Kelton Michaels: ((All right, so for purposes of brevity, we'll summarize and just roll the warding. Per Acting in Concert rules, two wards: Correspondance Ward & Time Ward. All successes adding together. Cool?))

Travis Kennedy: ((Cool.))

Kelton Michaels: ((Kelton's going with all 5 rolls; Enochian to lower diff, then WP for last 2 rolls))

Kelton Michaels: 5,5,2,5,7,1,

Kelton Michaels: ((Not so good, but ah, well. *G* Rolling))

Kelton Michaels: 6,5,6,5,2,

Kelton Michaels: 3,6,8,1,3,

Kelton Michaels: 2,3,4,6,7,

Kelton Michaels: 3,5,7,3,9,

Kelton Michaels: 5,9,1,6,2,

Travis Kennedy: ((3 rolls, Enoch to lower diff, WP for last two rolls))

Travis Kennedy: 8,7,3,2,5,10,3,

Travis Kennedy: 4,1,1,

Travis Kennedy: ((Willpower to not botch.))

Travis Kennedy: He shakes his head, "I'm too tired. Sorry."

Xu Xian: ((ping me when you need me, I'm gonna drop nick to not time out))

Kelton Michaels: ((No prob, Singha. Be just a few.))

Kelton Michaels: ((All right, and Time Ward, same thing, no WP though. He's gotta concserve. Travis can try or not. *S*))

Kelton Michaels: 4,5,4,8,2,6,

Kelton Michaels: 8,4,2,5,8,

Kelton Michaels: 3,6,9,5,5,

Kelton Michaels: 6,2,9,4,7,

Travis Kennedy: ((3 rolls, Enoch to lower diff, WP for last two rolls))

Kelton Michaels: 6,4,6,3,6,

Travis Kennedy: 6,7,5,3,7,2,5,

Kelton Michaels: 8,3,7,2,8,

Travis Kennedy: 5,9,2,

Travis Kennedy: 4,8,5,

Travis Kennedy: 8,3,2,

Kelton Michaels: ((I'll add it up later, but we can assume the damn place is warded up the ass. *G*))

Travis Kennedy: The place glows.

: (yes but whose ass? is the real question...)

Kelton Michaels: And once the warding is done, he smiles and pats Travis's shoulder, then takes a seat at the table.

Travis Kennedy: He sits at the table as well, holding his head up with his hands. And now they wait.

Xu Xian: He arrives about forty minutes later after doing his usual paranoid searching the street for ambushes, change in hairstyles or butterflies. Or anything else that's a threat.

Xu Xian: 8,2,5,7,2,9,7,

Faris: Flutters after Xu like a distinctly non-threatening handful of butterflies.

Xu Xian: He parks the car and heads up to the building. Buzzes since he's too frazzled to worry about evading the frikken security door.

Kelton Michaels: Xu finds no ambushes, threats, or tails of a non-butterfly nature.

Travis Kennedy: He gets up and hits the button to let him in.

Faris: Flutter.

Xu Xian: He heads inside and up to Jer's apt, not bothering to keep the door open for whatever's tailing him.

Faris: 8,1,3,6,10,9,

Xu Xian: He knocks on Jer's door

Faris: A quick dive-bomb and they all make it through in time. Butterflies can fly damn fast.

Kelton Michaels: The apartment is small, but comfortable, and cluttered as all hell with movie and wrestling memorabilia, from "Star Wars" lithographs to a replica WWE World Title belt. A computer desk is set up in Jeremy and Ita's bedroom, 2 couches, and entertainment center with an older 27" TV, plus a couple other chairs. Small card table passes as a dining room table. The second room is still empty. The kitchen is now stocked with food-makin' stuff, as well. The doors to the bedrooms are closed.

Travis Kennedy: Travis walks over to open the door and let him in.

Faris: And hell, at least with Xu nearby, no birds want to eat him. That makes a nice change.

Xu Xian: He regards the people in the room before moving in, his hesitation more than likely allowing the butterflies access to the place. He steps in slowly and nods to Travis, then Kelton. "Do you have the papyrus?" he asks.

Kelton Michaels: He stands up, with effort, as Travis opens the door, standing for the guest and waiting for him to enter.

Faris: They zip into the apartment, fluttering around. A couple drift to the ceiling and hang there.

Xu Xian: He's looking distinctly frazzled for Xu. He's not shaved in a day or two, and there are circles under his eyes. A definite strain in his face.

Travis Kennedy: He glances up and around at the butterflies. "The hell?"

Xu Xian: He's wearing a midnite blue preacher cut coat, black turtleneck, black cargo pants. Those with good memories and good powers of observation who have met Fausto before might recognize the attire.

Kelton Michaels: He nods to Xu as he steps in. "Mr. Xu. Good evening. Please, have a seat. I have brought a copy of the papyrus...if you don't mind, I would like to discuss the situation first, to set my mind at ease."

Faris: A little Cabbage White drifts into the kitchen. A Red Admiral lands on Darth Vader's plastic head.

Travis Kennedy: He reaches out to touch one of the incests.

Kelton Michaels: ((Incests? *Looks around* Where? Damn motherfuckers got in somehow...))

Xu Xian: His eyes narrow. He nods to Kelton. "Fine." He looks for a seat near Kelton, ignoring Travis and the butterflies.

Faris: ((*fucks mother*))

Travis Kennedy: ((They happen in the oddest places! Insects.))

Faris: The butterfy backs away from Travis' touch, then launches itself into the air to get away from him.

Travis Kennedy: He reaches out to touch another one.

Faris: They all get the fuck away from Travis if he comes close.

Kelton Michaels: He smiles a little and nods. "May I ask why you seek the Cup of Ra?"

Xu Xian: "It's a personal situation."

Xu Xian: "May I ask why you feel it necessary to ask?"

Travis Kennedy: Trav casually walks about the room, keeping as many of them afloat as he can. If one stops to rest or gets too close, he reaches out to touch it. He starts to smile. Personal?

Faris -> Kelton Michaels: Every damn butterfly in New York is heading this way now, looking for a way in. Open windows, air vents, anything.

Kelton Michaels: "I understand. My concern is that the ritual that you seek, to raise the dead. While it is entirely possible, I believe, there are two difficulties with this. First, the implications of raising the dead, and disturbing the Great Wheel, I personally find metaphysically dangerous. I am of the belief that those who have died should pass on to their next lives."

Kelton Michaels: "Travis, leave the butterflies alone. Please." He says it without looking toward the other Hermetic.

Xu Xian: "That's because you're not facing eternity in chains."

Travis Kennedy: He stops, and then sits down on the couch.

Xu Xian: "But just try dieing....you'll realize right quick that no matter how shitty life is, death is...infinitely worse."

Kelton Michaels: More butteflies start to make their way in, through the air vents. They cannot enter through the windows, which are shut...light getting in is a bad thing...but they're finding other ways to get inside.

Faris: They drift out across the ceiling, carpeting it with a myriad of colours.

Kelton Michaels: "I believe that when I die, I will be reincarnated elsewhere." He shrugs. "A matter of difference in belief. However, there is one other difficulty with doing this. It drains the power of the Cup, from what I have read."

Travis Kennedy: He watches the colours, wondering if this was what it was like to be tripping on acid.

Xu Xian: "How so?"

Faris: They just keep coming, keep walking up the wall and across the ceiling. There's hundreds of them.

Travis Kennedy: Travis wishes they would come a little closer.

Kelton Michaels: The butteflies draw his attention for just a moment, before he looks back to Xu, withdrawing typed piece of paper from his jacket, handing it to Xu. "This is the translation of the parchment. As you can see, it is part ritual, part guideline. According to it, the Cup has many uses, one of which is the raising of the dead. This use taxes it's power, for it returns the target to true mortal life, without consequence toward time spent in the afterlife. It then falls dormant for an unlisted period of time."

Xu Xian: 4,9,8,5,6,2,3,2,

Faris: They simply hang there, waiting patiently.

Xu Xian: He does a reasonable job of keeping his emotions in check, simply taking the paper from Kelton and reading it over. "Who translated this?"

Travis Kennedy: He leans back into the couch and relaxes.

Kelton Michaels: "I sent digital photographs by fax to allies in Boston that understand ancient Egyptian. They sent back the translation."

Xu Xian: "Alright." He reaches into his pocket and withdraws a roll of bills, peeling off 10 $100 bills. "This is for the facsimile."

Kelton Michaels: He nods. "Thank you. I will include the photographs as well, for it will not complete the ritual. It merely shows the guidelines and part of said ritual. You may then verify the information by yourself."

Xu Xian: "Thank you." He pushes the money across the table to Kelton and takes the items offered.

Kelton Michaels: The photos are provided on a Flash Memory card, as well as hardcopies. All praise House Thig. "You're welcome. Any assistance we may provide in keeping the Cup of Ra out of the hands of those who would use it for evil is gladly offered."

Xu Xian: "I appreciate that," he nods. "But at the moment, I believe everything is under control."

Kelton Michaels: "All right." He nods to Xu, offering a small smile. "If I may be so bold, Mr. Xu...what you plan to do now?"

Xu Xian: He rises, and nods to Kelton. "I plan to walk out the door, get in my car, and drive away."

Xu Xian: And he proceeds to do just that.

Faris: A handful of butterflies drop from the ceiling and chase Xu outside.

Travis Kennedy: He watches Xu leave, amused.

Kelton Michaels: He struggles to his feet ass Xu risies, and nods to him. "Good day, Mr. Xu. Best of luck."

Xu Xian: "Thank you," is said to Kelton as he disappears through the door. He heads down to the street and checks for trouble before moving to his car.

Xu Xian: 5,4,3,5,7,3,10,

Faris: There's close to a thousand butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colours hanging from the ceiling. And a few sticking to Xu's car.

Xu Xian: He starts the car up and drives off into the night.

Travis Kennedy: He murmurs, "That is so gross." This is much under his breath.

Kelton Michaels: Once Xu's gone, he shrugs a little bit, looking up at the butterflies. "Well, this will be interesting."

Travis Kennedy: He looks around as well. "Oh?"

Kelton Michaels: "Well, Travis. You know have a sea of butterflies to get rid of. I wish you luck." He starts making his way to the door. "I suggest not killing them. That will just make it messier."

Kelton Michaels: ((know=now))

Travis Kennedy: He sighs, "I had just the words to do that too. Wouldn't be messy at all."

Faris: They fall from the ceiling, piling into a humanoid shape near the door.

Travis Kennedy: He sits up, watching them, "Ewwwww..."

Kelton Michaels: "Well, you may also be killing an endangered species or two. Please do not damage the ecosystem by bringing a species to extinction as far as the city is concerned."

Xu Xian -> Kelton Michaels: (Xu is going to drive around for a while randomly to try and throw off any scrying or tails on him, then he's going to txt gennie with the info, so as to not lead Kelton or Travis to her.))

Kelton Michaels: Waaait a minute. Very interesting. He pauses as the butterflies take human shape.

Faris: They land on each other. Cling to each other. Blend into one dark mass, their colours fading to black.

Faris: They fold in on themselves, like little hands pulling a canvas over their bodies to hide under. Except these little hands are pulling denim and cotton and hair and skin.

Kelton Michaels -> Xu Xian: ((Okay. She's going to want to see the photos to confirm. Short answers, right to the point, to any SMS's he sends.))

Kelton Michaels: He stands there, leaning on his cane a little, watching the butterflies take shape, as he brings an incantation to his mind, just in case.

Travis Kennedy: He watches, recalling the words he had thought up a few moments ago for butterfly doom.

Karlos Basoalto: And ultimately his form takes shape. Unassuming, but with a quiet confidence that most would simply take to be charisma. Or is it the other way around? His dark eyes gaze through Kelton.

Karlos Basoalto: Of course, the jeans and hiking boots and t-shirt add to the whole unassuming appearance, but the old, faded, criss-crossed scars on his forearms suggest all is not well.

Travis Kennedy: He stands up from the couch.

Kelton Michaels: He looks at Karlos, an eyebrow raised. "Mr. Basoalto. It has been some time...good evening." Surprised though he obviously is, he remains polite.

Karlos Basoalto: He nods, offering Kelton his hand. "Mr. Michaels. Good to see you again."

Kelton Michaels: He leans forward a little, shaked the offered hand. "And you as well. Have you met Mr. Kennedy?"

Xu Xian -> Kelton Michaels: ((he'll go to a random cybercafe and upload the pix. He doesn't want anyone to follow him to her tonight so is going to go out of town. Tho he clearly underlines that if she uses the cup for the purpose she intends, she will make it go dormant)

Travis Kennedy: He smirks. He can't help it.

Kelton Michaels -> Xu Xian: ((Once she gets the photographs, she doesn't respond back for the rest of the night.))

Karlos Basoalto: "Absolutely. And in spite of his constant warnings, he persists in trying to violate the Treaty and inflict his curse on me. Now, Mr. Michaels, you've changed. Your posture, your behaviour, your command. I must therefore assume you are Deacon now. Rein Mr. Kennedy in before he does something he regrets."

Travis Kennedy: He grins, "Karlos, friend, we've barely met and you know all about me. You certainly told Silkie a great deal."

Xu Xian -> Kelton Michaels: (at her silence, he starts to freak out, so I'm going to roll WP diff 8 to see if his paranoia overwhelms him)

Karlos Basoalto: He disregards the monkey, attention remaining on the organ grinder. If it could be called attention, the way he looks through Kelton rather than at him.

Xu Xian -> Kelton Michaels: 1,8,2,4,4,4,5,

Travis Kennedy: "She was rather surprised when she discovered that I was not tainted like you said I was. I hear you've been telling people all over battery park about me, and I swear I haven't said thirty words to you before this."

Xu Xian -> Kelton Michaels: (Yeah. well. After she doesn't respond to that he heads back to the duplex.))

Kelton Michaels: "Absolutely, Mr. Basoalto. I will ensure that Mr. Kennedy no longer tries to inflict his Curse upon you."

Karlos Basoalto: He nods. "Thank you, Mr. Michaels. If you have any queries regarding Treaty matters, please do not hesitate to contact the Concerto. Jody Yu is managing it for me at present, and I can assure you that she is more than capable of handling anything you need to have addressed." He smiles warmly.

Travis Kennedy: He chuckles. How very diplomatic, Kelton Michaels.

Kelton Michaels: He nods his head. "Of course. We have the contact information. Thank you for your time."

Karlos Basoalto: "Thank you for yours." He offers Kelton his hand once more.

Travis Kennedy: An eyebrow quirks up, Oh no! Karlos is trying to touch you!

Kelton Michaels -> Xu Xian: ((She's there, in the middle of a nervous breakdown. She's desperate to bring him back, but even she recognizes what a problem this would be.))

Kelton Michaels: He extends his hand, shaking Karlos's. "Glad to help."

Karlos Basoalto -> Kelton Michaels: 9,3,5,5,9,1,8,

Karlos Basoalto -> Kelton Michaels: ~TP~ "May I speak with you privately?"

Kelton Michaels -> Karlos Basoalto: ~TP~ "Of course. Is this sufficient, or would you prefer to talk in a separate area? I was just about ready to leave anyway."

Travis Kennedy: Glad to help? Travis was pretty sure he had just been insulted. He sits down on the couch.

Karlos Basoalto -> Kelton Michaels: ~TP~ "This is sufficient for now. Travis is a wild card, Kelton. He's a danger. He's splitting my Neutral personnel away from each other. His action is non-magical, but he uses words to cause far greater damage. And I can take no action against him, because his action has not been direct against us."

Kelton Michaels -> Karlos Basoalto: ~TP~ "I see. The last thing I want is for one of mine to cause damage to the Neutral Party in any way. Can you provide specific examples?"

Travis Kennedy: ((?))

Karlos Basoalto -> Kelton Michaels: ~TP~ "His actions right now seem to speak for themselves," he says dryly. "I have spoken to only two about Mr. Kennedy. Silkie, who is Neutral and works with me on protecting this city, whom I spoke to because she addressed me about him. And Thomas, who is Neutral by dint of not being a part of the Treaty, who introduced "Myles" to me, innocent of Travis' true identity or the fact that he was going around touching people just to see if he was still cursed, or if it had passed at last."

Kelton Michaels: He smiles a little to Karlos, nodding amicably.

Karlos Basoalto: He shakes Kelton's hand a moment, clearly distracted, gaze flitting to a corner of the room.

Kelton Michaels -> Karlos Basoalto: ~TP~ "Miss Morgan had mentioned the issue with Silkie, as she had been come to about this, but my understanding was that it had been resolved between those two. A pattern is a problem. I will resolve this."

Travis Kennedy: ((?!))

Karlos Basoalto -> Kelton Michaels: ~TP~ "Thank you. Good luck. The child is stubborn, and destructive. He seeks attention to validate his existence. I expect his parents didn't give him what he needed..." He drifts off. "Which is a shame. But I cannot allow it to tear this city apart."

Karlos Basoalto: ((Yes?))

Karlos Basoalto: He nods, and releases Kelton's hand, turning for the door.

Travis Kennedy: He is apparently still sitting there on the couch.

Kelton Michaels: "Good day, Mr. Basoalto." He watches the man leave.

Karlos Basoalto: He gently closes the door behind himself.

Kelton Michaels: He looks to Travis and smiles a little. "Are you staying here tonight, or coming back to the Elements? I can give you a ride."

Travis Kennedy: "From his appearence here, I surmise that I should stay at the elements."

Kelton Michaels: He smiles a little. "Are you concerned about an attack on Karlos's behalf?"

Travis Kennedy: "I'm concerned about what else the man might do behind my back." He walks into his room and fetches his duffel bag, then heads toward the door.

Kelton Michaels: "Karlos Basoalto is a Neutral party. He is the head of the Neutral party. He doesn't violate the treaty. Never has. And anything he did against you would be a violation. You are quite safe."

Travis Kennedy: "Words, Master Kelton, we control words. Why do you suppose he is no longer in charge of the Concerto? Perhaps he is no longer neutral." He holds open the door for him.

Kelton Michaels: "He is still in charge of the Concerto, and thus still Neutral. He simply no longer manages it. I don't know where you are getting your information, Mr. Kennedy, but you are grossly misinformed." He shrugs, and heads for the door. "You may wish to inform your roommates of your departure."

Travis Kennedy: "I surmise. I said perhaps. My information is all secondhand, because I don't know my friend Karlos that well at all. I also don't know where he is getting his information from, but it seems he hates me." He continues to hold the door open, "I'll phone them later, or leave them messages."

Kelton Michaels: "He distrusts you. A discussion for a later time, perhaps." He heads out, down to his car.

Travis Kennedy: "A discussion I would love to have, if just to get some answers and put some doubts to rest. I really need to rest."

Travis Kennedy: He follows along behind, and gets in the passenger side.

Kelton Michaels: "Rest would be good, yes. I am quite tired." He gets in the car, and as soon as Travis is inside, heads off to Queens.

Kelton Michaels: ((And lets FTB there. *G* Thanks for the scene.))

Travis Kennedy: ((Thanks! Later!))