Ravyn: Sam and Michelle touch down at LAX on Sunday, and Michelle gets them a hotel room. The first couple of days, unless Sam has other ideas like sightseeing, they take it easy in the hotel. Michelle's very open to whatever Sam wants to do. She does call her mentor, Jacob Corin, and sets up a time for them to meet.

Samantha Jacobs: Sam is prefectly content with sightseeing and resting in the hotel. Taking it easy and letting them both recover is a good thing. In LA, she seems a lot more inclined to cover up her scars, leaving her to be a bit hot, but she never coplains. And she makes a serious effort to look decent for her mentor too. She seems to really like just being with Michelle

Ravyn: Michelle seems quiet, better then she was in New York, but...different. A little pensive, though she's not in a negative mood at all. Just a little...subdued.

Samantha Jacobs: Fingers slowly lace in Michelle's as they walk, close to her, protective. LA is... brighter than New York, and she flicks her eyes this way and that when they walk. Fingers push through her hair briefly.

Ravyn: She takes Sam along down the street, smiling a little, happily holding her hand. One nice thing about L.A....it's easier to be out and about without fear of random attacks. In her mind, at least. She leads Sam along the streets, heading for a house nestled within residential areas in Downtown L.A.

Samantha Jacobs: She follows wuietly, almost meekly. She's not sure how she feels about meeting Michelle's mentor, but she's more than willing to go. She flicks hair out of her eyes again

Ravyn: She smiles warmly to the other woman. "Just so you know...Jacob's a very mainstrean Ecstatic. He's what we call a Joybringer...it's one of our factions. I've told him to keep the touch feely down...you know how we usually are with free love and all that. He promised to be good." She leans in to kiss her cheek.

Samantha Jacobs: She nods slightly, closing her eyes faintly at the kiss. A little smile, squeezing her fingers. "Okay."

Ravyn: She nods and leads her along to the house. It's old, delapidated, a small little single-floor, three-bedroom place between a nightclub called Club Liberiy and a large office space. Why it hasn't been knocked down...who knows. She walks up the walkway, past overgrown grass, and knocks on the door.

Samantha Jacobs: The lanky ex military woman remains just behind her, eyes flicking around the both of them. Her posture is unconciously straight, as if she was meeting a superior officer or some such. Or maybe meeting Michelle's mentor is like meeting the parents to her

Ravyn: "Relax, sweetie." She smiles to Sam, then looks over as the door opens. A girl, maybe 18, 19, opens the door. Blonde hair, kind of cute, in a sundress and with a flower in her hair. Obviously very stoned...she doesn't seem to know who Michelle is. "Hello?" Michelle smiles. "Hey. Jacob here?" The girl squints, and nods, stepping aside. Michelle gives Sam a smile and subtlely rolled eyes at the girl as she leads her into the house.

Samantha Jacobs: A single eyebrow raises at the stoned girl, her expression stuck between bemused and confused. But she let's it go- there were all kinds of Cultists after all- and she follows after Michelle quietly, eyes still flicking around

Ravyn: "An acolyte," she murmurs to Sam, as they move into the place. It doesn't look that much better on the inside then it does on the outside...a little more kept-up, though the place is a mess. ((Per+Aware))

Samantha Jacobs: ((: 2,9,3,2,))

Ravyn: There's definitely something in the air...a lot of somethings. Michelle leads her through the house, across the living room and to a basement door, offering short smiles to a couple of teens on acid on a couch in the living room, as well as to the man in his 20's watching the teens. "That's a shepherder," she explains quietly, looking at the older man. "Makes sure the acolytes don't lose it or go on a bad trip. Kind of like...a designated driver, you could say."

Samantha Jacobs: A litttle nod, quiet behind Michelle as her eyes moved around. Relaxing, just a little bit, though she always has that inherent tensness in her. Maybe the magic is making her nervous.

Ravyn: She smiles a bit and then knocks on the basement door, opening it without waiting for an answer. The stairs down are in surprisingly good condition, considering the rest of the house. She leads Sam down into the basement, lit entirely by candles. This is obviously where most of the magic comes from. The smell of jasmine mixes with and hyacinth, magnolia, and lilac down here, from various essential oils. There's an old couch on either side of the room and an equally between them, upon which sits a man in his early 40's, albeit DAMN good shape for that age. He's got sandy-blonde hair, shoulder-length, and a dark brown goatee to betray his real hair collor...kind of a surfer dude meets-burnout hippie look. He's wearing a short-sleeved shirt, open, khaki shorts, and sandals. He seems very deep in meditation as they come down.

Samantha Jacobs: Stairs. Basement. Dilapidated house. She takes a deep breath behind Michelle, trying to ease that awkward tightness in her chest. She inhales slightly, pushing past a myrid of scents she's not used to, and trusting in Michelle. Her eyes flick over the man and steps go quiet, not wantng to disturb him

Ravyn: Michelle opens her mouth to speak, but before she can, he does. "You, my student, have GOT to visit more then once every five years. Just because I hear you on the radio and see your face on MTV, doesn't mean we're actually communing." He opens his eyes, revealing absolutely unnaturally-colored irises. They're a shining gold color, very vibrant and shining in the candlelight.

Samantha Jacobs: Her lips quirk up into a smile at what her says, eyes shifting to MIchelle to help distract her from the strange irises. And maybe she's nervous. Just a little. Higher rank and all

Ravyn: Michelle smiles a little, blushing slightly at that, and nods. "You should move out to New York. We could use you."

His response is to smile widely. "Ahh, but where would I surf? Now come here and give your Divya a hug." Michelle breaks away to hug the man, who stands up to accept it, wrapping his arms around her. After a moment in the hug, she pulls away, reaching her hand out to Sam.

"Jacob, this is Samantha Jacobs. My student. Samantha, Jacob, my mentor."

Samantha Jacobs: She releases Michelle, tucking hands into her pockets swiftly as Michelle steps to embrace Jacob, She watches them briefly, and then glances away, letting them have their reuinion. Eyes slide back as Michelle offers out her hand, and she slides thin fingers into the hand, stepping forward. There is a dip of her head. "Nice to meet you."

Ravyn: He smiles, stepping forward and taking the hand that Sam gave to Michelle. He leans down to press his lips against her knuckles. "Samantha. An honor and a privilege. I see my wayward student is still ignoring the proper words for things, like Divya. She always was one to go her own way." It's a completely teasing chiding, without any real seriousness to it. He places Sam's hand back in Michelle's, then steps back. "So, what are we all drinking? Michelle, I do happen to have some legitimate Absinthe just brought in..."

Samantha Jacobs: She seems completely unsure about what to do to the kiss to her hands, though her lips quirk up into a little bit of a smiel again at his gentle chiding. Fingers curl tightly into Michelle's hand tightly. "I forget the words, sometims." Not a lie- she's more likely to react to words she was brought up with. Her voice is low, husky, a bit rough

Ravyn: Michelle smiles and shakes her head. "Just tea, thank you. And not the psychedlic tea, the love wine, or the dream tea, either...chamomile, maybe, or purification. Maybe I'll steal a bottle of the absinthe later...for future use, in a pinch." She grins to him.

He nods, shrugging as he goes for the bar in the far corner from where they are...easily missed when coming downstairs. "Suit yourself. Samantha? What would you like?"

Samantha Jacobs: "Just water please." Comes that husky murmur again, and she pushes back her hair. A hand comes up hesitantly, as if to undo a button on her shirt, and then she drops it.

Ravyn: Michelle smiles to Sam and shrugs, as if to say, 'Seniors.' She reaches out and runs a hand through the woman's hair.

"So, Sam...tell me about yourself." He says it without looking back, busy setting the tea kettle on a hotplate, then pouring two glasses, from two separate bottles. One's clear, the other's green.

Samantha Jacobs: Her head's pretty hot- black hair in the sun and a lotta clothes. But she seems to relax a little more at the fingers running through her hair. Her half slanted eyes move to Jacob, blinking slowly almost. Herself? "Uhm. I'm the youngest of four, only girl. I served in the military for eight years, two years in the war, released due to injury in the line of combat."

Ravyn: He nods a little with a smile, picking up the two glasses and walking over to her. He hands her the glass with the green liquid in it. "Very interesting. Now, tell me about yourself."

Michelle sighs, but remains quiet, just remaining by Sam's side, her hand coming to rest against the back of Sam's neck, rubbing lightly.

Samantha Jacobs: She stares down momentarily at the green liquid that was handed to her, and then back at him. A blink, and then she deadpans, a deadpan too perfect to be serious, "I suck at social situations."

Ravyn: A little smile from him. "Well, that's a start." He takes a drink from the glass he kept, and moves back to pour Michelle's tea. "What I'm curious about, Sam, is not your family or the events of your life, m'love. That's what shaped you, and unless I experienced those events personally, I don't know what it turns someone into. Even then, it doesn't tell me how it shaped you. Because my Muse and I would react to such things differently then you and yours did. I want to know who you are, not what you are."

Samantha Jacobs: For a moment, she almost looks like she'd go cross eyed. She was never good at this stuff- she could do the what are you feeling things, this was the same thing... kinda. The woman finally conceded, and lifted a hand to undo a button. Mm. Scars. "I'm... Sam," she shrugged briefly, "I'm still learning. I'm unstable and unsure, but learning. Michelle's helping." There's a pause. You'd thinkshe was a kid getting a pop quiz. Fingers twist in Michelle's nervously, but she can't see Jacob getting mad for that... "I love Michelle..."

Ravyn: "Well, who doesn't?" He smiles and returns with the tea, giving a placating grin before that can be taken the wrong way. "Of course you do. And she loves you as well. I could tell that before you even hit this city block." She hands Michelle the tea, and moves to sit down in his chair. "Come, come sit. Couches, floor, whatever. Wherever you're most comfortable." He takes another drink from his glass.

Michelle takes the offered tee with a grateful nod and moves to join Sam, wherever she decides to sit. The woman is remarkably quiet, but very warm, a supportive influence for her student and lover.

Samantha Jacobs: Sam sinks into a couch, fingers still twisted in Michelle's. She glances at the green glass again, before it's gently set aside for now. She smiles little at what Jacob says, slowly starting to relax. To stop feeling like she has to do everthing right, and make it right. There is still that protectivness, that love regarding the woman next to her.

Ravyn: Michelle joins Sam on the couch, relaxing a little as Sam does.

Jacob smiles a little bit, and leans back in his chair. "So, then. You've recently Awakened, and you've found yourself a fairly cute little mentor, here." He winks at Michelle, mostly harmless firtation, a little bit knowing. "Tell me, what do you think of us? Be honest, please...trust me, no matter what you may say, you can't say anything worse then what others have said to me before."

Samantha Jacobs: "What do I think of the Cultists, or of mages as a whole?"

Ravyn: "Either. Both. Start wherever you prefer." An easy smile.

Samantha Jacobs: "I technically met a mage before I Awakened. And I accidently got involved in mage dealings before I woke up." A foot rubs an old bullet wound- fucking techies. She leans back a little. and takes a deep breath. "I'm a militray woman. Chances are I'll always be a military woman- and I tend to think in those terms. Mages are.... diverse. Some work and strive and do well, and want to learn. Others... need... time. I guess. But again... military perspective."

Ravyn: A little nod, and he gives a rueful chuckle. "I'll be perfectly honest here...personally, I think that half the mages that are still around deserve a different four-letter word attached to them. But I'm part of the old guard...and according to the rest of the Tradition's masters, many of whom are trapped in the spirit world, I'm a useless burnout. It's all perspective. At least the new blood is trying." He shrugs, considering his next words for a moment.

Samantha Jacobs: "Perspective is a lot." She murmurs, relaxing fully finally. "And they are trying. They just... need a.... a little direction somtimes." A wince almost. "I'm not great at that giving direction though. NOt yet."

Ravyn: For the moment, it doesn't seem as if he's heard Sam's words. "A statement. We mages...we're inherantly creatures of change. Do you agree or disagree?"

Samantha Jacobs: She blinks slowly, seeming to think about this. "... one could say everyone is. Not just mages. We grow. We learn. We adapt."

Ravyn: "But mages, specifically. Are we creatures of change more so then your average person, less so, or equal to others?"

Samantha Jacobs: "More so, in a way."

Ravyn: He keeps his attention directed at her, though his eyes seem to have a tendancy to flick around the room at odd times. "Explain."

Samantha Jacobs: "The average person... lives safe and secure in their world. Protected. Unknowing of what's out there. Us?" She licks her lips. "We adapt. We -have- to adapt. We live, we learn, we find ways to sneak through the cracks and around th Technocracy, and to be.... real."

Ravyn: He seems, actually, quite pleased with her answer, and nods. "Excellent. Very well-put, Samantha. Most mages would go straight to magical power, and how we change things with it. I know this, because most people HAVE. But you bring up a much more relevant point."

Samantha Jacobs: She blinks. "But Magic isn't everything. What we can do is a part of us, but it isn't US. And sometimes, you can't even USE magic. We've... had situatios like that." She clears her throat a bit, fingers tightening on Michelle's

Ravyn: A little nod. "The fifth law of the Code of Ananda. Many often forget it. The only reason I am still here is because I have not. And therein lies the problem with many mages...they only see answers through magical means." A shrug, and he finishes off his drink with a little grimace. "I think the difference is very telling, between one who thinks of magic first and one who thinks of it second."

Samantha Jacobs: "It has to be a balance." She lifts her head, shaking hair out of her eyes. "You can use just mundane means, or you can use just magicl means, but... that doesn't work. In the end, it just does not work. You have to find a place between the two, to be able to use it efficently and effectivly to help you and others.."

Ravyn: "Exactamundo." He nods a little, grinning. "Very well put. What, do you believe, makes people think only about their magic?"

Samantha Jacobs: "Because it's special. Different. NOT mundane." She nods slowly. Fingers slowly stroke Michelle's hand.

Ravyn: Michelle smiles, silently. Jacob listens to her answer. "And what is the core issue there, would you say. What prompts them to use something that is not mundane?"

Samantha Jacobs: "I think it's the fact they -can- use it. The focus so much on the fact they have these pwers that do things that no one else can do and forget that their regular things from before got them out of situations before."

Ravyn: "And if you could put that into one word, what would it be?"

Samantha Jacobs: A blink. "The forgetting that miundane could be good and magic can be bad?"

Ravyn: A little grin. "That's more then one word, Samantha."

Samantha Jacobs: "The word that comes to mind is pride."

Ravyn: "Yes!" He bolts up out of his seat, and begins pacing. "Pride is the biggest issue facing the Traditions, and it always has. And this is what distresses me so much."

Samantha Jacobs: Sudden movement. She tenses, and then relxes again. "We're... human. Mortal. Sure, we have special powers, but we bleed and die just like anyone else."

Ravyn: He nods, a little distracted, as he paces. A moment's pause as he stops, and looks at her, annoyance obvious in his face, though certainly not at her. "This was the problem with the Council of Nine. The organized heads of the Traditions, comprised of Masters, who directed the efforts of the Traditions from Concordia, the Tradition safehouse in the realm of Horizon, had no concept of what it meant to be a Sleeper anymore, outside of Porthos of the Hermetics and our own Marianna." He shakes his head. "The Traditions had become stale, caught up in itself, no longer creatures of change, confirming the status quo. It is no wonder we lost the Ascension War."

Samantha Jacobs: "I can't forget what it is to be a Sleeper." It's quiet.

Ravyn: "Good." He nods, shortly. "Never forget it. It's the most important thing we can know."

Samantha Jacobs: "I won't."

Ravyn: Michelle moves her free hand to Sam's shoulder, in an attempt to relax her. Jacob takes a deep breath, the feeling gone, and moves to grab his glass. He moves to grab Sam's, then stops, noticing that she hasn't had any. With a shrug, he moves to pour himself more of the same of what he had.

Samantha Jacobs: ((He handed her absinthe, correct?))

Ravyn: ((That's what it looks like, yeah.))

Samantha Jacobs: Chances are, Sam forgot it was there, as she was focused on him. The small bit of tension that had collected in her lanky frame eases out quickly with Michelle's touch. A small smile gifted to the woman

Ravyn: "He comes back with his drink, sipping at it and making that alcohol face. "So, the old Masters were dead or gone, and the Traditions were left in the lurch. The Union came in and took over the channel, so to speak. All we had was our younger mages, our newly Awakened to Disciples...well, with a few of us Masters left, anyway." A little grin. "Personally, I see this as, ironically, our greatest opportunity to date. The old fogies, set in our ways...we ain't the power anymore. It's you guys."

Samantha Jacobs: She quirks an eyebrow. "The net generation. Fresh minds."

Ravyn: "Yup." He nods, sitting back down with a smirk. "You guys have the greatest opportunity the Trads have ever seen. To forge your own destinies, break free. You know what didn't work...now, try new methods. Do what the Cult is all about...break through the boundaries of what's come before, the limitations set on you by old, crust, stale bastards like myself. And with that, you can win."

Samantha Jacobs: She leans back, seeming to think about it. She's kind of breaking the mold as is by becoming a Cultis- she's not what most Cultists are like,

Ravyn: "Not thirsty?" He looks at her, eyebrow raised a little bit, smiling slightly. Yes, complete change of topic. He doesn't seem aware that he's even changed it, though.

Samantha Jacobs: "Huh?" She blinks, and then looks down at the drink, picking it up again. "What is it exactly?"

Ravyn: "It's what you asked for." He leans back, shrugging lightly. He reaches over and picks up a pillbox, opening it up and setting a small, blue pill on his tongue. He takes a swallow of his drink to wash it down.

Samantha Jacobs: She forgot what she asked for, to be honest. She lifts the glass, almost absently taking a sip of the drink. She glances at the pill, but makes no comment. Settling

Ravyn: The liquid smells like aniseed, supported by hints of menthol, mint, eucalyptus and earthy herbaceousness. The taste, as it hits her mouth, is rich aniseed and liquorice upfront, with a supporting cast of mint, eucalyptus, fennel and angelica providing range & depth. A very heady taste, and it should obviously be alcoholic. However, once it clears her throat, it goes down like water, without a burn or any other such effect.

Samantha Jacobs: She blilnks very slowly at the drink, swallowing it almost thickly, before she looks down at it. Still blinking slowly. "Mm."

Ravyn: A little chuckle from Jacob, and he looks at Michelle. The woman rolls her eyes at her mentor, but remains otherwise silent. Jacob looks back to Sam, a little smile playing on his lips. "You just tasted absinthe, Samantha. However, you drank water."

Samantha Jacobs: She slowly raises an eyebrow. "I see."