2023.12.03: Bob and Xiu Meet

Bob and Xiu Meet
New arrival Bob gets to Roasters basement and finds Xiu, Lyra joins. Xiu and Lyra impart much wisdom on Traditions, the area, and more. Bob contributes a little wisdom on tech.
IC Date	December 3rd, 2023
IC Time	Evening
Players	Bob, Xiu, Lyra
Location	Prospect Roasters
Spheres	Mage

Important Note: Bob's player didn't know not to RP a mouse coming out from under the stairs in Prospect Roasters basement. This is invalid for the following reasons: a good restaurant will get rid of mice, Roasters is owned by a PC capable of preventing mice. Please keep this in mind when reading this log. ICly there are no mice in Roasters. Who knows, maybe Bob had a moment of Quiet.

Newly replaced wooden stairs descend down into the clean, welcoming basement of Prospect Roasters. One of those lift chairs have been built along the railing to make the steep slope handicap accessible. The basement is a little on the cool side and the walls are left to the bare brick. The lighting is pleasantly soft with warm circles of light instead of harsh fluorescent. A large, round table has been set up in the middle of the room with 13 chairs around the perimeter, but room enough for more. There is also a couch and a flat screen TV, a small washer and dryer in a closet off on one end, a little kitchen area with a small stove and small table nearby, and of course the smell of coffee wafts down constantly. There is a dumb-waiter built in against one of the kitchen walls to transport food - or whatever - up and down from above. Against one wall is a bright red phone booth. There is one entire room dedicated to a communal library.

There is a simple, mundane video camera above the doorway at the top of the stairs at the end of the hall. It is outside the room, so privacy can still be assured.

It is a quiet evening in the basement of roasters. Whereas upstairs is filled with the noise of hustle and bustle, tourists and natives alike, old and young...this area is rather silent right now. More secluded and tranquil.

Or, at least, just not that damn noisy.

A lone, single person is sitting at the large table in the basement, a plate set in front of the figure, with some steak of sorts, mashed taters and a bit of salad, it seems. Said figure is an asian girl - perhaps in her mid 20s - but overall it is hard to tell *much* about her. Baggy jacket. Baggy dark hoodie. Baggy cargo pants. A lot about her is rather obscured that way, though what immediately strikes the eye is that obscene mass of long, dark braids that just flows from her head, down to well over the floor in her sitting position.

She is eating, quietly, cutting the meat, sliding the mashed potato onto her fork, and just occasionally taking a gulp off the large glass of water next to it all.

A tall man with a bearded oval face and merry hazel eyes sits in a wheelchair that has descended into the basement on the accessibility device. The man is wearing a Serenity T-Shirt You cant take the sky from me, untucked over a pair of black jeans. He wears two earrings in his left ear, a Sierpinski triangle in silver below a small octagon cut emerald set in silver.

His wheelchair has a large tray with two cup holders. The wheelchair also has a small messenger style bag attached on the right in a bracket so as to not impede the wheels. The bag has a flap that's open, and an ultralight laptop sits loosely within. On the tray are a Cafe Mocha, half drank and secured in a cup holder, a smart cell phone, and a closed textbook titled "Understanding Empathy: Reading the Subtle Clues".

The man looks around, expecting the basement to be empty. A broad grin lights up his face upon seeing another occupant, and he says "Hello! I'm Bob. New to Prospect.", as he rolls to the table. He gives one wave that takes in the laptop and the cell, adding Computer geek. A pause, perhaps considering how much to say. Also Vet. I love animals. And tech.

When the wheelchair slowly descends along the stairs, the sound makes the girl look up from her food. Resting Bitch Face. That's what best describes her expression, though she pretty much had it even before somebody else started making their way into the basement. She observes the stranger, her eyes' gaze wandering over him as much as they wander over that quite pimped out wheelchair - and finally she leans back, sitting more straight as Bob finally reaches the safety of the floor.

"'lo there." Xiu lets out, her eyes finding his. "...nice to meet'cha, I guess." She taps her lower lip lightly (and harmlessly) with the fork she is holding, as she seems to ponder for a moment. "It is rare that we get to see new faces here. Interesting."

She flicks her tongue over her teeth. "I am Xiu ('sheyu') Tong." And with that, she begins to cut another slice off the steak and spears a bit of mashed potatoes onto it. "What brought you to Prospect, Bob?"

The grin on Bob's face becomes a bit lopsided, "Yeah. Long strange road. To get here I mean. Nice to meet you Xiu." He pronounces her name with precision, almost perfect. He takes a sip of his Mocha, then continues. "Car crash. Parents died. Went into a coma," he pauses here, an uncertain look in his eyes, "Awakened. Woke up year later. Great couple took me in. Trained me. She was Ghost Wheel, He was Reality Hacker. Matched my Awakening."

Bob shrugs. "Trained me for a year. Therapist said New Orleans was too hard. Tried healing me. Part of me. Well. Thinks I deserve wheelchair. Got parents killed. I distracted them. Dad didn't see car. Black Ford Bronco, tinted windows. Crashed right into us. Anyways. Now I'm here. Mom came from here, a long time ago." He quiets, looking self-conscious. He sometimes talks too much perhaps.

OOC Bob notes: I understand mages would heal Bob of his paraplegia. He turned them down, out of self-guilt, and is working through it. I will buy off the paraplegia within the next 4-6 months, with appropriate RP.

Light nods accompany Xiu's listening to Bob's little tale, though she does not let it interrupt her eating. Somebody is hungry, there. Though it's when Bob mentions 'Ghost Wheel' and 'Reality Hacker' that she suddenly pays just a bit more attention, stopping and lifting her head a bit more - eyeing the man.

She finishes chewing, and then slowly swallows before she licks her lips. "So you..." she says and gestures with the steak knife. "..so you're sayin', car crash caused you to...awaken?" The way she hesitates before using the word might be a bit strange.

A light frown plays over her expression as Bob mentions that he 'deserves' the wheelchair - and she finally places the fork and knife onto her plate before she leans back against the chair, hands behind her head. "...I see, I see. 's a tough fate, that." she remarks. "'guess 're here to find out what the ol' place was about, huh?" Her eyes find his again, and she idly licks some steak sauce from the corner of her mouth. "If we're bein' formal, I am Xiu Tong, bani Verbena, bani Lifeweavers, Dark Flower of Lilith, and holder of the Seat Of Life in Prospect."

He might notice that she stopped shortening words during that introduction. Her whole way of speaking, just there, switched from lazy gutter talk to something more...refined. "..you can shorten all that noise to 'Xiu' or 'Witchypoo' though, I do not mind."

A nod from Bob when Xiu mentions finding out what the old place is about. He grins wider at 'Witchypoo'. He realizes he should probably introduce himself in a formal way as well. He says "Bob Huard, apprentice, Dreamspeaker of the Ghost Wheel Society, Virtual Adept of the Reality Hackers. Know the basics. But pretty new."

After a little bit more thought his eyes crinkle a bit in joy and he says "Like you. Not like Lyra. Other Verbena I met."

Bob get distracted. This is not a hard feat. In this case the trigger is a small mouse coming out from under the stairs. He looks at the mouse and makes some squeaking noises, while also reaching deeper into his bag and pulling out a small cube of cheese. "Here you go buddy", he says as he tosses the cube.

Then he looks guilty. To Xiu he says, "Guess shouldn't feed animals. In someone else's house. Talked with animals, since a kid. They like me. I love them."

"Hah!" Xiu lets out, and them grins wide for some reason - nodding. "Oh yes, I know Lyra. She can be...hard to like." Xiu remarks, but does not elaborte further. She, however, adds: "But she is a good person. Just not the most, shall we say, social."

Then she pauses in a moment of self-conscience and slowly shrugs. "Neither am I, but I guess our styles are different when it comes to that." She then falls silent, and watches the man feed the sudden mouse- and her expression grows more soft there for a moment, before it slips back into something more relaxed as he looks back at her. She waves a hand. "Ah, do not worry about that. What harm does feeding a mouse do?" she says, smiling. "Make the little critter as happy as it can get."

With that said she grabs her fork and knife again, and begins to consume a piece of stake. Ah, the circle of life. "Mh-" she begins, gesturing with the steak knife at him as she chews. "Mh...so yeah, welcome to Proshpect." she remarks, seemingly not above eating with her mouth full. For somebody who, as she claimed, holds the 'Seat Off Life' in this place, Xiu certainly does not seem formal. She wallows. "...the place is quite fascinating. I have never seen a city where so many different..." she softly inhales "...beings congregate in such density. It is quite fascinating. When it comes to our kind, however, you have chosen a rather calm place to be." More steak knife gesturing follows while she scoops some potato onto her fork. "..the Traditions here are rather unorganized when it comes to the inbetweens. People tend to live their lives, the Council is mostly empty, and any formal meetings are rare."

A frown appears at Lyra not being social. "Said I could be toad. Not threat. Warning if I pry too much with others." Bob pauses. "Still. Good to know she's ok." At Xiu's comment about the mouse he says, "True.", and tosses a second cube over to the mouse.

But a little bit of the light leaves Bob's eyes when hearing that the mages here are so inactive. "You know any Dreamspeakers? Or Virtual Adepts? So much to learn. Need to find people to teach me. Like, formatting a Digital Web sector. Or, healing an animal. With magic. I'm a vet. Well, no license here. But graduated Vet school."

OOC: Lyra arrives

The basement of Roasters is rather quiet - aside of two figures, sitting. One of them, at least, voluntarily. Xiu is busy talking to Bob and finishing a meal as they converse. Also of note? There might be signs of a little mouse ever so often peeking out from under the stairs. "MMmh. I know a Virtual Adept, yes."

Xiu remarks, lightly nodding towards the man as she spears the last piece of steak and taters with her fork. She just slips it into her mouth, then places the fork and knife onto the plate and pushes it away from her, chewing - and swallowing before she turns on her chair a bit, facing Bob more.

"Viktor. He's a Virtual Adept. Though I admit I have no idea how to best get into contacct with him. Though.." She frowns and reaches into her hoodie pouch, before she pulls out a little dumbphone and flips through it. "Actually hold that thought. I have his number." she remarks and slides the phone towards Bob.

"And for Dreamspeakers?" She smirks. "Steele's your guy. Friend of mine. I can get you in touch with that one."

OOC: Xiu asks Bob to roll Perception + Hypertech (if he has it) vs 6, or Intelligence + Computers vs 8

<---======##==================== Dice Roll =====================##======--->
Bob rolls Intelligence (5) + Computer (5) (10 dice) vs 8 for 0 successes.
1 -1 -1 2 3 7 7 7 7 10
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

OOC: Bob remembered he had Ability Aptitude:Computers, Xiu said it lowered the DN to 6, meaning 3 successes. Xiu informed that the dumbphone is not standard, something about the GUI is different, which is highly unusual for an old dumbphone.

A node from Bob, "I've met Steele. Seems a good guy. Haven't met Viktor."

He looks at the phone. Something's not quite right, but he doesn't get what. He looks at the number. He doesn't write it down. "Thanks. Memory like steel trap, so got it.".

OOC: Bob has Eidetic Memory

Bob slides the phone back.

In the midst of the meeting, there comes the sound of another descending the stairway... There's a moment's pause in the pace though, as the woman who appears takes a moment to peer at the mouse hiding under the stairway... For some reason or another, she shushes the air as she turns away from it and makes her way the rest of the way down.

She's dressed casual. And of course, 'casual' still manages to look like it belongs in Vogue on her. She's got a handbag slung over her shoulder, and her usual custom Caramocha in her opposite hand. She pauses for another moment... Silver eyes flitting between Xiu and Bob, then back to Xiu before she ultimately settles into as eat.

"Hey." She says with picturesque eloquence.

"Nice to see you managed to catch Bob- or vice versa Xiu."

When there's signs of life on the stairs, Xiu's eyes flick up, and her hand reaches for that phone.

She slowly pulls it back, flips it closed - and then just smirks as Lyra comes into view.

She slips the phone back into her hoodie pouch and gestures towards the other witch as she reaches the bottom of the stairs. "Greetings, Lyra. Well..." Her eyes flick their gaze towards Bob, then back towards the other. "He managed to catch me." She sideways-nods towards her empty plate, and then leans back onto her chair, folding her hands onto her abdomen. "I heard you two met." she remarks. "I also heard you still have to work on your first impressions." She smirks hard at that, her eyes narrowing. "I lessened the blow. Sit, sit!" She reaches sideways and pat pats the empty chair next to her, opposite of the side Bob is at. "I am just filling Bob in on some Prospect things."

Guilt flashes across Bob's face, and a sense of amazement. The witch must have the power of Kibo, to hear her name spoken and descend. Bob puts a smile on his face. A fragile smile. But a smile none the less. "Hi. Nice to see you again."

He makes sure there is room at the table, moving if needed. He looks toward Xiu at her comments, and grins, a bit sheepish.

The revelation of her first impression causes the witch to cast a... Kind of look towards Bob. But it's not uncomfortably long before she looks back to Xiu.

"My first impression was rusty?" Lyra asks, "I was nothing but honest. If I were anything but I think I would be mis-representing myself." She sets her drink down, reaching up towards her neck... Where that black, featureless choker suddenly unwinds, and slithers around her fingertips.

It's a European Adder. A black snake.

It idly coils for a moment around her fingers, and then slithers with alarming rapidity up to the top of her head... Where it sits, coiled and watching the other two.

"But yes, we did meet. Nice to see you again as well, and nice to see you getting along with Xiu."

The sudden awkwardness that lingers has Xiu just softly laugh and shake her head. "I give you that.", she tells Lyra, and lightly rolls her shoulders before she glances towards Bob. "Lyra here indeed speaks her mind all the time. I hold my opinions..under wraps most of the time." She rolls her shoulders a bit again. "Habit of my day to day...disguise." she remarks. Perhaps somewhat enigmatically. "But as I said, Lyra is a good person." Xiu's gaze flicks towards Lyra there, for just a moment, accompanied by another smirk.

Then Xiu's expression relaxes, and she leans forward a bit, elbows getting placed onto the table, hands folding. She is looking at nothing in particular. "But if you want brutal honesty, the Traditions around here have forgotten the fact that we are still in the middle of the Ascension War. Apathy. The Union can claim 'We won' and declare it over as much as they want. That is not how such things work."

A shudder sweeps through Bob as the adder uncoils. He seems to think it might be about to strike him. Once it settles on her hair he watches it for a moment. Should he ignore it? Should he address it? What should he do. He decides on politeness. "Umm. Hi. You have a beautiful color." His words sound a little different, and his facial muscles move a bit in a weird way.

OOC: Bob has the Communicates with Animals merit

Bob turns his attention to Lyra. "Honest. Strong impression too. Xiu says you're good people."

Looking to Xiu, Bob says "War's not cold? Been somewhat isolated from it I guess. Only bad thing was crash. That was accident. I'm not a warrior. Guess I need to be, but how? I mean, is the war sniping, accidents? Or a shooting war?"

The snake... Talks.

"Mhm! I know I do. I'm the prettiest SCARIEST little ankle-biter in the world. That's what Lyra says." The serpent bobs its head up and down from its resting position, but does not move.

That settles that.

The witch does not respond to the serpent's quip, instead speaking on the more important matter at hand.

"It's a war for the world." Lyra candidly explains, "Like Xiu said. The Union has claimed themselves the winners, and no longer sees us as a prominent threat so far as I can tell. They seem to see us just the same as every other supernatural being under the sun and moon. Things to be studied, or eradicated." She gives a considerate tilt of her head...

"You've no doubt noticed the way that some... Magick, or whatever it is you do, has a strange way of bringing consequence upon you. It's a sign that the Union is winning. But the fact we can still practice what we do , that means the war is not yet over." She pauses for a moment, then concludes...

"They seek to eradicate magick, is a simple way to put it I suppose. In any way that they can."

"Well." Xiu remarks. "They would *like* to eradicate it. But instead *they* tried to turn the war cold, declare themselves victor, claim it is over. What does *that* tell us?" The chinese girl is grinning now, her eyes narrowed as she looks at the two others. "They lost their steam. Stopped their pogrom. And many among us here in Prospect see it as a chance to live in...peace. If by 'peace' you define 'Act normal, keep your magick in the closet, no show no tell'." She spreads her arms a bit. "Instead of realizing that the last thing the Union wants right now is us going after them. They are, for whatever reason, distracted. Weak. Holding back. Perhaps it was the damn Avatar Storm, perhaps it is something else." She brings her hands back onto the armrests of her chair, gazing at Bob. "But I am hunting them. The war is not over for me. What it is for you, you need to decide on your own. But...well." She gesetures towards the man. "First you have to settle down. Get your bearings in Prospect. See what's what. As I said..welcome."

The Adder gets a nod in agreement from Bob at being the prettiest, and scariest snake.

Lyra gets a thoughtful look from Bob, then Xui gets the same. "Magic is for helping. For me I mean. Can't help hiding in closet. Wait. Eradicating." A terrible thought seems to have sprouted in Bob's brain. "You mean they're killing? Mages? Other supernaturals? Open fighting, or assassinations?" The question seems very important to Bob for some reason.

"Like Xiu said, Cold War." Lyra replies, "If a cabal makes themselves enough of a problem, the Union will respond. My own was close once, after a particular incident with a possessed truck driver causing havoc in my city." She does not speak fondly on the matter. She looks to the side with derision, as a matter of fact...

"And before 'you' get wide eyed about it Xiu, my wife looked into it. They left. Not a significant enough issue, but if any of my local problems 'decided' to they could have MADE it a bigger problem." The snake settles... Calm and easy.

"Aed, wherever he's gone. A piece of my chantry. His entire family was slain by the Technocrats. So... Take that as indication of what they're willing to do if pushed."

Wide eyed? Xiu gets narrowe eyed. She looks over at Lyra for a long moment, and slowly flicks her tongue over her teeth. Clearly, gears are turning in her head - but, so it seems, for just a moment. Her eyes instead find Bob again, and she subtly cants her head. "Ah. Hold up a moment there, Lyra." she says, and turns a bit more on her chair, placing one elbow on the table, a cheek onto the raised hand while she keeps her eyes on Bob. "....what *do* you know about the Technocratic Union, Bob?"

Face scrunched in thought for a moment, Bob responds. "Well. Know they want no magick, all science. I've heard of Iteration X and the Progenitors, but don't know much about them. Know they were called the Order of Reason. Despite seeming insane. Now I know cold war is cold in places, white hot others."

He pauses, then continues. "And I wonder. Black Ford Bronco killed parents. Hit and run. Never caught. I wonder if it was the Technocracy."

Xiu nods, listening...and hums softly. "Alright. That sounds like a good start. But..yes." She gestures with a hand. "If we step out of line too much? If we become too noticeable? They come to cut us down to size. Like they always have, except now they only react if we raise our heads." She lets out a snort. "And some of us *dare* to say that the 'Ascension War is over' just in line with the Union's words." She exhales, lowering her hand. "Well, a few do. As I said, most of the Traditionalists here in Prospect just seem happy to live their lives with their heads low."

She rolls her tongue around a bit, thinking, and then eyes Bob. "Mh. That...really could just have been coincidence. Your parents were normal folk, yes?"

"Xiu and I, if it has not become clear, are not that type of person." Lyra helpfully adds, focusing more on her coffee than the conversation... Trusting, it would seem, Xiu to handle 'the talk' when it comes to the Technocracy.

"Almost definitely a coincidence. You could drive down any country road and see black Ford Bronco's in driveways... Hell, I have a Ford too. An F150 though."

A headshake from Bob. "No, dad was Dreamspeaker, mom Verbena", he says to Xiu. "She was a detective NOPD, then a PI. Still, probably jumping at shadows. What you've said bears though. About the Technocracy I mean."

Embarassment flashes across Bob's face. "As a warrior, I'm not much. Can't shoot. Apprentice magics. But I'm willing. To learn, to grow." He looks at Xiu. "When ready. To Hunt."

Xiu nods. "Yeah...really probably just jumping at shadows." Xiu remarks - and then smirks, letting out a soft chuckle at Bob's enthusiasm. "As I said...properly arrive at the place first. Meet people, know people, find a place to stay. Settle down and get things sorted." She nods towards him, via lifting her chin. "You kind of strike me more than a thinker than Mr. Action Guy. But we need the sort too, quite frankly. As I said, get in touch with Viktor. Perhaps all *he* needs is another VA around to also get into gear." she suggests, before she lets out a soft laugh. "And find out what your mom did around here. Probably was way before my time.."

"Ah, I mentioned Vik too." Lyra starts, "Selene was more familiar with him than I am... And if I could get her to separate her attention from Miriel for more than a couple minutes I could probably get his information from her." The serpent atop her head nods!

"Lovey lovey dovey! That's what she is. All sorts! But like, 'worse' than everyone else we know! Super gross. Makes me wanna wretch!"

"Athiss." Lyra scolds, "Respectful. Remember?"

"...Yeeeeah I know. Sorry Mistress."

"Apology accepted."

Bob watches the interplay between Athiss and Lyra. Maybe this is what it's like to have a familiar. Then again, maybe he shouldn't ask Lyra more questions for a while. He nods. "Will call Vik tonight. As for settling in. Good advice, and much appreciated. Need to look up her family. She changed her name. When she came to N'Orleans".

"Hmh. Do you know..how long she was around here?" Xiu wonders. "As I said, it probably was before my time around, but perhaps somebody around still knows her." She smacks her lips together. "Though people also come and go around here. As much as some stay forever, others are very..transient. It is hard to keep track of who is still around, at times."

She leans back in her chair. "ANd even a roll call is not a sure bet, because some are bound to just not show up. I shouldn't complain. I'm a wanderer myself. Can't be assed to show up at every meet."

"She was Verbena?" Lyra asks rhetorically, "I have connections. Most of my knowledge is outside the city, but I know of a witch whose interests lie within it... Old friend of mine. Good for reagents before I was able to get my hands on them myself. If she 'was' around here for a while, I'm reasonably certain Lillian might at the very least know somebody that knows her."

"She was.", he says to Lyra. Looking to Xiu he adds "She came to New Orleans late 1940s, early 1950s. I think."

OOC: Bob notes that OOCly speaking, who his mother was in Prospect was not covered in background during chargen. I thought about tying her into some already existing NPC or group (toyed with idea of Moonhavens), but staff had lots of questions on background already, so figured I'd leave it blank. Don't know if details like that can be added afterward.

OOC: Lyra confirms she added to her background, within reason. No 'Mother was chosen one', and best not to tie into former PC groups without permission of players.

Xiu hehs. "Yeah, that was a while ago.." she murmurs softly, and then rolls her shoulders. "It is a long shot either way. Even those that stay in one place for a while tend to have places and hideouts nobody else knows or uses. So even if she left something behind..." The girl lifts a hand and wiggles fingers spread. "..unlikely that anybody knows about them. The only thing somebody might know was perhaps an old Chantry she was part of, or something."

She lowers her hand. "At least that is my guess. I am not even sure if you *want* to follow her path along those...special lines or just want to see how she lived in general."

Lyra considers for a moment... And sighs.

"Sometimes, with our particular line of living, it 'is' the correct choice to let sleeping dragons lie." She passes a significant look towards Xiu, adding...

"I can't think of a time in 'my' memory that a Verbena has vanished that they hadn't either died, gone into hermitage, or fallen too far to bring back."

"I suppose." He looks like he wants to argue, but knows better to listen. "Fallen. You mean like Nephandi? Mom wasn't that. She couldn't be." He looks distressed.

Bob continues with "And what do you mean, gone into hermitage?".

"Well, we know she died in that car accident, so there is that." Xiu remarks and lightly rolls her shoulders. "So sadly, the end is..clear." There is a light gesture that follows, a bit dismissive. "And yeah, fallen are the Nephandi. Thank the Goddess I haven't crossed paths with one of those in a long time.." she murmurs, before she lets out a soft chuckle. "Well, some of us witches are rather hermit-like. I mean, quite frankly I am riding the edge there." She thumbs over her shoulder, in a random direction. "I live outside the city, away from all the ruckus. Deep in the woods. What Lyra means is that some of us do that permanently, away from everyone and everything. The woods, or even outside...well, everything."

"That could change 'very' easily if you wanted to be more involved in the handling of my southern issues." Lyra replies with an empty candor, "I have things to tell you about, when you get the chance. Pertaining to the research I was doing that you gave me advice towards." She cants her head, lightly playing with one of the necklaces around her neck...

A new one.

"I'd maybe appreciate the help of your direct involvement."

Bob looks between the two of them. "The woods. They lived in the bayou. Didn't socialize much. Maybe hermitage then. So there are Nephandi near us. Sheesh. Technocrats enough already." Bob shakes his head.

Bob looks at the two, hesitating, then says "Umm. If I can. Met two others here, one a Mage. One I don't know. Leigh. And Mary. They OK?"

"Oh, Mary and Leigh are still around?" Xiu wonders, sitting more upright. "That is..kind of good to hear. Mary is young and inexperienced. I tried to find her a teacher, once. But.." she rolls her shoulders.

"No idea how that turned out, I guess." She smirks. "I should pay her a visit again, then."

With that said, she glances over at Lyra...and lets out a soft laugh. 'I would maybe appreciate the help'..." she echoes Lyra's words. "Girl, you really have a hard time with just saying 'Hey Xiu, I need help, are you in?'" She softly chortles, while she brushes some of her long, long braids away from your face. "But yes Lyra, I 'am in'. I will catch you at the usual place soon." Perfectly detailed schedule planning of Xiu!

"Of fucking 'course' I have a problem with it!" Lyra says, throwing up her hands and moving about in a way that causes the serpent on her head to have to... Sit up a little more to balance.

"Fine fine fine. Hey Xiu, I need help, are you in? Oh what's that? You're in? SICK!" She... Seems to have just instantaneously loosened up. And she slouches back in her seat, drink in hand, while the other reaches up to pet the serpent atop her head.

"Mary ended up more interested in other things than working with Selene, as far as I've been told. Of course I never had the chance to meet her... I doubt it would have worked out. But, good, I will see you there soon."

"Ah good. Figured Leigh was OK. She came down here. Everyone gets here I can trust, right?", Bob asks. He continues, "Also good about Mary. We hit it off somewhat. Speaking of - Roasters only safe place I was given. Other places recommended? Or better to meet people here. And through introductions from them?"

"Mmmmh." Xiu lets out a sound of half-annoyance, and she wiggles a hand again. "Unaffiliated mystics can get down here. It is best not to talk about private things, or Tradition internals, when those are around. Essentially this is neutral ground for all mystics and weird scientists and whatnot, as long as they do not belong to the Union or the Nephandi. So, best treat it like that. "Xiu advises Bob. "We had a place exclusive for our folk out in the desert, but that place has...issues. Some don't like it. Steele found a potential new place here in Prospect which I am evaluating with him, and Lyra.." she glances at the other witch "...has a place in Chula Vista where technically folks can visit. Technically her domain, but we *tried* to build up something while she took a break." Xiu just smirks at the last part. She seems to like teasing Lyra, but it feels more prankish than really mean-spirited.

Lyra's eyes narrow...

"Are you implying that I have no interest in building something even still?" Lyra asks rhetorically, "You have to understand. My situation is far 'less' merciful than what the rest of us are privileged enough to enjoy in Prospect. I know you know that. And... It was 'not' a break." She's... Practically pouting about that.

It 'was' a break.

"But I digress from being a whiny bitch. I 'have' a place in Chula Vista... It just comes with a warning label, and I'm not the threat."

A look goes from Lyra to Xiu, and back to Lyra. "I don't want to pry. Well, want to. Don't want to offend. Curious about warning label. Take it, not somewhere I should visit. Least not yet."

Bob looks to Xiu and says "Much appreciated. Haven't figured out how to recognize Mages yet. Unless I do a HUD with prime. But detectable, so..." He falls silent.

"I...am not sure what that even means." Xiu admits to Bob in regards to his 'HUD with Prime'. She lets out a soft chuckle. "But I guess I get the gist of it." she says, before she gestures towards him. "The best advice I can give you right now though is...stick to people we tell you about, and those tell you about. No need to look for Mages on your own. Even if not many of us hang with each other regularly, we know people who know people who hang with people..." She circles a finger. "ANd on and on, you will know everybody around in no time."

She lowers the arm and glances at Lyra - just warmly smiling. "We *really* need to meet soon." she says slowly. "At least that's the feeling I get."

"Your feeling is, candidly, fucking right." Lyra replies, sitting up a little taller as the serpent atop her head finally moves... Slithering down to instead... Sip at her coffee. Lapping it up with that snake tongue as best as it possibly can. Lyra does not attempt to stop it- implying it's... Probably normal.

"Frankly, it's safe to travel to the city." Lyra says to Bob, "The risk associated with it is probably not immediately extant- but I can't be sure. So for now? We'll simply leave it at... It's 'really' complicated. All that said, if you go to the Lady of the Lakes... Pub in the city. The restaurant I mentioned. Let my cousin Mindy know you're there on my invitation, and she'll let you into the basement. The pub, at least, should be entirely safe."

"Right. Appreciated. And I'll do that. Stick to introduced I mean. Umm," Bob pauses. "If there's anything I can do to help either of you, probably tech related. Please, just let me know." Then again, what need do masters have of an apprentice? Still, he can find information on the Digital Web they might have trouble with. Who knows.

"Bob. The first advice is to never undervalue yourself..." Xiu remarks - and her tone is strangely dry and serious. "Those who undervalue themselves neglect confidence in what they actually can do. Second advice: Never stop striving to become better. Third advice?" She even has a hand lifted, third finger wiggling. "The last time I seriously touched tech was about 12 years ago or so, and shit moves fast. So once you have settled in, I actually have something for you and Viktor to peek at. Call it...maintenance."

Lyra prods Athiss, and the serpent rapidly coils around itself... She takes up her coffee then, sipping from it thoughtfully.

"We are an organization. The Traditions, are a unified entity. Your methods, the methods of the Hermetics, the Euthanatoi, the Sons of Ether... The differences don't matter. Look through the significant history when you get the opportunity and see how 'rarely' it was that a Traditions member was ever able to solve anything without the help of another?" She sets the drink down...

"Because I can tell you outright that Xiu is right. Just on principle, never undervalue yourself. But beyond principal and in regard to practicality, we live in the year 2023. There is almost no circumstance where your skill set is 'useless.' No matter how new to it you are."

Listening raptly, Bob nods at each point. His eyes widen a bit at 12 years. That is ancient tech. "Will do. On all counts. Or, won't do, per advice. And yeah. Happy to help. Once Vik and I sync. And I get booted up here."

Looking to Lyra, Bob says "You both bring up good points. Will remember."

Xiu lets out a soft chuckle as she notices the widening eyes. "Yeeeah..." she says, slowly nodding. "12 years of my luddite ways.." she waves a hand. "Not that I don't *hear* about the new tech, or see the new tech in the city, or touch it at times. I know how to use a smartphone. I know how to surf the net. Everyday stuff. And I *think* I still might know how to program a VCR, but that shit is for Marauders." She rolls her shoulders. "But really, that's just the kind of everyday stuff one *has* to keep up in order to survive out there. Know the enemy."

"I keep up on the new tech by virtue of who I live with." Lyra explains with clear carefulness, "I'm a fairly modern woman. I've been a witch as long as I can remember, but I only started understanding things on the level I do now some four or five years back. I work no magick with the technology of the day, but... I 'do' play Solitaire on my Android when I get exceptionally bored while waiting for something in a public place."

Solitaire? Solitaire! Bob manages to keep a straight face. "That's something. There are more secure OSs for your phones though, if you're worried about the Technocracy.". He nods sagely. Tech, this is something he has some wisdom on.

Xiu remains quiet for a moment, just subtly smirking - before she lightly patpats the edge of the table and stands, pushing her chair back. "Welp, I have to move. Break time is over for me, I'm afraid." She steps sideways and pushes the chair back into place, before she lifts her hand and brushes all her braids forward, over her shoulders, so they hang down her front. And, given that this is the first time Bob can see her standing - she really is just of average asian female height. Still, that mass of braids almost reaches the floor.

The reason she brushed them all forward? Well. She has to pull the hoodie hood up somehow, which she does now, tugging it in place with all that hair spilling past her neck. She then lazily stuffs her hands into the hoodie pouch.

"I'll be seein' you two soon, yeah? Stay safe, Bob. Keep that pizza ready, Lyra." With that said, she turns and makes her way towards the stairs. With her walking, Bob might notice how worn her clothing is. Not really damaged, but far from pristine or well cleaned.

When Xiu rises, so does Lyra... It seems to be little more than coincidental though, as she does not rush to do so.

"Mmm. I've got to get home to make sure my housemates haven't burned the place down. Be sure to stop by some time, Bob... I can get you acquainted with the area and we can figure things out." She brings up her handbag, and the serpent coils around her fingertips before slithering up to coil around her neck... It does say, if briefly...

"Bye Xiu! Bye Bob! Good talk! Bring me meat next time!"

And then it... Just looks like a choker again.

A wave from Bob, and "Nice meeting you! Nice meeting you both. And will do Lyra. And will do Athiss."

"Oh, will do!" Xiu says in a sing-song voice, lazily pulling a hand from her hoodie and blindly waving back at the little snek. She likes the little snek. The snek shall get meat.