2020-11-25: No Meeting, No Problem

No Meeting, No Problem
When the regular weekly meeting isn't announced Vic decides to do research at its normal location and a small gathering occurs spontaneously around her
IC Date	November 25th, 2020
IC Time	Late afternoon/early evening
Players	Caressa, Evie, River, Thorn and Vic
Location	Prospect Roasters' Basement
Spheres	Traditions Mage
Theme Song	Star Wars Theme Remixes (links peppered throughout the scene)

River makes her way down into the basement carrying a large cup of coffee as she argues with herself. "No, No, Ill be happy to take her for a weekend, just got to let me know when ahead of time." Almost like she is bluetoothing it but without the blue tooth.

---

Tuesday evening finds Vic in the basement of Prospect Roasters with her laptop set up on a table near the library, a steaming cup of coffee and a stack of books that she's consulting as she takes notes on the computer from which comes the sounds of a disco version of the Star Wars theme music. Hearing someone coming downstairs she lowers the volume and looks about to say hello but realizing that the person's mid-conversation she just nods to River and waits for an opening to speak with the other woman.

---

River sees a meeting going on and blushes as she says "Sorry mother, need to go." She then lets whatever magic she has going snap off as she looks around and moves to find a seat.

---

Vic says, "No meeting this week apparently. No Bobbi and no food unless you bring some down from upstairs." She indicates a chair at the table she's at. "Feel free to join me, I just chose tonight for some research for a convenient time to do it." She adds, "I'm Vic by the way, we've met before I think haven't we?"

---

River smiles and nods "A couple of times." She takes the offered seat and looks to Vic as she adds "Mostly in meetings, but once in the city, I just forget where at the moment."

---

Vic nods. "Sorry, lots of new people and faces since I arrived here," she explains, "But I think I remember your name then also, its River, right?" She's keeping her focus on the other woman as they speak. Also the first music stops and a new, also disco-y version, of the Star Wars theme begins.

---

River nods "River Salama, can throw a Doctor in there if you like but Im not that pretentious." She then sip[s her coffee. "I work mostly in family medicine, and an apothecary shop."

---

"I don't think there's any need for that level of formality myself, but if you insist I'll use the title," Vic says with a grin. "Sorcerer, right?" she asks.

---

River nods her head "Sorcerer or hedge Witch. My family are all mages though. I just never woke completely." She grins "Every once in awhile my avatar peeks its eyes and I have a few seconds of a window I can do that magic you do."

---

Vic smiles. "There's something to say for the form of magic you sorcerers do," Vic says, "Although, I believe that there's less flexibility intrinsic to it as I understand it." Again the track that had begun finishes and another version of the theme starts, this one all techno-club-hoppy sounding.

---

River laughs and says "Well yes and no? I mean you can just decide to do something new, I have to research it for weeks if not months for a new effect." She sips her coffee. "But still No paradox is nice."

---

Vic nods as she says, "I'm sure that's true." She then adds, "I find the risk worth it... I mean, unless it kills me the Dox can't take much more from me than it already did after all, right?" leaving the question to be answered or questioned itself by the medically oriented hedge.

---

River says, “I'm not great expert on paradox, Although if you used one of my enchantments or potions you would not gain paradox as it is my magic, not yours. Iv given out a few to mage friends over the years.”

---

Vic and River are sitting at a table near the library talking and a techno-version of Star Wars is playing from the V-Dept's computer upon which she is taking notes as she reads though books and sips coffee. She nods in response to a comment and says, "That's interesting. But can you transmute junk electronics into a completely new form of circuitry? Its a headache to figure out how I'm going to do this but its a goal I will succeed at." This is said with a friendly smile, not a judgy or challenging way.

---

River says, “Well about as well as I could do, is take a computer and change it into another form. granted I don't know enough about computers it is going to still work, but I could turn it into a lovely sculpture?”

River says, “Maybe turn a block of steel into a music box.”

---

Vic chuckles and nods. She then asks, "Do you know much about me?" explaining, "I don't know how much you've heard, I don't think I've explained much at the meetings other than my traditional introduction where I state I'm an extradimensional alien."

---

Evie bounds down the stairs in a very peculiar outfit. Dressed as Wendy from Peter Pan, she's decided to re-use her Halloween costume for reasons likely known only to herself. Looking around at the empty-ish room, she blinks and waves sheepishly at the two others chattering away. "Uhhh. Hey. Am I early this time? Seems like I'm early this time."

---

River says, “Extra dimensional being?”

---

Evie looks over to Vic. "You use that line for theatrics don't you."

---

"Hey there Evie," Vic greets the energetic proto-mage with a smile and then nodding to River she says, "Yes," and to Evie she says, "No, not at all." A new version of the Star Wars theme begins from her computer. She continues, "I am not of this world. In August I was out in the desert outside of San Diego Califorinia with other mages. We were trying to perform a ritual. Something went wrong. Arumi and Astra were the first people in this world I ever met. They got me into the community here... this was before Arumi's accident of course... and Astra let me stay with her for a few weeks before I found Raise's place to stay for a while."

---

River says, “neat. I was stillborn and my grandmother infused life into me. Pretty sure thats what gave me the sight and screwed up my avatar.”

---

Evie muses to Vic, "You're of a world that's similar enough, so all we need to do is find this timeline's version of you and cause absolute mayhem." A pause, before she shakes her head. "Or maybe not, the Paradox backlash would be ridiculous." A longer pause, then... "Hm. I'm just an overly curious sort, myself. Went to a rave near here just to annoy my parents, sensed some serene mystical presence, and it kind of spiralled from there."

---

Vic listens to both stories and chuckles at Evie's. Driven by curiosity though, Vic's attention returns to River of whom she asks, "Your grandmother was a mage then? Verbenna or something else?" As she finishes her question the music again pauses as yet another version of the Star Wars theme, this one a metal remix, begins.

---

River says, “Yes old blood verbena family. She is still alive, although she gave up her immortality to give me life. My great great grandmother is still alive. I mean I myself am almost thirty, we have good skin."

---

"Verbena, Verbena... naturists? Gather herbs, make potions, give back to Gaia?" Evie clarifies for her own benefit. "And, waaaait. Gave up immortality. That's either a raw deal or a great escape, depending on how you view--" she shrinks a bit in her seat as she has a personal realization. "Actually, I'd rather not think of implications right now."

---

Vic nods knowingly and starts closing the books after finishing typing a few additional notes onto her computer. "So, long standing family traditions and all, bucked due to being saved at birth," she says to River; "But you stayed tangential to Life by finding a focus on medicine in your magic it sounds, right" she asks the not-a-Verbena while also smiling at Evie regarding her comments.

As the metal version ends a ska version of the Star Wars theme begins.

---

River sits with Vic and Evie at a table as the three chat idly. "My theory is I leak life force now? I mean plants seem to grow extra well around me, I have the whole spooky spirit, faerie, and dead sight thing going on. Its probably why I can't have children too, so a rough trade off."

---

Evie pulls her legs in to her chest, pensive. "Leaking life force. That sounds dreadful. How's it feel, though, all told?" She looks over to consider River. "I hope you'll be okay."

---

Usually Bobbi's Tuesday night meetings are going on down in Roasters, but with Thanksgiving happening this week, several of the mages that usually make their appearance are elsewhere, spending time with family, just getting ready for the holiday, or taking a week off from informing the rest of the Mage community about what's been going on in their lives. Thorn, being a creature of habit, decided to make the trip downstairs once she finished the work at her house for the day. It's coming along well - the place is almost ready to be lived in - but it still has a few things to be done. After a long, hot shower and a bit of personal grooming, Thorn dressed in comfortable clothes with a light jacket over the arms to keep her warm in case of dropping temperatures and headed off to the coffee shop, her Familiar tucked in her bag.

Making her way down to the basement, she was surprised to hear the murmur of conversation, pausing at the foot of the stairs to let Mari out to explore, giving her a silver spoon to chew on as a treat, scanning the gathered group and offering a smile to the familiar faces. "Hey there, you girls."

---

Vic stands up after stacking all the books and lifts said stack. "Do you desperately want to have children then?" she asks River and, upon Thorn's arrival, she says, "Good evening," to her fellow V-Dept.

---

River says, “Not desperately, but one day I would like to have kids. Upside of being immortal now is I have time to take that step later in life.”

---

The ska version of the Star Wars theme finishes on Vic's computer the playlist continues, playing a version of the piece played on 'the floppotron'.

---

Evie is having one of those moments where she's really really intimidated by things, and sort of just goes /really/ quiet. Visibly worrying. Not terrified, not screaming bloody murder down the street, but definitely stressed out about things.

---

The expression Thorn gives is the same one that a heroine in one of those scenes with the record scratch freeze frame happens when she comes in on talk of child producing and immortality - two things that kind of go hand in hand in their own way. "Hi Vic. Hi River." The tantalizing phrase of 'Being immortal now' hangs in the air but she doesn't bite. She's good. Really, she is. And, thankfully, River heading upstairs earns a wave from Thorn and a wide eyed turn to camera where camera is Vic and Evie. "Well." She bounces on her toes as Mari slinks off to enjoy her spoon. "What a spot to come into a conversation on, huh?" She smiles. "How are you two?"

---

Vic steps away from the table into the library where she starts to re-shelve the books. "Yeah, its not like Central Perk where dating or shopping was the primary conversation most of the time," she says while 'working' with the tomes; "I'm doing well, how about you Thorn? and Evie, you too, didn't really get to greet you properly what with the conversation going on when you arrived," she calls out from the small set of stacks.

As the 8-bit, disk-drive version of Star Wars ends Vic's computer queues up another short one played on the theremin.

---

Evie mutters into her knees, "Can we not? Please? World's scary." Her face is buried into her knees, feet propped up on her couch seat, and she's plainly sinking deeper into worry. About scary world, presumably. "Life energy can leak. Immortality can break. Also shadowlands are hell." Yeeeeeesh.

---

The metallic Familiar of Mari finds a spot beneath the table, scanning the room with her yellow eyes before bending down to daintily take a bite out of her silver spoon, a crumpling, tearing of metal sound happening when she does, showing that she's got a pretty nice bite strength. God help the world when Thorn gets talented enough to upgrade her with requested wings!

"I'm okay." Thorn makes her way over to the couch where she normally sits, a mug of coffee appearing in her hand, as if by magic, before she sits, taking a sip. "My house is almost done. Bobbi's got me exercising every morning...yoga and stuff...I swear, I just think she wants to see me in yoga pants and a sports bra." There's teasing there, but there's probably a nugget of truth in there somewhere, too.

Vic gets a glance before Thorn turns her attention to Evie. "Yeah...there's lots of scary stuff out there. The Shadowlands are pretty high up on that list. Trust me, I know. I spent about six years seeing them before I figured out how to selectively see. So let's not talk about scary stuff like that. What's up with you, other than being terrified of everything?"

---

Still putting books away, Vic's words reflect being torn in two directions as she asks two different questions, possibly triggering two conflicting conversations, "Not what, Evie?" and "Wait, are you and Bobbi an item?" of her two friends.

---

Thorn indirectly answered Vic's question to Evie, who lets her legs extend idly until she's sitting normally again. "Not talk about scary. And I think Thorn votes for that as well. Which means!" It's forced enthusiasm, but not necessarily fake. "I think I need goals. You know, besides getting by and doing art. BIG goals. And I'm coming up empty on that front... ugh, I need a raison d'etre over here." Forced enthusiasm gives way to more natural frustration, but at least she isn't terrorscared anymore?

---

As the spooky-strange theremin version of John Williams' iconic music ends yet another version starts on Vic's computer, this one a medley of paired harp music.

---

Moving from scary to giant goals is a hell of a swing to follow, but why not? That's what they're here for, more or less. Thorn sips at her coffee, holding her mug in both hands to keep them nice and warm in the cool of the basement. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's something you need to decide for yourself. I mean, you can be given goals by your mentor, but in the end, it's what you're curious about that leads you to where you're supposed to be. So...what are you curious about? What's something you'd like to see, somewhere you'd like to go, or something you want to do. You're at the point in your education that you can literally go anywhere and do anything. It all depends on how you see the world."

---

Having finished putting the research books away, Vic returns to the table and slips back into the chair at her computer. Seeing that the topic has shifted she doesn't push either of her questions, one answered and one evaded, as she is instead apparently content to let the goals discussion go on. "Big goals aren't required all the time either though, Evie," she says with what sounds like the voice of experience.

---

Caressa makes her way down the stairs carefully with a travel mug in her hand. She pauses at the base of the stairs to let her silver-violet eyes take in the room.

---

Thorn shakes her head to Vic. "Nah, we're not. She's seeing someone right now, so we're just friends. Close friends, but just friends." That hang out a lot, occasionally sleep in the same bed, hot tub, and have long, deep conversations. She smiles, then turns back to Evie, nodding. "Exactly. To put a metaphor in there to make this a little easier to digest, you're in kindergarten now, and the adults are asking you to choose what you want to be when you grow up. Mainly because they have no idea and are looking for some inspiration, but for us magick-types? There's a lot to choose from. Take small steps. Small victories build into larger ones, and then, voila, you're the archmage of Prospect...if such a thing exists." She giggles, giving Caressa a wave. Thorn's sitting on the couch with a mug of coffee, talking with Evie and Vic. Vic is in the middle of a pile of books that she's putting away and Evie is just...there, looking a little uncomfortable at some of the options she's been made aware of over the past few days.

---

The harp music version of the Star Wars theme playing on Vic's computer comes to a conclusion and is followed by a Reggae version of the same music the playlist moves onto the next file.

"Hey there," the computer jockey V-Dept says to Caressa while nodding in time with Thorn's words.

---

Evie stares blankly at Thorn's admittedly very helpful and very thorough response. "I, er, I got that. I'm curious about everything though. Literally. Like. My answer to your question is 'the Tellurian'. That's what I'm curious about. So yeah, it's more like I want to be a lawyer who fights fires while welding cars and researching dark secrets of the Pyramids. And every other occupation at once. What I need is focus." Her eyebrow quirks toward Vic's computer as it cycles through yet ANOTHER Star Wars theme... "Vic, how many versions of that do you have lined up?"

---

Caressa returns the wave Thorn gives her, then smiles warmly to Vic. "Hey. How are you doing?" She makes her way over to a table and settles there are the couch is occupied. Her large purse is unslung from her shoulder to be sat at her feet. "Meditation is a great way to slow your mind down and focus yourself. Have you tried it?"

---

"A good overarching goal." Thorn says with a smile, pulling one knee to her chest, sipping at her coffee again while her familiar, a metallic cat eating a silver spoon, pads across the floor to lay at her feet. "You've got to get the basics down first, then. Crawl before walk before run. It's even more important when the very stuff of the universe can be manipulated. The butterfly effect sucks when Paradox kicks in."

---

With a glance at the lower screen of her laptop Vic says, "Three more?" hesitatingly to answer Evie's question and answers Caressa with, "Awesome, Raise's healing really did the trick, great night's sleep also." She then realizes that she left some books behind and laughs at her oversight while Thorn's speaking. "Oh gods don't miss the basics, Evie. I'm still working on some of those myself."

---

Evie smiles broadly at the others offering helpful tips. Reminders, largely, but reminders are virtually always useful! "Yeah, I've done meditation. It's great, but it's not a thing I can always do." Moving from Caressa to Thorn, she continues, "Basics, right, I guess that refers to detecting things before trying to rearrange those things? Energy crystals show promise there, actually. Place them around a room and it becomes real easy to see ley lines... that is, if I can even remember what I'm looking for." There's a deep sigh as she copes with being merely a sometimes-Awakened. "It'll be great once I'm not reinventing the wheel every time I want to so much as pinpoint my location without Google Maps..."

---

As the Reggae version of the Star Wars theme ends, Vic's computer flips over to an "Epic Medieval Style" as the next file in the playlist.

---

Caressa chuckles softly, "That is how we learn though. Mistakes, rearranging, trying again." She smiles to Evie, "You'll get there. It is especially hard when you don't have a tradition to glean information from. Have you thought about choosing one?" Those silver-violet eyes glance to the computer, causing her to shake her head with a smirk.

---

"Or letting one choose you?" Thorn adds with a grin.

---

"Evie, you should come over and try competitive PS4 meditation with me at some point," Vic says, sounding one hundred percent serious about this.

---

Evie quips lighting-quick to Vic, "What game?"

---

Evie sounds also one hundred percent serious about this.

---

Vic, laughing slightly, says, "Star Wars Battlefront of course!" in answer to Evie's question.

---

Caressa nods. "It is a big decision, to be sure. Traditions, that is." A phone chirps in her purse and she pulls it out to check on it.

---

"Star Wars: Battlefront?" Thorn sinks back into her seat. "Not a good fighting game like Tekken? Or some bullet hell like Enter the Gungeon? GTA5 and grief some people? Guitar Hero? Mutha effin' Tetris? REZ with a VR helmet?" Sounds like Thorn prefers a lot of things to FPS's. The bouncing sometimes gives her a tender tummy.

---

Evie hmms. "The Akashic paradigm is surprisingly simple to pick up, except the path they walk is a bit unsettling. Dissolution of the self? Pass. Hermeticism is what I'd been studying for a while, but it's deeeeeense." She makes a 'yech' face. "Then you've got the recent influx of Virtual Adepts, who seem to be on to something. Everything is code?" She stares at Vic's computer, then the table it sits on. "Except. That doesn't quite make sense when you consider particle physics. Quarks aren't binary-coded. So..." Oh right, games. Thorn gets an eye. "I'm alright with Ling Xiaoyu, actually. But would you believe I've never played Battlefront? That, please." Game date with Vic, planned.

---

Caressa slides the phone back into her purse after sending off a message. She starts to rise, "I need to be going. I don't know how much help I could offer Evie, but I'm always a willing ear if you need to just have someone listen. Sometimes that helps in finding your way." She gives a wave to them all and heads back up the stairs.

---

Vic grins at Thorn and says, "Any of those... but with the music I'm playing today it seemed the right answer. Guitar Hero is a good one as a serious choice for meditation." Addressing the bubbly proto-mage's statement she says, "Quantum computing. Not all code is binary, Evie," as she waves to Caressa as well.

When the "medieval" form ends an acapella version of the Star Wars theme kicks off with a single voice singing twenty-six parts to make the music work.

---

"When you get a chance, look up LaPlace's Demon. He's kind of what I've based a lot of my views on." Thorn shrugs. "Seems to work, even with all the day of the dead stuff I do."

---

Evie shudders at the mention of LaPlace's Demon. "The fatalism thing? I'd rather not. It'd imply all this will-working is on auto-pilot, that I have no agency, that I'm literally just along for the ride. Not even God would be immune to it. Not even LaPlace's Demon would be able to escape."

---

As Thorn heads upstairs to take care of something, Vic collects the books she forgot earlier and heads into the library to shelve them as well. "Well, I evoked the Que word a few moments ago so I assume you know my opinion on determinism, Evie," she says confidently while putting away the books before returning to the computer.

---

Evie gets up, walks over, and holds up a hand to hi-five Vic. "Heck yeah! Universe is far too vast to be sinking into that fallacy. And even if it's all determined, so what? It's not like some puppeteer out there is controlling our actions, else they'd be subject to literally the same constraints." Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa hang on. As your narrator, Evie, I feel personally attacked! I'll remember this when roleplay events afflict you with your first Quiet... "So yeah. Quantum. Not sure that makes much sense either, but -- okay, I'm trying here!"

---

Vic grins at the satisfying smack of the hi-five and then grabs her phone which she puts against the lower screen which she seems to flick with the index finger of her other hand; in response the music stops on the computer and begins from the phone just in time for the last track to start - a more traditional but still re-mixed version of the Star Wars theme.

"If you want to discuss the theories and approaches of the Virtual Adepts you can discuss them with Thorn, Rufus or myself but... remember that every mage is different really. Even two who studied under the same mentor can have slight differences in their Paradigm," she explains as she triggers the shut down procedure on her computer and begins to fold her multi-angled laptop screen into the closed position.

---

Evie stands up and makes to follow Vic up the stairs and out the basement, though the two likely have different destinations. "One thing I don't get. We've all figured out the underpinnings of the universe, right? So, riddle me this. Why have we all figured out wildly different and nigh incompatible Paradigms? That's going to bug me to no end."

---

Having packed up the computer, Vic follows Evie out and they part company as they head to their homes.