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
: 8,7,3,2,5,10,3,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.