All Roads/Session 6

Pete: It is approaching the end of the morning when Arclight leaves. Aside from his instructions to expect further contact there is nowhere the cabal is expected to be today.

Nebuchadnezzer: has resumed work in his office on the second floor, preparing drawings as best he can with only one working hand.

Pete: The house seems dreadfully quiet despite everybody present.

@Isis: After completing her oblation Isis begins reinforcing the sanctum wards as she'd promised. All through the morning and well into the afternoon she can be seen walking through the house, back and forth, every step a part of a carefully designed pattern.

@Isis: Atlantean runes on the walls mark her progress until the wards shroud the whole sanctum, protecting all within from scrying and sympathetic spells.

Kenan: Kenan spends most of the morning and early afternoon chanting and casting Time spell that is to protect the sanctum from scrying attempts; the spell will last indefinitely, and is quite potent - not impenetrable, of course, but should stop casual attempts at viewing what occurs in the sanctum with Time spells

Nebuchadnezzer: In addition, Nebuchadnezzar sketches a series of traps for the old tube enterance to the Sanctum. Intending to impliment them later that day.

Pete: While Isis is busy crafting her wards, in the middle of the day, her phone begins to ring.

Isis: Her focus sharpened close to absolute Isis does not react to the ringing of the phone back in her room. It's only ten minutes later or so when she reaches a milestone in her ritual and briefly surfaces that she remembers it. Tying the ritual off in suspension she goes to fetch the phone.

Isis: She'll be busy with the casting for quite some time yet so in order to avoid more distractions she'd better see who tried to reach her.

Pete: The display registers the call as having come from Isis' mentor, Diana. It seems as though she has left a message on voicemail.

Isis: There is no hesitation in pressing the button to call forth the message.

On the phone:

Pete: Her tone is serious, concerned.

Pete: "Isis, call me back as soon as you get this message. I heard what happened last night, I need to know you're alright. I'll be here all day."

Dakkareth: Thinking about it only for a moment Isis hits 'call back'. There'll be time for casting later.

Pete: The phone rings twice before Dinana answers. "Hello?" From the wind it sounds as though she's outside.

Dakkareth: "Hello, it's me. I'm sorry, I should have called," Isis speaks without pausing. "I'm unharmed and safe."

Pete: "It's okay." She is audibly relieved, "I'm glad to hear you're alright."

Pete: "Where are you now?"

Dakkareth: "I'm at the house. Making it safer."

Dakkareth: "I'll send you the passphrase when I'm done." There's a bit of pride in Isis voice when she speaks of the ward she has thought up.

Dakkareth: But even so she mislikes to trust subtle matters to something technical, so she doesn't go into more detail.

Dakkareth: "One of the group was hurt, but he was at the hospital and he's getting better now."

Dakkareth: "So we're as alright as we can be ... under the circumstances." Remembering Gwendolyn who is dead and Eidolon who was so badly hurt Isis' tone becomes more subdued.

Pete: "Good... That's good." She says upon hearing that Isis is safe. "When I heard what happened-" She pauses, listening to the rest of what the girl has to say. "Would you like me to come over?" Perhaps it was something in Isis' tone that prompted such an offer, but concern was creeping back into Diana's voice.

Dakkareth: "I'm in the middle of work and it will probably be evening by the time I'm finished ..." Isis thinks for a moment. "But unless the ... police call again I don't have anything in the evening."

Pete: "Tell you what, why don't you come to mine? I'll get Mojo to cook and maybe we could watch something. You can invite your cabal, if you like."

Dakkareth: "Yes, I'd like that! I'll ask the others."

Pete: "How does 7 sound?"

Dakkareth: thinks for a moment. "I might be delayed. But I'd call if that happened."

Dakkareth: "I have to get back to work now. See you later?"

Pete: "Take care, Isis." She hangs up.

Dakkareth: Isis smiles, putting the phone away "I will."

Dakkareth: Then, after taking a moment to drop back into the focus required by the ongoing casting, she returns to her working.

Isis: As the clock approaches five in the afternoon Isis, exhausted but happy, finishes her ritual and goes around the house to find the others.

Kenan: kenan, satisfied with the spell cast earlier, is happily sipping another can of beer while watching television

Isis: "Hello Kenan. I'm going over to Diana's for dinner. I could invite my cabal as well she said."

Kenan: "hello" - Kenan smiles, showing signs of mild inebriation. he thinks for a moment, then asks "which Diana"?

Isis: "Is there more than one? In this consilium, I mean," Isis asks, curious.

Kenan: "oh, that one, right, right. Yes, why not, as long as there's something to drink" - Kenan smiles again

Nebuchadnezzar: comes down the stairs, dressed in casual clothing. He wanders over to the tea pot and opens it looking inside.

Isis: "I'm sure there will be something," Isis says seriously.

Isis: "Mojo can cook quite well, too."

Kenan: "that's good to hear. is it some special occasion today?"

Isis: "We're alive."

Isis: "Nebuchadnezzar, Diana invited me for dinner," Isis explains to the newly arrived. "You can come too if you want, she said."

Kenan: Kenan considers this for a moment "surely, then, they should be throwing dinner parties every day? it's not like we're immortal barring abyssal manifestations, I could just drop dead the next minute, for example"

Isis: "Mojo would probably agree with you," Isis smiles. "Except he won't die suddenly because he knows Life."

Nebuchadnezzar is now known as Virgil

Kenan: "ah, but you never know the day and the hour. Unless you happen to know Time" - being drunk, Kenan seems pleased with coming up with this reply

Kenan: "but I digress. Any reason is good to have a pleasant dinner in a pleasant company. Are we expected to bring something?"

Isis: nods. "Yes, true."

Virgil is now known as Nebuchadnezzar

Isis: "I'll ask."

Nebuchadnezzar: "Kenan it is 5 o'clock in the afternoon, are you drunk?" Neb says his attention moving from the teapot to Kenan, he has obviously registered what Isis has said but looks deep min tought and has yet to say anything regarding it.

Kenan: "I've had a can or two, it's Sunday. I wish Syntagma was back already, without him, there doesn't seem to be much Life in the Sanctum" - Kenan replies to Neb with another bad pun

Isis: "He's probably very busy," Isis says, not noticing the pun. "All the sentinels probabl are."

Kenan: "true." Kenan's expression becomes more serious "have you any ideas about how we could further secure this place?"

Isis: "Ghost and spirit guardians are traditional," Isis lists. "Golems. Walking dead. Dispelling fields. Fire walls. Spatial labyrinths. Illusions and phantasms."

Isis: "There's also ban circles, but I haven't learned how to do them, yet."

Isis: "Do you think Syntagma could create monsters?"

Kenan: "we could always summon something relevant to our Arcana"

Kenan: "hmm. possibly, although I'm not sure if he could just make them good enough just yet"

Isis: breathes deeply. "Supernal entities. Very dangerous."

Nebuchadnezzar: "What is it with people and bad puns about my hand today." Neb mutters.

Isis: "I don't think anyone made a joke about your hand," Isis denies. "That would be quite mean."

Isis: "Stasis traps," she adds to the list after a minute, with a look to Kenan.

Kenan: "although, as a pretext for throwing puns around, such an injury is rather handy. I imagine a reaction to them would be rather caustic, though"

Isis: "Soul magnets."

Nebuchadnezzar: "I think I can make dinner," Neb says with a grin, "save me having to cook again and it allows Kenan plenty of time to either get more drunk or sober up and do something productive"

Kenan: "stasis traps, hmm? that's a possibility"

Nebuchadnezzar: "Like learn that beer can be made rather caustic too, if the Matter Adept gets irritated with enough puns."

Nebuchadnezzar: The threat isn't serious, and made in a rather flipant fashion

Isis: "I'll call Diana," Isis nods. And does so to tell her that Kenan and Neb are coming as well and that they'll be on time.

Isis: "But not if you only drink from your hip flask," Isis throws in.

Pete: The response is positive, she will look forward to seeing you all at seven.

Kenan: Kenan opens his mouth as if to reply to Neb, but decides to shut up, and heads off to take a cold shower and get ready for the dinner

Pete: Diana lives in a fairly nice Thames-side apartment on the Isle of dogs. It's a bit of a trip, but doesn't take you too long overall to get there.

Pete: Unlike your cabal, who share a sanctum, hers lives apart.

Pete: When she answers the door Diana is dressed fairly smartly, in a long-sleeve white blouse and suit trousers. Her short, auburn hair is tied back. She beams at you, Isis especially. "Hello! Come in!"

Isis: is wearing her usual second hand jeans and a black hoodie with tiny red numbers all over it listing the digits of pi, which doesn't seem to fit at all with her pale green jacket.

Kenan: is dressed in suit trousers and a navy blue shirt, and presents a rather different sight to the one from a couple hours ago

Nebuchadnezzar: Neb is wearing his brown leather coat, smart black trousers with red suspender, a black shirt and a white tie. He takes off his coat as he enters.

Isis: "Hello Diana!" Isis embraces her in greeting.

Pete: Diana hugs her a little more tightly than usual before ushering her and the others inside and closing the door.

Nebuchadnezzar: "Good Evening Diana" Neb says while Isis is hugging her. Hanging up his coat on a hook.

Kenan: "Good evening" Kenan smiles charmingly (or at least makes the attempt)

Pete: The apartment is warm, filled with the sounds and smells of cooking. Down the short hallway is the living room, and through the door you can see the TV is on.

Pete: "How are we all?" She asks, moving down the hall. "Come on, make yourselves comfortable."

Nebuchadnezzar: "As well as can be expected." He says impassively, "Thank you for the invitation."

Isis: "Better ... now that we're here." Isis skips ahead to the kitchen to greet Mojo. He wouldn't have turned down the opportunity to cook for the City and the Tower, would he?

Kenan: Kenan smiles in reply, leaving small talk to Isis and Neb

Pete: To get to the kitchen Isis has to pass through the lounge. Tiferet, one of Diana's cabalmates, sits on one of the sofas in the watching television. He sips a glass of what looks like wine. As Isis enters he looks up and smiles genuinely. "Evening, Isis!" Then as the others enter he raises his glass, "And the rest."

Pete: (in there,*)

Isis: Isis stops for a moment before continuing. "I hope you have a good evening, too."

Pete: (Raises his glass jovially, that is. Just to be clear.)

Kenan: "thank you for the invitation, it's very kind of you" - Kenan raises his glass as well

Nebuchadnezzar: "No alcohol for me, it mixes poorly with painkillers." he holds up his bandaged hand.

Pete: Diana gestures to the sofas. "Please, take a seat. Help yourself to wine." An open bottle of red and a couple of glasses sit on the coffee table. "We've got beer," She pauses as Neb speaks, "Or lemonade, if you like?"

Nebuchadnezzar: "Lemonade would be lovely, thank you. I also brought a small gift" He opens the satchel he has with him and hands over a bottle of Rose before taking a seat.

Pete: She takes the bottle and looks at it briefly, "Thanks, Neb." Placing it on the table by the corkscrew she makes to move into the kitchen, "Did you want any beer or are you okay with wine, Kenan?"

Kenan: "I'm happy with wine, thank you"

Meanwhile in the kitchen:

Pete: As Isis bounds into the kitchen it's clear that Mojo has been hard at work. The work-surfaces are a complete clutter of peelings and packaging. Then again he was never one to clean up after himself.

Pete: He looks over at her when she comes in. "'ey! The devil herself. Long time no see, Isis." He grins. "You hungry?"

Dakkareth: "Hey, hello Mojo!" Isis looks around at the various remnants of ingredient packings. "How could I not be if you've been so busy? What are we having?" She grins. "Or are we supposed to guess, after?"

Dakkareth: She remembers Mojo's experiments with fondness. They'd usually turned out well - usually.

Pete: "Nothin' too special. You didn't give me much notice, I'm afraid." He winks at her, then peers over the large pan of mixed rice, vegetables and meat. "Chicken paella. Shouldn't be too long now."

Dakkareth: "I will try to do better," Isis says with half-serious solemnity. "And wait with anticipation."

Dakkareth: "Or can I help with anything?"

Pete: "Don't you worry yourself, tonight's on us." His usually jovial tone wavers for a moment then, despite his efforts to stay lighthearted. "How are you doing? Heard you were busy last night."

Dakkareth: "A lot happened, but I didn't really do much," there's a slight note of self-recrimination in her voice.

Dakkareth: "Eidolon and Nebuchadnezzar were the ones to stand in the things way. They were the ones who got hurt."

Pete: He nods, a little solemn for a moment but then nudges her shoulder and smiles. "'Ey, well. Next time you'll have him, right?"

Dakkareth: Isis smiles, hesitantly at first then stronger. "Yes," she nods. "Yes, I will."

Dakkareth: After a moment she looks back to the lounge where the others probably are waiting for the food. "I'm distracting you from your cooking, am I not?"

Pete: "Course not, I'm just waiting for the water to soak up." He takes a drink from a can of beer, leaning against the counter. "Making sure it doesn't burn on the pan."

Dakkareth: nods, not versed in this craft herself.

Pete: "But don't feel like you gotta stay out here with me. Like I said, tonight's on us. Go get comfortable, I'll bring the food in soon."

Dakkareth: Isis nods. "I'll do that." She takes one last deep breath to smell the delicious cooking, then returns to the others.