

When Alex offers her a hand up, Riley's irrational fear takes hold of her, and she turns her head away from him. If he persists, his hand gets swatted at. she's not swinging at him to hurt him, just to get him to stop. No. Leave me alone.

She knows she can't keep falling over like she has been, that at some point she's going to trip and fall and break her ankle, or land on her face, or something. She's going to hold them up and now...

Now, there is a voice. And she lifts her head to look around, and she sees when the creature leaps out of the bushes. She sees that there is no wind created by its passage, no thud! as it lands, no breeze created by its great wings. How...curious, as Alex said.

And Morgan is on the other side.

Still not accepting the young man's hand, Riley pulls herself to her feet. Once standing, though, she does reach out to him. Not for support. Riley grabs hold of his shoulder and keeps him back, keeps him from drifting toward the thing, or the pretty young redhead on the other side.

"Oh yea?" she asks, curious herself. She tries to keep an eye on Morgan, to see where the girl is and what she might be doing. Ready to command her, or step forward as a distraction herself. "If you're alone, who commands you?"

[Morgan Lake] Over there on the other side of the clearing, with a not-quite-real [but still more than real - surreal, perhaps] beast between her and the other two she came out here with, Morgan is awfully quiet after giving her order. In fact, she ducks down and does . . . well, something they can't see with her wand. She murmurs something. She studies and weighs and judges.

Basically, she discerns.

That done, she stands, and breathes, and it hurts for a moment. Everything is sharper, clearer. The slightest breeze cuts, sends chills through her. A mosquito bite makes her whimper. A branch falling a quarter mile away makes her flinch, jump. It takes a moment to focus, but yeah, it's a good question. Who commands you? There's someone. Or rather, if there's someone close, Morgen will find him or her.

[Jabberwocky] Each of the Apprentices had a different reaction to the creature in front of them, ranging by degrees of curiosity, wonder, and possibly a small bit of suspicion. It was important to note, though, that curiosity seemed to be the dominant consensus. Not fear. Not disbelief. An Awakened mind was bold, in these things. Even among the inexperienced (in fact, especially among them), the drive to learn and explore and understand the enigmatic and unbelievable was powerful indeed.

And here, sitting before them, was something that was most assuredly enigmatic and difficult to believe. Small wonder that the entire glade resonated with dynamic, creative energy. Whoever (or whatever) had created this, they possessed a uniquely powerful imagination. More particularly, the power to bring their imagination to life. Riley questioned the beast, asking after its supposed master, and the Jabberwocky (if that was what it was - though this one seemed significantly less inclined toward nightmarish terror) gave a gentle shake of its head, putting a clawed finger to its lips. Shhhhh.

Secret. I cannot say. But there is another secret, and I will show it to you, if you play the game. There are questions, you see. Riddles and answers. Truth and fiction. If you answer my questions, I can show you the secret. Will you play?

[Jabberwocky] Morgan does indeed discern the world around her with uncommon clarity. For the moment, though, there is nothing there to detect that is not expected. The sights, sounds and smells of the forest at night. And of course... the bizarre creation in front of them. If there is anything else present, it's doing a very good job at hiding. (Or maybe there simply isn't anything else to be found.)
to Morgan Lake

[Alexander Turnquist] Alex grimaced, a game. He wasn't very good at those. He took a bold step forward, slightly hindered by the dainty hand resting on his shoulder. This caused a slight turn of the head towards Riley, looking questioningly at her before he halted his progress and addressed the wock'.

"So you only do what your master commands you to do. And your master wants us to play a little game of riddles."

He frowned slightly.

"Is it more like a gollum type riddle deal where we get a magic ring or is it a Jigsaw type game where I have to cut off Rileys leg to get out of the forest?"

He looked pleadingly at Riley and whispered barely audible though Morgan was sure to hear it with her increased senses.

"I think we should play a long for now, Jabberwocks can be notoriously dangerous some times

He had no idea what a jabberwocky even was or if this thing was a jabberwock but it sounded like a smart thing to say given that it looked like it could eat Alex whole if it wanted to.

[Riley Poole] Riley doesn't know a lot about Through the Looking Glass. She's watched Alice in Wonderland, the Disney animated movie, a couple times, but that was far back in her youth. She's heard about the Jabberwocky, but that's just it. It's a name that she thinks is supposed to maybe possibly sorta kinda instill fear in children. And now here is something in front of her that may be one, with its rat-like teeth and its butterfly wings. Beautiful and horrible all at once.

The Virtual Adept usually unwittingly finds herself the voice of reason on these random expeditions. Even though she's afraid this young man is going to kill her in some horrible, horrible way, she knows he's going to try to go to Morgan. She's younger, prettier, livelier, and hasn't had her hand wrapped around an unseen weapon for the majority of the time Alex has been around. Honestly, if he threw Riley to the Jabberwock and ran off with Morgan, she wouldn't blame him. It would be completely understandable.

Once she's certain he's not going to get within the creature's range in a foolish attempt to impress a teenage girl, she drops her hand from his shoulder. They should play along for now, he says. They should play along for now. Riley's one of those apprentices who, despite her comparatively advanced age, has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Dark eyes widen when Alex asks about what sort of game this is. Riley looks at him, then back up at the creature.

"If we solve the riddles, will your master come out?"

[Morgan Lake] "His master isn't here, or is damned good at hiding," Morgan says a bit irritably, "and you're talking awfully loud. I want a sign of good faith, you . . . whoever. What's to say if we play we'll get what you say?"

Haughty Hermetic arms cross in front of a haughty Hermetic chest as hair gets tossed over her shoulder, and Morgan's never looked more like Ginny Weasely than in that exact moment - though the comparison would get a reaction similar to Riley's if Morgan had mentioned "National Treasure" in conjunction with her name. The girl doesn't have a short fuse, but one doesn't need one to have buttons that are easily pushed.

"I mean, they could be right. I doubt it, but they could be. So . . . you want to give away this secret, but you can't unless we play a game, and it sounds an awful lot like the witch fattening up Hansel and Gretel. I'm sure you can forgive us for being a bit wary."

[Jabberwocky] Alex asked (perhaps justly) whether or not this game they were being asked to play was going to put them in danger. The beast, apparently amused by this question, rolled back to balance partially on its tail like a kangaroo, and lifted its head in a deep, rumbling laugh. The sound echoed around them like thunder.

I do not wish violence. I wish only to know your minds. So new. So hungry. You fascinate me.

Then Riley stepped forward and asked if the creature's master would show itself if they played along, and once more the beast shook its head. Morgan, though... answered the question before the Jabberwocky could speak. It glanced at her and nodded in agreement.

Gone. Not here. All alone, am I.

And then... there was irritation. Suspicion. And curiously, like a child who'd just been scolded, the creature seemed to wilt. Its wings drooped. Its eyes - huge, glowing, opalescent things - took on a pained expression.

You're free to go, if you wish. I am no witch. I do not eat children. I guard, and I ask questions. Thieves, I chase away. But... you are not thieves. You are guests, see? I found a loophole. It flicked its tail. The leaves were not disturbed. I ask again. Will you play?

[Alexander Turnquist] The wock' looked a bit sad, it shrinked away from then before explaining the situation more thoroughly. Once more alex whispered to Riley (and morgan).

"I think its just a bit lonely.."

His mind was yelling at him I wanna play! I wanna play! do it! Do it!. It was hard to ignore that sort of internal pressure. Something had to give and in this situation it was Alex's caution. There was a second or two of silence as they all simply stared at the creature before Alex suddenly threw his hands up in the air and acted as if it was no big deal.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm in."

He tried to sneak a peek over the jabberwocky's shoulder to see if the redhead was watching how brave he was. Look at me I'm not scared of the jabberwocky!

Somewhere deep inside him, pushed far far down, caution was saying how stupid Alex was. How he always did dumb shit for girls and got himself into trouble and had to shoot someone in the head and feed their body to pigs for no real good reason other than boobies.

[Riley Poole] Standing still is easy. Standing still, Riley doesn't have to worry about her lack of depth perception. It keeps her from swaying or toppling over outright. Which, in turn, keeps her from needing to use Alex's shoulder for support. She's still afraid of him, still sure that once the creature before them is gone the young man is going to shoot her in the head. But just because he was going to murder her later didn't mean they weren't something like kindred spirits.

He had, after all, asked if the riddle game involved ritual dismemberment à la Saw. And it was obvious they both wanted to know what this creature was, what it was going to ask, what it's guarding. Her curiosity is beginning to override her trepidation.

She has other questions that she considers while Alex mentally struts and preens for Morgan. Then, barely a second after he pretends to give in, Riley looks at the creature.

And she smiles. There's no pretending here. That smile is full of wit and charm, and excitement. And it's absolutely genuine.

"Yeah, me too. D'you mind if I sit, though? I think I'm gonna puke if I keep standing." She doesn't wait for an answer, but crosses her legs at the ankles, and drops to the grass. Once settled, she rests her arms on her knees, and tilts her head up. Despite her height, and her age, sitting like that, looking up at the legendary creature, she almost looks childlike.

[Morgan Lake] "Of course," she says with a roll of her eyes, and if she notices anything about Alex's bravery there's no indication thereof; she doesn't seem like the shrinking violet sort herself, so maybe being able to face down a mythical beast made of sheer quintessence is expected.

If you can't do it, you're off the list.

"How are we doing this? Question per person, answering if we know, or?" There are a few ways of playing this sort of game, after all, and now Morgan's a bit calmer; she even reaches into her pocket and comes up with a bag of trail mix, pours some into her hand, and offers it - flat - to the creature. It's sort of horse-like, and who knows what these things eat? Maybe treats will help in her ultimate, only half conscious goal. "And what if there's more than one correct answer to a given riddle?"

Rules are important. Laws are important. Contests are difficult to judge if they aren't set forth, established early.

[Jabberwocky] One by one, they gave their assent, and where once the beast had been something close to forlorn, it perked up almost immediately, stretching its odd, gossamer wings so that they sparkled in the moonlight. The sun had finally disappeared, leaving only the night sky in its wake, but here in the clearing, an unearthly silver glow allowed for visibility.

Lovely, the creature crooned. Then it tapped the side of its head with a claw, thoughtfully. Morgan asked for clarifications, offering it a gift of trail mix. It waved its hand as if to say, thank you, but no. Perhaps it wasn't capable of eating. I will ask you questions. There are many answers to these questions. You may do well, or poorly. But not because there was a right, or a wrong, choice.

There was a pause as it let that sink in. Then, it began.

What is the difference between truth and reality?

[Alexander Turnquist] You may do well, or poorly. But not because there was a right, or a wrong, choice.


Wait... What???? This confused Alex for a moment. It must be opinion based then. If it liked their opinions they would do well, if it didn't then it would probably eat their hopes, dreams and finger bones... To Alex that definitely ment there was a right and wrong choice.

He pondered it a moment, scratching his chin. He didn't want to just blurt out the first thing that came to mind, but he didn't want to seem like he was stupid either and couldn't figure out. He chose somewhere in the middle and began his explanation of the said topics.

"Well shit...."
"Reality is what each person creates for themselves, truth is the universal forces that ultimately guide them despite the reality they have created." A pause and then a repeat/remix of something his mentor had once said to him after a particularly gruesome day.

"Truth is fate, reality is just the shit you put yourself through trying to avoid it."

His face went slightly pale as memories flooded through him, this was the kind of shit he didn't like to share. He started to regret having accepted the challenge.

[Riley Poole] There might not be a right or wrong answer to these questions. Which means it's looking for their thought processes, their lines of thinking. The way they come to their conclusions, maybe.

Riley, seated in the grass, ignores whatever discomforts that might bring. Bugs crawling on her bare legs, mosquitoes or gnats buzzing in her ears. She frowns, tips her head down. Her hands she clasps together, middles, rings, and pinkies twining, indexes and thumbs creating a finger gun that she taps against her mouth. And she blots out Alex's answer. She wants hers to be all her own, unaffected by the words of either of the other apprentices.

"Well, reality is what you make it. It's tangible but flexible. Malleable." This from the Virtual Adept with aspirations to join the Reality Hackers. "Truth is perception. And perspective. The truth for Morgan is that Alex is a pretty okay kinda guy. Mine is that he's going to murder me and use my skull as a goblet." She looks up at the young man, apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I do. His reality might be that he's not either."

[Morgan Lake] "'Reality'," Morgan says in a much quieter voice than the one she usually uses, "is a consensus. It's what's accepted by the majority, and put forth into the world by will, thought and deed; it's an idea, reality interpreted. It is malleable, as Riley said, and a thing more or less created, as Alex said. Reality," she finishes with a self-satisfied smile (and a shiver - the upper sixties feels a lot colder when one is sensing everything more intensely), "is how most people get by."

This is somewhat condescending for 'most people', which of course translates to 'Sleeper' and 'less than I'; the company she keeps is certainly rubbing off on her. After a moment, she continues - a lawyer giving closing arguments, a politician filibustering.

"'Truth' is Will. 'Reality' often runs parallel, but they're rarely the same thing; truth is a difficult thing to comprehend, to accept, and reality is what the mind turns it into to make it comprehensible. Sometimes, there's a tentative peace between the two - one person's reality can be completely different from the next, but the truth behind it is always the same."

There's a pause, thoughtful, and she takes a bit of the trail mix the jabberwock hadn't wanted, stepping around to be on the other side of Riley and a bit in front of the other two apprentices; she's the youngest, certainly, but in some ways the boldest.

"I suppose, in the end, reality is subjective. Truth is objective."

[Jabberwocky] The Jabberwocky cocked its head as it listened, waiting patiently for each of the three to formulate their responses. Occasionally, it blinked its large, glowing eyes. Otherwise it held still, giving no indication as to what its opinion might be in any given moment.

When all three had answered, it rocked forward to set its front legs (arms?) on the ground, and it paced slowly to the opposite end of the clearing, and back again. Perhaps they were hoping or expecting for some kind of response. A clue to indicate how well they were doing. None came. At least, not yet.

Now, a different question for each of you.

It looked first at Alex. Does fate or free-will control our lives? Which is stronger?

Then, to Riley. Is there anything in the Tellurian that is not malleable? Anything that is constant?

And last, to Morgan. What is a better teacher: conflict or harmony?

[Alexander Turnquist] He sighed as Riley spoke, any other time and he would of probably found her statement amusing and probably laughed it off or maybe even played a long. But the Jabberwocky's question had stirred emotions in him that were usually reserved for times of solitude. He rounded on her with a slightly hurt, slightly angry look on his face.

"Just because I'm Euthanatos doesn't mean I'm going to fucking kill everyone I see alright?! They DESERVE it! They NEED it!" He looked ridiculous to be so emotional under the current situations, also the defensive tone didn't help things. They didn't understand, they couldn't. A pause as he looks at the ground. "Why would I use your skull as a goblet!!?" He mutters the statement almost to himself with a tinge of sadness.

Another sigh. "I'm sorry Riley.. I shouldn't have...."

His train of thought is cut off by the jabberwocky and he forces himself to consider the question despite his growing annoyance.

"Fate ultimately controls our lives. It is stronger than free will, always. If free will was stronger I wouldn't be what I am."

He finishes with an example just to make the point.

"Free will is the rapist, the life waster. Fate is the bullet that gives him another chance."

[Riley Poole] Alex rounds on her, and Riley leans back, nearly topples backwards as she tries to back away from someone who is actually several feet away. Quickly, she drops her hands to the grass behind her, bracing herself, keeping herself upright. Before she even says anything to him, she looks up at the Jabberwocky as if to say, See?

He starts to apologize, and Riley just shakes her head, lifts a hand palm out to him.

While Alex answers his question, Riley thinks, once again tipping her head down, looking at grass that in the moonlight was at once too close and very far away. She's thinking, trying to categorize all of the universe, everything in existence.

Looking for a constant.

Finding...one.

"Change itself is the only real constant. Even if something seems fixed, or set, the capacity for change is still there. Living things grow and then wither away. Thoughts, even, ideas, they can all change, too." Another look up to Alex, and this time she holds out her hand to him, her palm faced upward presumably to take his hand. Her face is filled with her own apology. If he takes her hand, she draws him down, urges him to sit himself down beside her in the grass. Like a couple of kids, just hanging out in someone's yard.

A big weird creature firing off riddles, challenging them, making them think. Yeah, it's exactly like childhood.

[Morgan Lake] "Conflict," she says with confidence. "Adversity encourages feats one doesn't know are possible until they're achieved, forces you to climb and stretch where peace and harmony foster complacency. Why attempt to grow when there's no point to doing so?"

Alex's display gets a squint of displeasure (and a wince - let us not forget, shall we, that her senses are considerably above and beyond their normal threshold right now); tsk, unseemly, vulgar shows, while sometimes necessary, are distasteful. (How pleased Kaye would be. How displeased Eric would.)

"Competition is healthy, necessary. It's part of what shapes us, makes us who we are, gives us the strength to stand upright. Conflict doesn't need to be something as extreme as war - it could be as simple as a track meet. A trial. An argument with a peer."

[Jabberwocky] Alex took a moment to respond to Riley before contemplating the question he'd been asked, and though the beast could have reacted with irritation or impatience, it did not. Instead, it watched and listened as if this too were a part of the test. So too with Riley and Morgan. It listened, and was silent.

At the end, it smiled its odd, rodent-toothed smile. Then it stretched its wings and sat back on its hind legs again, folding arms across its chest.

Now, all of you. Think carefully. How much of what you just told me was taught to you by others? And how much of it was your own voice?

[Alexander Turnquist] He stared in disbelief at the offered hand and apologetic face. He had half a mind to simply ignore it and be a little sulking prat but as he began to calm down and feel foolish he decided to accept the offer. His own hand clasping with hers as he was pulled to sit on the grassy bank beside her.

The jabberwocky commanded, and so he did, giving a little smile to Riley at his side.

"Well.... I guess most of it has be taught to me... But I mean.. thats the way it is right? You dont know so you learn from somewhere or something."

"But what I said about fate is definitely my own voice, trust me if free will was stronger I wouldn't be what I am. Why would I be? who wants this job?"

[Riley Poole] [evens is good touch, odds is bad]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5

[Riley Poole] Alex sits down beside her. Riley's smile is still mostly apology, but she's obviously pleased that he's decided to give her another chance, despite her abysmal perception of his character. But, alone in the woods, running into something with that sort of resonance, would another person react any differently?

He answers his question, and his answer is, perhaps not surprisingly, similar to her own.

"Yeah, I'd like to say it was all me, one hundred percent. But everything I'm told, or taught, or shown, it all gets mixed together with my own ideas. It's the collective that brings me closer to my own understanding of the world around me. It was said with my voice, but really, it's more like a collection of everyone I've ever talked to."

Finished, she turns to Alex, lifts her hand with the intent to lightly pat his knee. With her perceptions off, she misjudges the distance. Riley lifts her hand, and lets it drop.

Directly onto the most sensitive part of Alex's male body.

"I'm sure someone oh my god I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

[Morgan Lake] It must be said, Morgan is a very critical thinker to begin with - and when encouraged to become more so, she does. Even standing where she is, somewhat protective as vague disapproval is already slipping away (confrontational to the end), it's clear that she's combing through every memory as thoroughly as she can. As such, even after Riley finishes, it's a while before she speaks.

"I suppose it's all stuff I've heard - from parents, teachers, coaches, my mentor - but put together in a way that makes sense for me, to me. I grow with each new challenge presented, and every conflicting idea is a challenge."

In the face of this sort of conversation (new ideas [conflict] new reality), the hijinks behind her are ignored; it's far more interesting and important to think this through where she hadn't necessarily before, at least not so fully. While the pratfalls are, indeed, amusing? They're a distraction.

[Alexander Turnquist] When a mans... manhood is threatened there is one response. Defense. His knees snapped together without really intending to or thinking about the situation. Trapping her hand between his legs. This was not good. His mouth went wide and a few seconds later he looked down and realised what he had done and quickly released the limb from his clutches. His cheeks went scarlet red, the embarrassment of the situation quickly out weighing the initial pain. He muttered something vaguely resembling speech.

"I'm ... fine...don' worry bout it..."

While the VA was sizing up alex's goods, Morgan was discussing the finer points of learning with a jabberwocky. Lovely.

[Riley Poole] Under different circumstances, Riley might take a moment to enjoy this unexpected...boon? Even in this era of strong, forward thinking women, a girl just can't go around grabbing a man's package. Not in public. Not when she just met the guy. Well, maybe in some places, in some clubs or some cliques.

But not after revealing to the man that the girl thought he was going to murder her, and certainly not in a clearing in the woods with a creature riddling them all to death standing nearby.

Alex isn't the only one with a face glowing red in the moonlight. When Riley finds her hand trapped between his thighs, she gasps audibly. "Oh my god!" she exclaims again, muffled through her free hand, which immediately clamped itself over her mouth.

"I'm so so so sorry! Do you need ice? Oh my god, if you need ice when we get back to town I will get you some fucking ice." There's that, at least, not so much an offer but the understanding that she'll be driving him (and Morgan, should she need the ride) back to the city. She'll probably even buy him dinner and a movie. It's a little backwards, but it's only fair.

Riley hovers, terrified of trying to touch him again. What if she accidentally punches him? What if she accidentally kills him? Wouldn't that be ironic. And tragic.

Carefully, as slowly and gently as she possibly can, she lowers her hand in the direction of his upper body this time, groping air until she finds his shoulder. From there, she maintains contact, rubbing his back, frowning, all the while apologizing profusely.

[Jabberwocky] There was a delay, as Riley's impaired depth perception caused her to place her hand in a rather different location than she'd intended. Dutiful student to the end, Morgan did her best to ignore this interruption and focus on her response.

The creature observed it all, and to its credit, it did not laugh until after all of them had answered its question. Then, with a warm, rumbling chuckle, it rolled forward again and bent to touch its flattened snout to Riley's head. The sensation of that contact wasn't so much like actually being touched as it was... like having water poured onto one's head. Except, neither cold or wet.

When it touched her, the paradox that had set it and altered her senses seemed to erode away.

There are no rules, and no disciplinarians, when we dream.

Odd, cryptic thing. It stepped away, then turned to regard the group at large.

It isn't for me to judge the validity of your words. You may judge that for yourselves. Remember only this: Never cease to question, for without questions, there can be no answers. Without questions, we cease to grow. It paused, and smiled. And now... I thank you for relieving me of my burden.

Then it flapped its glittering, gossamer wings, rose up into the air, and vanished in a swirling, chaotic rainbow of primal energy. When the Apprentices looked down, they'd see a small pile of glowing crystals, each about the size of a child's fist. They twinkled and gleamed like diamonds. Or (perhaps more accurately), prisms.

[Morgan Lake] (and just what are you, crystal-things? [Prime 1, -1 focus, -1 resonance])
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 3, 8 (Success x 2 at target 3)

[Jabberwocky] The crystals not only resonate with prime energy... they are prime. Perfect little pieces of quintessence, trapped in physical form. Each of them gives off the same Creative resonance as the glade was steeped in.
to Morgan Lake

[Alexander Turnquist] (Hello golden egg, do you have a chicken inside you? Perhaps a baby jabberwocky?)[Prime 1]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8 (Success x 1 at target 4)

[Alexander Turnquist] She kept talking about ice, everything was a bit of a blur to him but ice kept sounding in his head. He smiled at her as he felt the soft rubbing of her hand on his back. Raising his hands he brushed one through his Rpattz hair and patted the other one on her knee.

"Really Riley its ok, forget about it... maybe when we get back we can......."

His sentence was interrupted as the creature began let out a rumbling noise resembling laughter and then it advanced. His first thought was, Damn this creature had tricked them all! Now it was going to eat their finger bones and dance on their graves but it simply kissed Riley's head, or seemed to. Riley was getting a kiss from a Jabberwocky. Amazing.

He listened to the crpytic words of the jabberwocky and his brow furrowed. What exactly were they relieving it of? And then Poof it was gone. In one of the most beautiful displays of colour Alex had ever seen. And there in the aftermath. The crystals.

"What on earth... did that dragon thing just lay us some crystals?"
"Where did it go??"
"What did it do to your head Riley?"
"Oh my god"

He reached out with his senses, not the normal senses however. The magical kind and what he felt was.. well certainly a nice surprise. So the jabberwocky had left them a gift. He looked from morgan to Riley to see if either of them had seen the crystals for what they were.

[Riley Poole] She still has her hand on Alex's back, rubbing warily, apology and comfort both offered in the contact. By the time the creature bends its head to her, her fears have all melted away. All the uneasiness, the wariness, fled as soon as Riley decided to stay and answer the creature's questions. In its wake there's only her thirst for knowledge and understanding, and a lingering sense of embarrassment.

The creature comes toward her, and only then does she let her hand drop away from Alex's back. She turns her face up toward it, eyes wide, wanting to watch everything while it bent to her head. But as it gets close, she closes her eyes, like a lover awaiting a kiss. And she laughs, delighted, at the feeling like water cascading over her. When she opens her eyes, everything is where it's supposed to be.

What did it do to your head Riley?

Alex stretches out his perceptions, trying to figure out what the pile of crystals really is. Riley doesn't have the knowledge to do that herself. If she did, she would have learned the truth of the weapon she's been carrying around months ago. He looks at Morgan, looking to see if she had seen the crystals for what they were. When he looks at Riley, the older woman leans into him, wrapping long arms around his shoulders and giving him a squeeze.

"It fixed it," she says, tapping her temple when she pulls away. And then she gets to her feet, looks around the clearing. She pats at her butt, brushing away errant blades of grass. "Do you think they're eggs or something?" she asks, walking over to the pile of colored light.

[Morgan Lake] Reach, little Hermetic, grow. Explore and learn.

There are crystals and Morgan has suspicions as to what they are - there was a coin, the last time she played riddle games with things that shouldn't be - but still, she wants to know for sure. Looking is a given; again there's that flare of discerning but, perhaps oddly, her look doesn't stay on the crystals for long, as she hands three to Alex, three to Riley, then takes three for herself. It takes a bit, this reaching, but she knows what they are.

".....Tass, " she says absently, eying Riley's bag instead of the crystals at hand. "Which is pure quintessence. I can't use it yet, and I'm guessing neither can you." The last bit tends towards the wryly amused. "But it's valuable. Hold onto it, or ask someone to help you use it, or sell it. Favors, whatever."

Gooooood Hermetic.

"What's in your bag, Riley?"

[Riley Poole] Like any woman who carries a bag the size of Riley's, she tends to forget what's inside of it sometimes, aside from what she uses every day. Wallet, keys, lip gloss, that sort of thing. There's something else in Riley's bag, though, something she picked up in a basement several months ago.

Her first mentor scanned it, but never spoke to her again after that last meeting. She assumed it was nothing special, but handy. So handy. How many times has the blade saved the Virtual Adept's life now?

What's in your bag, Riley? earns a curious frown. She slides her messenger bag forward, lifts the flap and peers down inside.

"Uh, well. Usually crap, I guess. Papers and stuff. And, uh." She stops, glances up at Morgan, then Alex. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a loosely sheathed dagger. The handle is ornate, carved to look like scales of some kind. Part of the blade is out, where Riley had it ready to use against the Euthanatos should he try to attack her. She sheathes it fully, but she doesn't relinquish it to either apprentice. "And this, I guess."

[Alexander Turnquist] Alex stared at the dagger, he looks from the item to Morgan. Understanding on his face but he doesn't say a word. It was obvious the girl had no idea what she was holding. He chose to remain silent for the moment and forced a grin into his face.

"Well I dont know about you girls but man, I could use a drink."

Stuffing his crystals into his bag he pulled out the jacket, putting it on over the t-shirt.

"So" He looked from Riley to Morgan and rubbed his hands. "Who's taking me home?"

[Morgan Lake] "That's . . . special. I don't think you really want to be carrying that around just any-old-where - that thing's Chaos. Like . . . like you're Electricity." Alex's resonance is harder to describe, really - she knows what it feels like [plotting, planning, biding time], but can't put the words together properly. "You should talk to . . . I don't know, someone who knows more about that kind of stuff. And be careful."

There's a hungry sort of look, there - she wouldn't be the first greedy Hermetic, not by a long shot - but she doesn't reach out to touch the dagger any more than Riley reaches out to give it.

"I drove, but if you want a drink that's stronger than a coffee, I'll have to drop you off somewhere. I'm not old enough." That could mean she's twenty, or it could mean she's much younger; she doesn't elaborate, and asking will get a raised eyebrow, and no answer.

[Riley Poole] How to tell her this thing's been in her bag with her for six months, going on seven? How to explain that her first mentor scanned it himself and never spoke of it? How to explain a lot of things, really. Riley doesn't know how, and quite frankly, while the VA is open and honest, she's not that open. Besides, there's a hungry look in the girl's eye - for all that she tries to act differently, Morgan is still a girl - that makes Riley's grip tighten on her dagger. Hers. She found it. She uses it. It belongs to her now.

She slides it back into her bag, mouth quirked into something pensive. Her expression smoothes at mention of needing a drink. She could go for one, too. It's been a long, strange day.

"I can take you, so long as you're not going to try to kill me and drink beer from my skull." She grins to show she's joking, reaches out with her fist to lightly bump his shoulder. That's mostly to prove to herself that her perceptions really are back in working order.

"We should get out of here," she says, has said so many times in the past several months. So much that it's almost routine. Her crystals get placed carefully into her bag, to rest alongside the strange dagger. She'll ask someone about that later, definitely. And she pulls out her phone again.

Takes a deep breath. And focuses on finding her way back to the parking lot.

[Corr, this time with feeling! coincidental diff 3 +1 (sphere) -1 (foci)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6 (Success x 2 at target 3) [WP]

[Alexander Turnquist] He nods his head at Riley before addressing Morgan. "Hey, if its alright I think I DO need something a little stronger than a coffee." He ponders a moment, calculating his next move. Which is seemingly nothing as he shoulders the backpack and grins at Riley.

"Well, I wouldn't want to ruin that pretty little face of yours anyway. "

He ushers Riley ahead of him saying "After You" Since he had NO idea which way they had even come into the clearing. As he exited the grove he passed Morgan on the way out and a slightly more serious look came over his face as he leaned close to her ear whispering just for her. "Nice ring...." A wink was all she got and then they were off trudging through the undergrowth and hopefully (fingers crossed) Riley would actually be able to guide them this time.

[Morgan Lake] Automatically, as it does so often for comfort, Morgan's hand goes to the ring on its chain, where it occasionally winks out from the neckline of her polo; for all that she'd noticed Riley's dagger, it hadn't even occurred to look closer to home. Now that she's thinking about it, conscious of it (in more ways than one), the feeling of growth there startles her, confuses her.

It had been her grandma's ring, after all.

"I . . . um . . . thanks. Yeah. Have fun."

She's following the older two, having stuck her crystals in her own bag, but lagging behind, thoughtful. And confused.