2023.03.26 The Formation of Ever Changing

03.26.23 The Formation of Ever Changing
In space, nobody can hear you negotiate with totem spirits to form a new pack! Well, okay, they can, but now you ruined it.
IC Date	03.26.23
Players	Branton, Irsa, Iris, Trey
Location	Space Boat – The Umbra
Spheres	Garou, Bastet, Kinfolk, Sorcerer

Space Boat - Low Earth Orbit

Space. The final frontier. Hanging in low earth orbit within the Aetherial realm is this patchwork ship. It looks like a gigantic child smashed several kinds of earthly ships together and forced them to be a single object. Many floored and wrapped in balconies like a paddle boat, spiked with massive masts like a galley, it could hold a small village worth of folk aboard it comfortably. The ship is outfitted for long voyages away from home, and crewed almost entirely by spirits. There's a glass enclosed garden to produce food that's overseen by Sun and Water and tended by plant Naturae. A Lounge is available for drinks and food, with tables, beanbag chairs, and of course a karaoke machine that is jealously guarded and powered by an Electricity elemental. A section of the lounge has been built entirely of glass, so that one can sing and dance amongst the stars without getting lost in them. The bridge is dominated by bizarre devices of umbral exploration, from a bejeweled armillary sphere for steering to consoles of mounted maps and strange navigational devices. There aren't intercoms on the ship, but there are large mouthed lizards that yell the captain's orders across the ship when needed. A pennon waves at the highest point of the ship, and it's sails are huge, marvelous things of red and gold, black and silver. A small row boat kept at the stern provides a quick and automated way to get to a planet's surface and back again.

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Iris dragged Trey out to the row boat at Branton's house again, be it by text or String or just yelling really loud to get his attention. You know, whatever works. She highjacked him into the umbra again with that silvery thread of gnosis attaching him to her, and up they go in the row boat up to the Space Boat. It's a more important Boat, that's why it has a capital B. "So I was thinking we should do a little connecting, make it a sort of team-up day combined with a short umbral lesson. You game?"

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Trey is definitely down with this; he's still getting used to the feeling of being in a pack, but it's not a bad feeling. Just... kind of neat, actually. "Sounds good to me, you know I'm flexible." He pauses. "Except when I'm falling on my face, not that this has EVER happened, at all. Never."

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Oh absolutely never. Perish the thought! Iris steps up to the railing of the boat and gestures at everything, the whole Space thing all around. "So this is the Aetherial Realm. Technically this WHOLE thing is the Aetherial, but there's a bit that's just for earth. You'd think of this as EARTH's Aetherial. Sort of like how there's a neighborhood as a whole, but that one house is your house, but as a house it is a part of the neighborhood. Make sense? Now, step up here with me..." she says, and climbs up to balance on the railing. The earth floats in the void, a sheet of clouds a few hundred meters down under the ship's hull.

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Trey casts his gaze around, with no less enthusiasm than the first time, his smile warm and a little dreamy. Even just looking down at Gaia's face is a thing of beauty. He nods and says, "Sets and subsets, and subsubsets, down to the individual items. Math, if you like math. Or just grouping if you don't." He considers her perch, and then jumps up onto it sure-footedly, his battered hiking boots stuck to the rail like they were glued. "It's kinda terrifying, but in such a distant way that it hardly feels scary at all," he observes, peering at the cloud cover below them.

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"Exactly!" Iris does indeed like her some math, it's the language of one of the triat after all! "Now, every realm has laws. You know Earth's law, the Gaian realm's law. What goes up must come down, fire burns stuff, water is wet, all that good stuff. But we're not on earth, we're in a different realm, so there's different laws here. The first and weirdest of these laws is this: Step off the railing." She reaches out to hold Trey's hand, her foot poised over the star speckled nothingness below them and ready to step off at the same moment Trey does. She won’t go before him, but she also won’t ask him to step out there all by himself.

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Trey 's eyes go wide, but she's telling him something important, and Trey knows it doesn't exactly work the same way out here, so... he swallows one moment of hesitation, grins, and then takes her hand, stepping off without worry. This could quickly turn into a Bugs Bunny moment, but he's sure she wouldn't do that. At least not without a way out!

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Iris steps off the railing with him and... They just step off. There's no falling, no current to be caught in, they're just off the railing, hanging out there in space, weightless. There's no resistance, no *nothing* under their feet or against their bodies, they're just... out there, existing. Totally not dying. "Flight. This is the realm of things that soar. Wings don't actually matter here, so comes the obvious question, how do you fly? You fly by wanting to. Think about where you want to go, and just go there. Don't try, just do it. Take us down there towards the clouds under us. You can do it!" She's brimming with confidence in her soon to be packmate.

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Trey draws in a long breath and says, "Okay. Sorta like swimming, only you can breathe it." Well, in the Umbra, at least. He laughs softly, and then turns to face the clouds, and just starts to... move in that direction, easy, long, loping motions somewhere between swimming and long-distance running. Holy crap, he's flying! Who needs wings? He doesn't let his delight through him off; he just leads them down to the very edge of the clouds, hovering with them underfoot, and under-hand. This is 360 degrees, after all!

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Like the lazy bitch she is, Iris just sorta hangs on and lets Trey do all the work! "Excellent, young padawan." she says in a rather Yoda-ish voice when they reach the clouds. There are birds here, all sorts of varieties. They fly alone or in swarming flocks, large and small, undivided by oceans or mountains. The clouds below them shine white in the moonlight and shadowy where they fold and curl, an ever moving and ever changing blanket that spreads to pieces and comes back together again, revealing and concealing the world below. "Most bird spirits found on earth will come here now and then just to... you know, do bird stuff. You wouldn't find things like penguins here, or kiwis, or things that just don't belong in the air, their spirits are more earthbound. You'll also find air elementals, if you can spot the invisible little punks, as well as lightning and fire elementals. Flying insects may also come here, but they're a minority since there aren't a *ton* of different insect spirits for some reason. Don't ask me why, I have no idea."

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Trey is fine with doing the work! He laughs at the Yoda impression, but notes, "You're neither green nor withered." Though they could fix that! But not right now, of course. He checks out the birds, stifling the urge to catpounce and get some tasty Gnosis. "It's kind of like a cold blanket," he notes, shifting and getting in a little closer to observe the teeming movements and the many, many flying creatures. "I think I saw a shimmer over there, might be an elemental." Or it could be part of a cloud, but hey, it's all good. "Fire elementals up here? I figured lightning, but fire?" He hrms at the comment about insects and says, "That *IS* weird considering how many insect species there are. But maybe that's part of it -- too many for them to distinguish themselves clearly?"

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Well, maybe I'll get a plague when I'm really old, then I'll be able to do it!" Iris says. She nods though and says, "Yep, fire comes from very weird places, there's not really any place you can go where there's not also fire in some form or fashion. Even the bottom of the ocean! Up here in the clouds are some very, very curious things. Did you know people used to live up here? Mages I think. Sometimes you find ruins up here. I've never found anything aside from broken building parts, but it's still very interesting imagining what it used to look like. Any how, here's what I'm thinking. Let's zen out here for a while, and when you're feeling nice and centered, I think you should call on Butterfly, and I'll call on Meros. You can make sure you keep a good relation with your jamak, and meet your new one. We can exchange promises and stuff and make it official."

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Trey notes, "I have a gift where I could, theoretically, do it, but it would be seen right through as not real." He shrugs and smiles at that. Hey, if she asks, he'll do it. "But that's a long ways off yet. Plus I dunno about the green." He huhs and looks thoughtful about that. "Well, we were just talking the other night how fire is kind of a universal deadly thing, but it's also kind of a universal symbol for life, so... I guess it being everywhere shouldn't be surprising." He oooohs and says, "Ruins? I wonder what you could... oh, just broken bits. But still. You *could* find all kinda of things. Just because you haven't doesn't mean you won't!" That's his story; he's sticking to it. "That sounds really good, yes. And I have the design for her in my pocket, so it's good. I think she'll like it."

He stretches out as if reclining on the clouds, folds his arms behind his head, and ahhs. "Gettin' zenny wit' it," he says, "Unless you'd rather I went for the zazen thing."

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Iris grins and likes that adventurous optimism, that's literally her excuse for doing just about anything. Ya *might* find something cool! And yeah, she'll let go of Trey so he can lounge cool cat style. "I think Zenny works!" she adds with a laugh. "Do you know how to play pan pipes? I have a fetish set if you'd like to borrow them, they help with summoning." If you have Performance, that is.

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Trey winces at the question. "Not *well*," he admits, chuckles with a rueful air. "That's one thing I've never really gotten very far with, music, but hey, I could try. Or learn. No reason not to. Actually, another tribe of Bastet has a Gift that lets you learn instantly how to play any instrument, but finding one of them might be hard..." A pause. "I could try and yowl along, but, you've heard my yowl. It's not pretty." He hrms. "Oh, I have my own version of that candle holder I made for Irsa to aid in summonings and lesser rites, I'll break that out for the summonings." He admits, "Hers is nicer, though."

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"Okay, do that. I wouldn't suggest trying the pipes if you aren't sure you wont bork it. They might get upset about it!" Iris says. "Okay, you set the pace. A totem's gonna be a tough one to call, so you'll wanna be good and clear headed. Take as long as you need, and just give it a whack when you're ready. I'll follow in suit."

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Trey okays and moves up to go grab the tools for a summoning from his bag, setting the candle holder onto a belt loop with a leather strip and tucking the lighter into a pocket. He then settles in for a bit, eyes open but breathing slow and easy, almost like he's sleeping with his eyes open for a little bit. He slowly rolls to a sitting position, and hrms. "I can rest this on my thigh," he concludes after a moment, shrugging, and slipping into a zazen seat. It's comfortable for long summonings.

He pauses long enough to flick on the candle with the lighter, and then places it on one tight, a copper-wire wrapped holder that fits a smaller pillar candle nicely.

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Trey falls into a soft cadence, making his speaking voice as airy and pretty as possible as he whisper-chants the summons to Butterfly, the spirit speech coming naturally now. He gazes into the candle flame and through it, letting his sight unfocus and capture the motion of cloudstuff on air, using his senses to imagine her flight to this place, beseeching her sweetly, with the warm affection of one who genuinely cares.
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Trey rolls Wits(4) + Rituals(4) (8 dice) vs 4 for 7 successes.
3 +5 +7 +7 +8 +9 +10 +10
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Iris likes to meditate, she zens out with her pens out. Wait, no... Any how she perks when she hears Trey starting to do Stuff, and begins digging in her purse at the same time. She waits quietly so as not to distract or disturb. Colors of every hue begin to appear just about instantly some opaque and some sheer, filling the sky and forming into the pattern of wings. In a trick of perspective the visage of Butterfly shifts just a little bit and it turns out it wasn't really massive after all, it's just sort of large dog sized. Or WAS it huge?? It flutters joyous and happy to say hello to its cat. What the fuck would a butterfly even *sound* like? Maybe it just speaks in deep empathy. A direct vibe of 'holy shit dude, you're in the clouds!' as it approaches Trey. Iris gives the totem a deep bow, but gives them a little bit of space by doing her own summons, starting with the pipes.
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Mercy's Messenger rolls Charisma + Performance vs 5 for 2 successes.
1 1 1 2 2 +5 +8 8 9 10
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Trey grins at her and holds out his hands as if to say 'Isn't all this cool?! I'm totally in space, on a cloud, just chillin'!' He's happy, even more so with her presence. He conveys the vastness, the wonder, to her in a thought-feeling, and his own sense of yearning to learn and see and explore, and then he gazes at her, letting her know that she is what awakened that wonder in him, and now he has crawled out of the cocoon and become a spirit-speaker in his own right... and wishes to give her a beautiful home for herself for a time, to give others joy if she will, to help other weary hearts. He tries to convey the beautiful thing he intends to make for her, and asks of her one year giving hope to the spirits of the sept as she has for him.

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'Summon butterflies, bring on the fluttery fancy of life!' The totem whirls in the air, shedding a few glittery scales in its wake. Its wings are ever changing, its patterns and colors, the shape of its wings. Sometimes rounded and full of flutter, other times swooping and draped with swallow tails. It creates eyes and rainbows and patterns galore. 'Tell me about the wonders you've seen, the flowers you've sniffed and the joy you've brought!'
Mercy's Messenger loses one Willpower
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Mercy's Messenger rolls Charisma + Performance vs 5 for 3 successes.
1 2 2 3 3 4 +7 +7 +7 9
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Mercy's Messenger loses one Willpower
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Mercy's Messenger rolls Gnosis vs 6 for 3 successes.
1 2 2 3 5 5 +8 +8 +8 9
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->



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Trey beams and begins to tell her of Irsa's joy at the candle-holder he'd made for her, of the wonders of meeting so many people, the adorableness of Mirror-Shadow’s kits and Sergei's yearling wolves playing, describes the whistle of an arrow fired from a bow and the new joy of feeling the skills begin to work in his fingers. He speaks of the wonder of learning to breath water and the hilarity of the crab nipping his nose, the impossible beauty of the Faerie market and the colors and scents and sounds therein... the cat has seen much in his short time, and shares with her the beauties of even the things that seem small to others -- the first sight of a bird-of-paradise with human eyes that could see the colors in truth, the flavor of a hot wing burning the roof of his mouth, the heady feeling of *belonging* here in this new place.

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While Butterfly gives Trey its full attention and the full breadth of its WHOA! emotion throughout all his telling, Iris plays her pipes, and plaaaaays her pipes. Maybe SHE's distracted, but she feels like her attempts are just... off. Nervousness, probably. About being in a pack again, or talking directly to her totem, hard to say. But eventually he does begin to appear. Meros presents as male, and is prone to looking different to anyone that sees him. He's a god after all, he's been viewed a lot of different ways. Iris sees a wizened and well-kept philosopher noble of the old world of Greece, the hems of his garments dusty and his hidden shoes worn with travel. She bows deeply to Hades, and greets him quietly, first and foremost offering a "Thank you for coming to us, great Wanderer."

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The boat is a couple hundred meters from the clouds, right where the birds are flying just under the boat like space fish birds. Iris and Trey are not actually ON the boat, they're down at the cloud layer. Their location can probably be marked by the sound of Iris's pipes, cause in umbral space you CAN hear things. Trey is close by and connected to Iris by a thread of gnosis (parting the velvet curtain gift), and he's currently in deep empathetic conversation with a really big Butterfly spirit. Iris has JUST summoned Meros, whom she sees as Hades in classic Greek style, and is giving him a bow.

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Branton is on the boat somewhere, keeping an eye on the things going on. Hades isn't a particular associate of Branton's but he works with some of his associates. A friend of a friend sort of thing.

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Trey is joyful; his heart is too full for words with the sharing with Butterfly. In the years he's walked with her, he's shared a great deal with her, and there's always been a sense that both of them appreciated life with great zeal. He shares with her even this moment, this moment of eager trepidation and growth, of change. He couldn't hold it back from her even if he wanted to -- and he doesn't want to do so in any way. The young cat is growing older, finding his footing in a world full of wonder and peril, giving her the due she deserves for her part in keeping his smile bright and his eyes shining.

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Iris has to do pretty much the same thing with Meros that Trey is doing with Butterfly, pay the tithe of 'tell me about the stuff you did in my name', basically. So she tells him about her most recent trip to the moon with Trey, discovering a new kind of Smell in the laundry, and the trips to various close by places that she's been to recently. Eventually though, down to business. "And this is Trey here, rite named Treads On Thin Ice, a Qualmi Bastet." Trey gets a quiet smile and nod from... whoever Trey might view as a god of death and wandering. There's also a greeting between the spirits themselves, they're not exactly related but they have some similar vibes to them, so they can do some noble spirit version of a fist bump and be glad in each other's company.

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Branton grins as he observes in quiet fascination, not knowing either of these spirits particularly well. Butterfly is so pretty and gets most of the attention.

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Trey regards Meros with awe; what he sees is a mix of modern wanderer and old-style sage, a walking stick in one hand and a rucksack on his back, his clothing dark and rather nondescript despite being of rich make. He dips his head in respect to the totem spirit and smiles, his generally upbeat demeanor here even when speaking with Death himself. Then, let us remember that Death took Spring as a bride. He slips to his feet, such that one can with no actual 'down' or 'ground' to work with, and sketches a proper bow. The candle, still secured to his belt loop, bangs against his jeans leg and leaves a spot of wax but sputters out in the upcurrent; he yelps a bit at the brief touch of fire, and then winces. Butterfly is amused, of course -- he's not really hurt. Just a little embarrassed. "I'm called Treads-on-Thin-Ice," he agrees, gathering up what shreds of dignity remain. He's a cat. He *meant* it to look like that.

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Iris grins, but she doesn't laugh! Not at all! Clearing her throat, she speaks to both spirits while gesturing at the cat, "My sisters and I in the Temple of Artemis take the role of mentors and guides, our gift is Walk with Hades. Lord Hades, you've been a wise guide to me, and I believe you might enjoy being followed by this cat as well. He and I would wander together as a team, if you both agree that he is ready for a new path." She looks to Trey to add his two cents to this. Butterfly seems alright really, given its nature and the shared vibes with Meros regarding discovery. Meros waits to hear from Trey before making a real decision on things.

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Branton is not being heard from as part of this, he continues to watch discretely and quietly. This is a big deal!

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Trey speaks up, this time straightening, and making a point to seem a little more dignified and serious, though the wry smile on his lips is hard to dispel. "I've wandered for a few years now, and I ended my journeys in the mundane world in the place where I dwell now, where I met Mercy's-Messenger. The time has come to move my journeys to the world of spirit, and the knowledge of the velvet shadow and the many worlds and ways within it. I feel the call to this path, to walk alongside the spirits and through the aetherial, to see, to learn, to know, and to bring what knowledge I can back to those with the minds to seek it." He inhales, then lets the breath out slowly, and now, he seems at ease with his words. "I was a youth, and now, I am maturing and finding my place. She has agreed to walk with me, and I with her, as packmates."

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Butterfly does a color changing, wing altering flip in the non-air of the Aetherial, glittering with happiness. 'Go forth, change, discover, become! And find me again to tell me all about it!' That's Butterflys empathetic thoughts on the matter, it couldn't ever be upset about someone growing or changing. She shares her sense of so-long-but-not-good-bye over the cat and Garou before POP!ing into a cloud of butterflies that sink down towards the clouds and through them, ready to spread in brilliance in some unexpected place. Meros, meanwhile, looks the pair over for a long, silent moment, just thinking. Chewing on the thought, making a real meal out of it. It's not like he's in a hurry for anything. "You both look funny when you try to play at formalities." He doesn't sound upset, smirking in an amused and kindly sort of way while coming to his decision. "But yes, yes I sense the spark of adventure in the young man, it's good and strong. Alright, but... I think I should keep an eye on you both, if you don't mind." It's not really a request, he's just making sure the pair are aware. "Just to make sure you don't get stale. Or stuck in a hole somewhere." He turns, and one can *feel* the power of a high umbrood exiting stage left to parts unknown, but even as the man changes, there's still someone left in his place. A young man with similar features, small glasses and a pack that's ready for travel and roughing it. He gives the pair a look like 'where to now?' This'll be the sliver of Meros that's nearly always with the pack, save on occasions he's recombobulating with his whole self. Deed's done!

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Branton grins and steps out once the exchange is done and he chuckles "The idea of my mate getting stale is so alien to the way the world works it I don't think there's any worry. It'll be fascinating for everyone I bet."

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Trey beams at the flight of butterflies and her warm farewell-for-now. He feels a weird sense of loss, but not emptiness. There's a space shaped like her that will come to be filled again, soon, with newness and experience, and he will, indeed, tell Her all about it.

Trey tries not to crack a smile, he really does. He managed to half-suppress it, at least. Meros is right about neither of them being much on formality. He can feel the acceptance, and he's not surprised when Huge!Meros departs to leave a shard of himself behind; the cat simply extends a hand to the new figure and says, "Would you like us to call you something else than your larger name? A more casual one, perhaps? I'm just Trey among friends. Or 'sup catdawg' sometimes." His smile is welcoming. He looks over to Branton with those words and says, "Oh, I totally cannot imagine that. It's like... a universal inconstant."

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"Ha! Hellooooo!" Iris calls to Branton, and waves him to come join them. She does a happy little dance to celebrate, and also extends a hand for shakeums with their new spirit backup. "Iris, Mercy, or Pancake. Whatever suits you, my friend! I hope you don't have to report back too much trouble from us." Handshakes all around. He'll shake with Branton as well, cause he ain't rude. "Very nice to meet you all! I'm... You can call me whatever you like, I suppose. Don't worry about me, I won’t get in anyone's way! I'm just here to experience your travels with you, and maybe prod you a bit if you've been in the same place for too long. Speaking of which, where are we going to celebrate?"

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Kool and the Gang aren't actually on the boat, they're down on the clouds a couple hundred meters below. In fact the row boat will probably pass right by them just a little ways off. Branton is just now floating down to join them, the birds are zippin about under the ship like space fish birds, the moon's all mysterious and stuff. There's also another guy with Mercy, Trey and Branton, a young Greek dude that looks like the quintessential backpacker. Prepped and worn pack, scuffed boots, a cool hat, probably even has a walking stick somewhere. They're all shakin hands and making acquaintances.

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Branton comes over to give his mate a hug and a smooch, floating over in her direction, a flicker of light on the wings embossed on the leather of his boots by the ankles. He grins "We're good at finding interesting places to go and mischief to get up to."

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Trey is standing there with his own candle-holder dangling from a leather strap attached to his belt loop, and a small scorch mark and some wax on one leg of his pants, chatting with the travelin' dude beside him, looking merry and at ease despite that. Big ch-ch-changes, but catmandude is good with it all. "Weird," he says, "is this like... my quinceañera?"

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Irsa is kicked back in the row boat, leaning against the gunwale and checking out the view as she's ferried up to the boat. She blinks as she spots people just standing there off the port side, right up in the drifting clouds. Oh right, this is the Umbra. It's so easy to lose track. "Hail th' clouds!" she calls out to the group. She's seen pirate flicks before!

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Mercy pops big eyes at Trey in an overly excited way and GAAAAASPS! "You need a pretty dress!!!" Oh she knows quinceañeras. But she's distracted from the possibility of Trey's Great Makeover by Irsa flashing by, "Hail the dingy!" she calls back while waving like a ding bat in a 'come join us way. Then she tells Branton and Trey, "Well we could go look for some auroras, or there's hangin out with penguins, or Venezuela has an amazing lightning playground..." she's just sorta listing off interesting stuff that randomly jumps to mind for the dudes to consider.

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Branton waves enthusiastically at Irsa and then he grins at Trey "It totally could be. The analog doesn't track perfectly but fuck it we're good at adapting." Branton adds to his mate "We haven't been to see the penguins in forever."

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Trey calls out "Hail!" Then he considers, and asks, "Why *did* chunks of falling ice get named 'hello' anyway? I mean, it's a pretty crappy greeting, though you definitely won't miss it." Random thoughts from the catbrain. Thankfully, he isn't going to be forced through a What Not to Wear montage because Iris is distracted. At least, for the moment. "Adapting is always good, adapting is what makes thumbs useful," he says with a chuckle. "A lightning playground? Oh, wow, is that pretty? It sounds pretty. And oooh, penguins are cool. I'm open to see anyplace, really, new is good."

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Irsa eyes the group's cloud when Mercy waves her over. "I ain't got wings. That gonna be a problem?" she calls back, as the rowboat begins to drift higher. "Whatever y' do, don't get a white dress! That's so last decade. Go for bold pastels instead." She's from L.A., she can hear the word 'Quinceañera' from a hundred yards away. She eyes the distance between the clouds, mulling the risk over. Fuck it, she's jumping. She doesn't have Urban Ward and Moon Bridges for nothing if she plummets.

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"Imagine it from the chunk of ice's point of view. 'HELLO!' and then *smack*." She's joking, but it may also be true. Who knows for sure? "Okay, let's get back to the ship and we'll go see penguins, cause that does sound awesome. WE'RE COMING!" she adds, bellowing at Irsa (probably unnecessary) before Peter Pan flying her way back up towards the ship, presumably with the boys. "Trey, tell Irsa what you learned about the Aetherial realm today. Share the lesson around while I get the ship on course." Now for Irsa, when she jumps, she's just hung there in the air. No falling, no anything, but there's a slow momentum push forward.

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Branton chuckles and follows his mate back up to the ship and he says "I'll grab road snacks from the galley, Anyone want anything in particular?" Before he goes scampering off.

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Trey kicks off of nothing and swim-flies toward the boat. It's sort of a near thing in either case. Iris' comment about the hail makes him go 'huh' and tilt his head to the side in his familiar way, then says, "So the ice might just be aggressively friendly. I'll try to remember that next time I'm up North again." He chuckles, and gamely begins to explain, as he's moving toward the Space Boat, "This is just Earth's Aetherial here, but it's part of the bigger Aetherial neighborhood, which, by extension, includes the whole universe once you get far enough into your categories, but for now, we're focused here in our own happy solar system. Where our new friend Mini-Meros," and he motions to the totem-companion, "is the furthest celestial body of planetary size." Trey ooohs at the question as he climbs back aboard and offers Meros a hand. "If there's any more of that jerky..." He actually likes jerky, go figure.

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Oh shit, she's floating. And slowly moving. But that's better than falling, surely. Irsa grunts as she shifts to her wolf form, all the better to dog-paddle through clouds and look extremely comical in the process. Trey will easily spot a new scar she has: a puckered bite mark across her shoulder, a souvenir from Consuela's ambush. Her head tilts as she listens to Trey. ~ That is very interesting. Good hunting, Far Wanderer,~ she says to Trey and Meros in the Spirit Speech. She's figured out she can use that to speak to both. Bones snap and break, shifting and warping into a new form, as the creature before you becomes a ragged brown wolf.

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Mercy calls, "Brazil nuts and dried apricots!" while she's trotting to the bridge to work the steering. The spirit wanderer sticks with them while heading towards the boat, but decides to stay with Trey and Irsa and see how this all pans out. He snickers quietly at the ungainly attempt at flight, but there's nothing to the sound that seems mean. It's just wonder in his laugh. "Hello!" he calls, and hangs back a bit.

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Branton comes back with jerky and nuts and dried fruit, and beer and pretzels for himself and Irsa. He grins as he lays out his gleanings "I can always get more if we need it." For Mini-meros he sets out a tea cup and takes out a small white ceramic bottle from one of his pouches and pours a milky white liquid that smells lightly boozey and of mint "On a journey of heroes, drink like one."

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Trey offers a little guidance, helpfully: "It's somewhere between swimming and walking. There's inertia but nothing to push off against, but you can still push off somehow. It doesn't calculate in the rational mind, but once you let your instinct feel it out a little, it works. Just don't overcompensate for slowness with force. It's weird, but cool." He decides to chill on the railing and keep Irsa company while she tries it out, his smile warm. He notes the scar and comments, "Yeah, I got a little scar from the knife that asshole shoved into me last night, but it's like... the piddliest little mark." He comes down long enough to secure a snack and munch cheerfully on leathery dried meat.

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Ragged Brown Wolf rolls Dexterity + Athletics vs 6 for 6 successes.
2 4 5 5 +7 +7 +7 +8 +10 +10
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->


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Ragged Brown Wolf doesn't mind the laughter at all. She has a good sense of humor, and likes spirits better than she does most people. That goes double for chill dudes like Meros. ~ Good, I was going to ask how you fly,~ she replies in a growly wolfish laugh. She gathers her focus, nose twitching as she tries to scent out the air currents. It takes a few moments, but she quickly increases her speed until she's zooming up to the ship like a fuzzy rocket.

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"Ah, thank you!" says mini-powered-Meros for the offering, and takes the cup for a sip while he watches the shifters figure out the nonsensical nature of flight. "Delightful." he says, probably for both things at once. Meanwhile the ship's position begins to adjust a bit, not too much, just turning a bit to one side to point at earth's southern hemisphere. From somewhere on the ship is a clanging bell to signal the all-aboard. There's a goodly pause to get a few barrel rolls in before the ship actually starts moving, not too terribly fast though. Flight is weird. Once you know you can do it, you can basically just *do* it. It's very mind over matter, except that people just instinctively connect their flight skills to their own body mastery. The more physically sure of themselves do tend to fly better than people that are sure they'll just klutz it up. It doesn't *have* to be driven by physical skill, it just usually is.

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Branton nods at Trey and comments "Something to look forward too, scars generally don't stick on shifters unless its really bad or if you take steps to commemorate the wound ritually. That's more a Garou cultural thing though. The call it the Rite of Wounding, its generally done to mark a young Garou's first wound in battle against the wyrm."

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Trey applauds as Irsa gets the hang of it way quick. He flips down off the rail and swipes a non-claimed beer for himself, noting, "We don't really do that among the Bastet... least, not that I ever encountered, but most of us tend to be loners, anyway. We lose a lot of the ritual of social interaction because of that." Clearly *he*, at least, likes the company of others. "I wasn't expecting it to stick at all, I regen in homid. It might still fade." The clanging bell reminds him to tuck his ritual candle holder into his knapsack, and secure the pack inside the cabin area for safety.

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Ragged Brown Wolf's nails click on the deck as she lands. Her nose works as she picks up the scent of snacks, and that whiff of alcohol decides what shape she's going to have to take. But why do all the hard work herself? ~Thank you,~ she tells her hosts, taking a single slurp of beer from her mug. Mere moments later, she's swelled into her Neanderthal form. Mercy and Branton have seen this a dozen times by now, so it's probably not a surprise. Garou are weird, ya'll. "Did I hear ya say 'new friend' earlier?" she asks Trey, looking between the Qualmi and Mercy. And Meros, fully enjoying his tea. Bones snap and break, shifting and warping into a new form, as the creature before you becomes a primal, humanoid figure.

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Mercy returns, having gotten the ship course set, and taking things slow enough that there's socializing time before arrival. Gotta do the cruise ship thing right, right? Right. "OH! Shit, I'm sorry! Irsa, meet Meros. Well, an aspect sliver of Meros, but still basically the same guy. He's got a lot of places to be all at once. Any how, Trey and I spoke with him just before you arrived, and he agreed to patron the both of us, and left a piece of himself with us to witness our adventures and keep us on track." The spirit in question tips his coolass hat at Irsa when introduced, and offers a hand. "Very nice to meet you." He's a young guy that's ready to take a trip anywhere, a sort of blending of both Trey and Mercy's view of the celestine.

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Trey nods agreement and says, "Yes, this is Meros," he says, motioning to the wanderer-looking spirit fellow. "Our new totem." He's seen all of Irsa's forms, so her Glabro is familiar. "I'm going to grab a quick catnap, if nobody minds." He finds a good spot to curl up as a lynx, and shifts to do just that.

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Primal Figure beams at the news. "Hell yeah! You three are gonna do wondrous things together, collect a ton of stories." She smiles as Meros introduces himself and shakes the spirit's offered hand. "It's good t' finally meet you. Mercy's Messenger has told about some of your adventures together."

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“With company sometimes, hopefully?" Mercy says, making it known Irsa and her pack have an open invitation to shenanigans. "Speaking of shenanigans," she says to the spirit, "I'm an elder, I'm well equipped for the world and I've learned a lot of secrets. Trey is still young and learning. When we're separated and doing our own thing, would you mind sticking with him rather than me, when you're inclined? For back up, or to at least be able to yell at me if he's in big trouble." Meros nods and answers in a chill guy way, "Yeah sure, I don't mind taking the rough path with a beginner." Mercy looks back to Irsa and says, "ALSO? And I'm only a little bit sorry about this, but we've officially kidnapped you." she says, pointing overboard where the shape of South America, is just now starting to slide slowly past under them.

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"Y'know I'm always down for travel an' adventure," Irsa replies. She takes a seat near the others as they speak and crunches up a handful of pretzels. She looks over the side at Mercy's announcement and shrugs. "Eh, it's fine. Crescent moon, I don't wanna be earthside right now. It's been a wild week."

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"Well good. Well, mostly good." Mercy amends, adding, "We'll be going earthside eventually, but there wont be people around for like hundreds of miles. There'll be a shit ton of penguins though! Best part, we have tuxedos on board, so we'll fit right in." She leans on the railing to watch Brazil's gigantic self slide by and says, "It *has* been a hell of a week, hasn't it? You killed vampires, I'm apparently in a *pack* again, there were parties and prizes and everything. What is even going on!"

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Primal Figure washes down those pretzels with beer. "No people sounds good about now," she admits. "Especially when we're going to see penguins. I've been eager t' see wild animals since I was a tiny thing." She nods at Mercy's remarks. "Busy, for sure. Trey filled you in on th' full story? Just one Leech, a real ugly one, and her little gang of ghouls. Trey told me that him and Jack saw the Maker, after th' rest of us split. That part sucked, but th' rest? All done nice an' tidy, like Aelous asks." She grins at her mentor. "I'm glad Trey was your choice. I thought about recruitin' him for mine, but honestly? It ain't suited for him. Not really. Adventure's down in his bones."

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"Fortunately our curse should be less effective on the penguins," Mercy says with a grin, "I mean we're obviously still predators, but penguins and wolves and cats don't really have much to do with each other." Her brows perk up and she says, "Oh damn! That's crazy. No, I didn't hear except what got mentioned just a minute ago, but it sounds intense! I'm glad everyone made it out alive and unmaimed." She grins though and says, "Yeah, I agree. If he was a Garou, I wouldn't have offered, like I couldn't with you when you were younger ranked. Just an unfair power gap that denies you guys the ability to follow certain instincts. In my opinion. Course, as we get all on par with each other..." The offer will always be there. "I'm liking having a couple apprentices though, this is awesome. Next time I see the other Priestesses I can be like HA! Totally not a failure!"

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"Penguin is definitely NOT on th' menu for me," Irsa declares. "Don't get me wrong, I hunt just as well as th' next weird wolf, but I'd feel hella guilty about eatin' the little dude from 'Happy Feet'." She slides the pretzels over to Mercy and Mercy, because sharing is caring! "Yeah, I hear you. Packs like mine don't last forever, but I mean to pull through as long as I can. Rhapsody might be our official mystic, but that don't mean she's the only one who speaks to Aelous. We've had some real good talks, him an' me." She flashes her scarred grin again. "Y'got three, so even better. I bet th' Rite Mistress is hella jealous."

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"Naaaaah, she knows way more about rituals and their works than I do." Mercy admits with a laugh and a smile. "It's a weird new instinct though. But not a cocmplainy one since I get to pick my students. Hey, you're gonna love Mercury! Mitanu's favorite tribe is the Bone Gnawers."

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"For real? Man, I don't know anything 'bout planetary Celestines," Irsa admits. "Present company not included, of course. For real, I LOVE those stories. So Mitanu's th' name? Can you tell me some 'bout that spirit?"

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"Well, he doesn't get a lot of trust, they call him the Clever Rogue." Mercy begins, "He favors the Ragabash and the Bone Gnawers, so you know he's a tricky sort. He's a god of speed and the denizens of his realm are much the same. Theft and lies and movement, it's about quickness in all its forms. Quick step, quick wit, all that. He likes a good laugh, you know? Aaaaand he's very aware that he's a god. Kinda like Nerigal in that respect, but uh... funnier."

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Primal Figure sips her beer as she listens. "That tracks, we ain't an honorable Tribe." No shame at all there, it's kinda sorta true. "And Rat's taught us t' be quick an' wily."

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"Yep. Not a bad guy or anything, just tricky, and party poopers just don't get that." Mercy says. "I've heard a lot of conflicting stories about what his realm is like, so it could be a changing thing or who knows. It'll be fun to find out! Should be pretty too, there's a lot of phosphorous on Mercury's physical form."

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Primal Figure perks up her ears. "For real? Yeah, that sounds fully epic. Not knowin' is gonna be half the fun when we travel there. Why's he got phosphorous, d'ya know?"

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"Well, it's a very little planet, maybe he thought a comet-like tail burning prettily would look awesome." Mercy guesses, "I mean I would if I could. Or it could have gotten it from meteors and stuff. I'll have to read up on it."

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Primal Figure thinks this over as she finishes her beer. "He sounds pretty cool," she admits. "I'll have to make a gift for him. What kinda things does he like?" she asks her mentor.

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"What would a Bone Gnawer Ragabash like?" Mercy counter asks, "Cause... that, that's what I think he'd like, probably. Eeeee! I'm lookin forward to this. Vulcan and the Sun will be next. I'm hoping we can do all three before having to return, just depending on how quickly we can make our connection. With the boat though, should probably be possible. I'm marginally worried about the college, and Branton's gonna love Vulcan. And the Sun. I mean... It's the fuckin sun. Whaaaaaaaat." She really is intimidated by this whole thing.

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Primal Figure grins at her mentor. "It'll be fine. I mean th' worst that could happen is we all die, right? And I ain't scared of death. Livin' is way, way harder to pull off. But! We ain't gonna die. You're too experienced a theurge, Branton is bad-ass all on its own, and Trey's a clever cat. Me, I do all right."

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"True facts." Mercy agrees with a sage nod and an offer of a fist bump. "I'm on the fence about how far to take Trey here. Like I can make a bunch of talens that'll protect him, but I feel like I'm cheating him out of the reward of getting to the places when he's ready. Like you, I'm waitin on y ou to get what you need, not rely on talens, or like not just talens. I hope he's not bummed if I send him someplace mundane instead of coming with us."

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Primal Figure scratches her jaw, considering the problem. "Y' know, it won't hurt me none t' go to places you know he can handle right now," she suggests. "I ain't seen much of this section of the Umbra at all, and I don't mind holdin' back and lettin' him feel things out on his own. Only, only reason I even went for Adren is 'cause I knew Rhapsody had finished her Challenge, and that woulda set up a problem for th' alpha seat. I love her t' death, but I dunno how'd she do as a leader. She's got a lot on her own plate." She does too, but she's not about to spit those facts out. Some things you don't openly admit to.

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Mercy nods understandingly and says, "Gotta follow your instincts. It's good have the option of *when* you want to challenge for rank, I know sometimes you get renowned enough but like... You might not feel like it's time yet. At least, I've felt that way. It seems like it came a little too quickly. But that's the result of an active lifestyle, I guess!"

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"I don't intend t' rush for Athro," Irsa remarks. "Adren is a serious step up, but Athro? Every single glove comes off then, and I ain't comfortable challenging immediately for rank, just 'cause I've done th' bare minimum to earn it. THAT is Wisdom, and I don't give a damn what anyone in th' sept has to say 'bout it. If I get Challenged over it, fine. Whoever does it still needs to beat me. And if that happens? It's fine, 'cause I legit have a ton of other responsibilities to handle."

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"You'll be a good elder one day." Mercy says with a nod of her head, "Cause I think that's one of those lessons you have to really have in you to click into the Crone Zone. Ha, I like that, I'm gonna have to use that again. Crone Zone."

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Primal Figure grins. "Well, I got you for th' role model there. If I can be half as good, I'll be doin' well." Her grin widens as she snickers. "We have GOT t' get that on some t-shirts or somethin'. Tell people it's a performance art squad or crazy archery club."

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"LOve it, let's do it, crazy archery club! Eesh," she says, looking over the railing. "I gotta get to the bridge before we overshoot." she says, and trots off to do that, while the tip of South America drifts by and away.