Frisbee hates her.

Josephine
[How aware of Resonance are we?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 3, 4, 7, 7, 10) ( success x 3 )

Grace
[Awareness too!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 7, 7, 8, 8) ( success x 4 )

Alexander
[Ooh, dice!  Awareness.]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (5, 5, 9, 9) ( success x 2 )

Alexander
[Because he's starting to like playing around with his senses, a little sensing forces.  Arete, TN4, -1 for taking time.  2 succs for the sceen?]

Dice: 1 d10 TN3 (9) ( success x 2 ) [WP]

Alexander
Some may think that avoiding places where there has been trouble is a good thing to do.  Not so long ago, two of their kind had been attacked without warning by something else that tended to prefer a life in the shade.  They had – nearly – been preyed on once, and there’s nothing to say that it wouldn’t happen again.  It would be the safe thing to do.

Well, screw that.  Making little change after little change to avoid the risk that something might happen again makes the world a smaller and scarier place than is really is.  It’s not even a case of self-preservation, like staying away from a club used by vampires to pick up their next meal.  It really is just letting fear take over.

So plans have been made, messages swapped, and here Alex is.  He’s not so far away from the lake that he can’t see what might be happening on the grass nearby.  It wouldn’t be the first, or the last, time that a particular Sending had appeared to ask for help.  It has been a while since that last time, but then months had passed between then and the first visit.  So you never know.

He’s sat on the grass at the moment, seeing what there is to see.  There’s a rucksack on the ground next to him, currently unopened.  The weather is warming up, although still not what some in the city would call pleasant, so the heavy jacket he was wearing lies on the grass by the pack.  The sun is pleasant, warming.  A frozen moment to relax in.

A light breeze blows through the park, and it reminds him of a night out in the mountains when he’d first worked out how to see it.  Well, he’s got time to kill... Why not?  He sinks back into himself and the sensation of the air moving over his skin and his reaches to see more of the world.  To see the wind dancing again.

Josephine
Some Mages are preoccupied with vampires.  Wars.  Monsters.  Duty.  The fucking meaning of life.

Josephine is familiar with this phenomenon.  She has been at the center of a little conclave of Mages and she remembers.  Traditions and dreams and visions for the future.  It was all idealistic and frantic and messy.  She's not doing all that right now.

No.  Instead, she is looking for a good place to crowdfund a mural for.  And perhaps, perhaps she will enchant as she enchants her chalk drawings, except that this magic won't wash away in the rain.  She's snapping pictures, here and there, with her phone, which is impressive as she leans and contorts and walks over uneven ground in high strappy red heels.  Not just any red, but that rich eye-stopping candy red.  With sparkles.  Her jeans don't really match the eye-catching nature of those heels, though they do draw a look from the people who notice her.  Her shirt reads, 'Free Hugs' and clings to her in ways that should probably have her some attention.  But Josephine doesn't really want that attention anymore.

She snaps a few more pictures, dodges a double jogging stroller at the last second, shrugs off an apology about texting for the playdate of the twins.  There is something frozen.  Cold and still and entirely unlike the sense of blissful, peaceful spring that clings to her.  And so she wanders that way.

Grace
Grace is wandering the park for much the same reasons Alex is. Though she knows they won't be out during the day, time was she let traumatic experiences tell her what was safe to do and not. That time has passed.

She walks here because this is a place she has always walked. Because she won't let a little thing like living black holes keep her from doing what she does. And as she walks, the sense of Alex -- Alex, like the mountain peaks that loom in the distance, cold and lonely and high -- flows over her like the snow that this season likes to melt.

He'll see her coming in a different way than normal, the wind making eddy currents around her, dancing in strange chaos around the barrier of her body. Perhaps he can even feel the flutter of feathers as she approaches -- wings not touched by the wind, but shifting anyway.

There's someone else coming too -- someone who feels like a dreamy happy plunge into flowers, and it has Grace -- grey-jacketed, blue-jeaned, besneakered -- looking around.

"Hey, Alex," she says, to a walking path in the opposite direction to him. "What's up?"

Alexander
There’s something to be said for education, where you learn to put the names to things.  Where the names define the things.  Where, in some Awakened opinions, you can change the thing by changing the name.  And had Alexander studied science beyond high school, he might be able to put the names  to the sensation of energy as the air moves.  He can see it and knows that that current is stronger than that current, but the newtons and joules and other units of measurement aren’t something he’s aware of in the same way.

He watches the flow of air above the lake, convection flows as warmer air rises and colder air falls again.  A vision of chaotic order – the air following the pattern but with random variations in the flow.  Something makes him think of flying, soaring, on those updrafts.  Something keen and shifting.  Less like a skittering blade and more like a soaring bird.  He turns, curious, that it feels like someone familiar but now a little more different than before.

“Grace?”  It looks like her. It sounds like her.  It – mostly – feels like her.  “You’ve changed.  Did Alyssa rub off on you in the end?”  He smiles and turns to start fishing something out of the pack.  It’s Frisbee time!  He pushes himself up from the ground, wiggling it at Grace.  “No flying off after it, now.”

Another sensation – another resonance – is nearby.  It’s new and unknown and he turns to look at where it’s approaching from.  “Hrm.  Someone you know?”

Josephine
The source of that unfamiliar Resonance walks right up to them.  She does it slowly enough, but she doesn't hesitate.  Josephine moves through the world as if it belongs to her.  As though there is no place she would rather be than right here, right now, meandering across the young spring grass toward two strangers.

She is already smiling, but her smile widens as her fingers pull over the fall of her hair, making sure it is all to one side as it should be and tilts her chin up so that she can look at them less through her eyelashes.  Easy enough with Grace.  But, even in those heels, she doesn't really look all the way to Alexander.

"Hi," she says.  "Josephine."  If it has occurred to her that she might be interrupting, there is no sign of that awareness as she extends one hand, layers of rings with an assortment of mostly semi-precious gemstones catching the light, metal bracelets ringing.  Her nails are painted the same red as her shoes, each ring finger with a little jeweled flower design glued to it.  And, for all that she might not tend to dwell on any particular part of the world long, she keeps the hand she is not offering in their line of sight.

Grace
"Alyssa's not rubbing on me," Grace says, absentmindedly, again to a walking path instead of to Alex. But then, the words actually parse. "Oh! I mean, that. Right. I did kind of change at that, yes.

She turns to give him a little smile, and then back again to the approach of Josephine -- who gets a curious expression. Grace reads her shirt, notices the hand stuck out, and then smiles at her and goes in for the weirdest handshake. For one, Grace goes for the wrong arm first. And then both arms. And then drops the extraneous arm.

"Hi. I like free. Grace."

Alexander
“Mind if I ask you what.. how... Hell, I dunno, what happened?  Just so I might have a clue what to look forward to?”  He scratches his head, turning to meet Josephine as she approaches.

Sendings.  Vampires.  Games of soccer between the Awakened.  One thing can be said about Washington Park, it’s never quiet.  And, just to keep that reputation intact, here’s another newcomer.  One who – at least for the moment – doesn’t seem intent on jumping down their throats with both Doc Martens.

“Alexander.”  He reaches out to shake hands, too.  His grip, contrary to what might be expected given the way that his presence feels, is warm.  “Plus Frisbee.”  He smiles, wiggling it between his hands again.

Josephine
Josephine participates in Grace's awkward handshake dance, starting to offer the other hand or both hands, but eventually Grace gets one of her hands.  There is a little squeeze, Josephine isn't delicate but she doesn't try to impress upon anyone any measure of strength with her grip.  "Me too.  Especially in the case of hugs.  Or shots.  I accept both as expressions of love."

Alexander manages a more normal handshake, but then waggles a frisbee at her.  Washington Park is hardly boring.  Excellent.  She reaches out to take the lip of the waggling frisbee and lets her hand nod up and down with it.

"Well," she says, in a voice rich with the threat of laughter.  "I'm pleased to meet all three of you."

Grace
Grace grins at Alex. "Frisbee is probably the most awesome of us. Did you know that Frisbee likes flying around wherever it goes? Like, you just try that yourself, it's... kinda awesome, actually."

She leans over to him, whispers in his ear, "And yeah, I had a... vision quest or whatever. It's... different. Like a dream but not even close to it. Seeking, they call it."

Then, to Josephine. "I am shit at hugs. Seriously. Not so bad at frisbee."

Alexander
“Also the most evil.  Frisbee has been known to randomly attack people without warning.  Although that could be down to whoever’s throwing him, but that’s just boring.  And it happens a lot more than intended, so there must be some kind of evil spirits built into the things.  Maybe they have some evil plan to take over the world?”  He’s grinning, obviously joking.  Although given track record in the city, never say never...

Alex nods to what Grace whispers, then shrugs.  “Tell me about it later.  Frisbee has company.”  Company that mostly likely knows full well what Seekings are, but there are some conversations you don’t have with complete strangers around.

“Do you play?” he asks Josephine.  The heels are probably a sign that this wouldn’t be the best of time even if she did.  But, then, he knows Sera.  So who the hell knows.  “Haven’t seen you in town before.  Just moved in?”  She may well have been here for years, but given their propensity to ‘accidentally’ bump into each other all the time?  Unlikely.

Josephine
Josephine laughs a little when Grace pronounces herself shit at hugs, but she offers up no protests.  No offers to practice.  She doesn't stop smiling when they start whispering, just waits.  There was a time that she was part of something, when she whispered and laughed and was in the place of being the one who knew the city.

But that was San Francisco.

"About six months ago," she says to Alexander.  "And my last ridiculous athletics in parks partner preferred hacky sacks, but I have been known to join in on frisbee on occasion.  I had a brief fling with a skateboard once, but we decided to see other people.  Frisbees and I have always been good though, even if we mostly only see each other at parties."

Grace
"Jesus Christ, Alex. Do not summon evil Frisbee spirits bent on world takeover. Watch your language, dude," Grace says, in extreme mocking mode.

Then, she steps backwards without looking, doing a little reverse-walk to put distance between herself and the guy with the frisbee.

"Well, welcome to Denver! Frisbee loves you! Or loves hitting you in the head, we'll find out shortly!"

Alexander
“Ahh, the skateboard.  Such a fickle one.  One minute you think you’re the best of friends, the next you’re on your ass wondering what you did wrong.  Are you still seeing each other?”

Alex grins.  “Hey, I’m not doing any summoning.  I’m just pointing out the potential for the end of the world to come from the most innocent and unlikely of places.”  He starts taking his own walk backwards, putting space between the three of them.  He makes a throwing gesture at Josephine, seemingly asking if she wants to join in.  He’ll throw to Grace first, though.

“So was it to, from, or just because it seemed like a good idea?”

Josephine
Josephine begins to back up as well.  You need a bit of space for frisbee.  Even in heels, she barely glances behind her.  It adds a little bit of a sway to her walk, not knowing quite how her feet will settle, but she's completely comfortable with that.  Practiced.  She grins at Grace's welcome.

"Technically the skateboard was cheating on her primary partner with me.  I did eventually end up with one, but we never really go out."  She is still smiling, understand, but there is a hint of something under that tone, something less devil may care.

"And I believe that it was actually in spite of, more than any of the options you presented.  I just...wanted a new place for awhile."

Grace
Josephine talks, and Grace gets the hint that something more is going on there with those metaphors, but mostly -- she is just lost. Cheating skateboards are just beyond her.

So, she smiles and awaits Alex's throw. "Come on, Alex. Don't screw it up. The world's safety depends upon your throwing arm!"

Alexander
That there’s more behind that answer is noted but, at the moment, left.  The conversation has the potential to turn into areas that you don’t generally get into with somebody you’ve just met.  Except possibly where Johnny or Jack are involved in a dark bar somewhere.  “Well, welcome to Denver.  May the ends of the world be few.”  His tone is still joking, but there’s more behind that too.

But then it’s onto Frisbee.  Ultimate, or otherwise.  “Oh, gee, thanks.  No pressure then!”  He throws the thing in Josephine’s direction.

[Dex+Ath, because you can't have enough dice rolling.]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 3, 6, 6, 9) ( success x 3 )

Josephine
[Catch? Dex+Athletics]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 7) ( success x 1 )

Josephine
She is only paying so much attention to the frisbee for a moment.  But then the frisbee is suddenly closing on her and she takes one slightly awkward hop in those ridiculous shoes and catches the frisbee.  And she laughs, because of course she does.  Playing frisbee in parks with strangers is a thing that she loves.  Maybe they will be friends.  Maybe not.

Right now though, she has a frisbee.  The frisbee would like to be flying.  That is, after all, what frisbees are born to do.

Shhhhhhh...you can be born in a soulless assembly line.  If you're awesome.  And frisbees are awesome.

She tosses the frisbee toward Grace.

[Do you throw better than you catch?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 9) ( success x 3 )

Grace
[Catch a thing! Dex+Ath]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 4, 4, 4) ( botch x 1 )

Grace
[lol]

Grace
Give Grace some credit -- she tries. Even though she might suck at it, she attempts to catch the frisbee. Attempts, and then flubs it. Arms flailing, the frisbee flips up and smacks her right in the eye. Mind you, Josephine didn't throw it at her eye -- no. She seems to have interfered in the natural progress of the thing. Poorly.

"Ow! Fuck!"

She grabs at her eye, waves at Josephine -- not your fault. "No, it loves Josephine and hates the crap out of me..."

Even in her half-blind state, she goes to retrieve the frisbee off the ground and hopefully -- throw it to Alex.

[Can she throw it back with a smacked eye? Dex + Ath]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (3, 4, 8, 9) ( success x 2 )

Alexander
[Catch?]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 4, 5, 5, 7) ( success x 1 )

Alexander
“There, you see!  That’s what happens when you try to get in the way of the Frisbee’s plan for world domination!  There’s no point in resisting.  Just give in to running half way across the park because it feels like seeing what’s over there.”

The plastic disk comes flying his way.  The aim is good, but he almost fumbles the thing before he finally gets a good grip on the thing.  “Frisbee is displeased.”  He strokes it a couple of times before tossing it onto Josephine again.

“Have you met any others of our little dysfunctional family yet?”

[Throw?]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9) ( success x 3 )

Josephine
[Catch?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (3, 3, 4, 4, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 3 )

Josephine
This time when the frisbee comes into the air, Josephine is ready.  She pounces at the frisbee with a wild grin.  Captures it, if only momentarily, as one captures fireflies.

"Oh.  A few.  But rarely more than once."  Rather like fireflies.  And, for all that she walked up to them as though she belonged there, and for all she is a spring creature with easy smiles - when their game is over Josephine has taken a few steps back, laughing, and blown them a kiss in preparation to slip away when Alexander offers his number.

She would have let them go.  Here and gone, like flashes of firefly light.

None of the others have tried to do anything like capture any way to contact her.  She cocks her head briefly to the side, then returns long enough to get Alexander's number.  And, since he offered, she gives her number to him in return.  Grace, who is there, gets it as well.  Scribbled on a scrap of paper in a bright purple Sharpie.  She dots the 'i' in her name with a heart.  Of course she does.

They're just lucky she didn't write her number on the fucking frisbee for good measure.

Giving up is hard to do.

Arionna de la Babin
The weather isn't entirely nice yet, though it's warm enough that those who have been through the winter recently feel it acceptable to wander around in nigh nothing. Some people anyhow. Others are more sensible and keep to their hoodies until the weather warms up.

Arionna is not one of those people who finds it acceptable to wander around in very little, despite finding a great deal of pleasure in the cold. Though it's not cold, not anymore. It's too warm really, but it's not likely to cool off anytime soon. It's going to get warmer, and she'll be back to feeling double the misery, especially when the days grow longer and the nights shorter. Despite that, she takes to the park, resting on the grass with a series of books and papers on the ground in front of her. Some weighed down should the wind pick up. Her dark hair lays over her shoulders as she peers over a book.  Her legs are out to her side, hidden only partway under a knee length skirt and a pair of spider-like stockings. It's her long sleeve that keeps her warm, simple and black to go with her skirt. As usual, the three ravens rest on a necklace at her throat.

A small turn of the page shows her deep interest in the book at hand, though she's not without attention elsewhere. Ari is always wary of those around her, for reasons so few understand, and so while she seems engrossed, she's not half as she ought to be. But she is there, with her tools at hand, just off the path.

Ian
[Awareness]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 4, 5, 9, 9, 10) ( success x 3 )

Grace
[Awareness too!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 6, 7, 7) ( success x 3 )

Ian
It was 63 degrees in Denver, and the landscape around Washington Park had the look of early spring: soft earth, muddy in patches where the snow had only recently melted, and a carpet of old grass that was just beginning to sprout fresh shoots of green. Ian took the path today, running in wide loops around the lake. Unlike Arionna, he absolutely was the type to dress lightly - especially when the weather (and the activity) called for it. Tonight he had on a pair of black and white track pants with a tapered leg and a basic white tank top. A black armband strapped around one bicep held his phone and keys.

His expression was focused while he ran, zeroed in on some fixed point ahead of him. His breaths came in a steady rhythm, keeping time against his pulse. Inhale. Exhale. Blood moving in his veins, drumming against the inside of his head.

At some point he passed the point where Arionna was lying in the grass. The ground sloped up to one side, opening up to a dry patch. Ian's rapid pace slowed as he drew closer, ramping down to an easy, loping jog. After a brief moment of consideration, he turned off the path and approached her, finally ending in a walking pace as he came up to stand beside her. He set his hands on his hips while he caught his breath, tilting his head to look down at the book in her hands.

"What are you reading?"

Grace
It might seem strange for Grace to return so soon to the park. The last time she was here, a vampire made shadows dance and flow and suffocate her. But that vampire hasn't been back to this park since. Grace knows that for a certainty. Chances are, no vampire who knows what happened will be back to this park for a while, if they're all so terrified of Mage attacks, thank you very much Sera.

Which is a good thing. This is a nice park, and one of Grace's favorite places in the city. The Message 'lives' here. It's not all vampires and creepy shit. And it's not nighttime -- yet.

She goes along as she usually does, meandering pathless with her face in her phone. With all this nature, why wouldn't she be looking at it? But when she catches the familiar hint of the catlike Ian, she bends in that direction, puts away her phone, and finally looks.

Oh, dear. He's with Arionna. This could be interesting. As in interesting times.

Still, she walks up, albeit without a smile.

"A book, apparently. Dead tree."

Arionna de la Babin
Arionna shifts slightly in her place on the dirt as a figure seems to approach. She stiffens, moves a little to the opposite side, and then seems to recognize, through voice, that it is Ian. Ari lifts her head, letting her attention slide over him. Ian had the benefit of looks, as did Elijah, when talking to Ari; she was still not accustom to well...being a young lady. Her brows lifted just a little. "I've never understood why individuals willingly move out of their own way to just run." Ari pulled her legs in slowly to straighten herself. "Conservation of Large Felines. Part of a course."  Her head tilted a little to the side. Ok, maybe she could understand it, in a way.

Ah but then there is Grace, who of course, speaks with honesty. Ari might even come to like her for that, but for now, Arionna shifts her attention to the other individual. "If you want to speak simply, then yes, it comes from dead plants." She curls her legs in further until she's sitting on her knees.

Ian
Ian gave a small nod of acceptance when Arionna responded to his question, his expression shifting slightly to indicate lazy interest. Her previous commented elicited a delayed smirk as Ian reached up to card his fingers through his hair. His visual attention shifted to Grace as she appeared at his side, taking her in for a moment with an air of relaxed greeting. As though her showing up out of the blue no longer surprised him (which it didn't, really.)

"I've never understood why some people don't appreciate the bodies they inhabit."

One could probably make a fair point to Ian that many people were not born with the kind of body that he had.

"Running is freeing. It focuses you and makes you feel more alive at the same time. Assuming you don't mind a little pain."

Ian
[Edit: Her previous comment elicited a delayed smirk...]

Grace
Grace, for the record, is wearing her grey jacket today, zipped up to the neck. It's not the cold, but hey -- a bite-resistant shirt is never a bad idea, right? It works wonders on all kinds of undead threats. Unless vampires don't really bite -- that guy she found didn't have any marks. Maybe they're like the salt sucker from Star Trek, all suction cups and... eww. Gross.

"A vampire attacked me in this park not too long ago," Grace says, apropos of nothing, and to Arionna. Ian already knows. "I think it's scared off, but still. Might do to be careful."

She then turns to Ian. "Hi. I do mind a little pain, for the record."

Arionna de la Babin
"Do you assume that those who don't engage in such activity are those without appreciation of their forms?" She closed her book slowly, focusing on the conversation at hand instead of her book. Besides, there wasn't much she could accomplish at the moment. "Appreciation is never limited to one method. A fault in thinking on the part of many." Grace, Ari had decided, looked the most normal in a city. She just seemed to fit in a way. Her brows furrowed slowly, though more in interest at Ian. "Well I can't deny running feels enjoyable, though best when there is a reason to run, I find."

Oh Grace, Morrigan bless her. She's abrupt, to the point. They may not agree on much, but the bluntness she has... "Must not be a very capable vampire."

Ian
"No," Ian countered Arionna's question easily enough. "I assume that about people who say they don't understand the point of it." His smile was an easy thing though, playing at the edges of his mouth while he watched her. Grace's advice was sobering, but it didn't seem to concern him in an immediate sense. There was no coil of tension or sudden darting of his eyes to check for hidden shadows.

"I don't think it's quite late enough for vampires yet. But yeah, being careful is never a bad idea." The topic seemed to bring something else to mind though, as Ian tipped his head in question, glancing between Grace and Arionna. "Is she not in the loop yet?"

(He meant Ginger. The Chantry. Someone to explain... all of the things that the new kids usually needed to know.)

Grace
"I have my grave concerns about loops," Grace says to Ian, giving him a pointed look that says: caution.

Truth is, Grace is still halfway convinced that Arionna isn't merrily traipsing her way down the same road as that cannibalistic Hermetic they had to deal with. The other truth is, she's not going to say that in front of Arionna.

"And yeah, I'd say any vampire who went about their nights trying to be as showy and gaudy as inhumanly possible, drawing the ire of not one but two Mages, with absolutely no backup? Yeah. That counts as being a not very capable vampire."

Arionna de la Babin
"Possibly not the best assumption to make. Though, maybe those who appreciate their own bodies less are more capable of appreciating the bodies of others. " The interaction between him and Grace warrants a calm, quiet observation, at least until Grace has said her piece.

"If you mean am I aware of whatever it is that all the rest of you are aware of, Alex has been kind enough to provide hints. Whatever knowledge you have, seems to be well guarded." Ari pushed to her feet, lightly dusting off her skirt. "Probably well. Anyone who admonishes me for lacking trust, only to do the same, seems unlikely to be worth the trouble. Seems I've discovered a few good apples, and not the other way around."

Ian
"Or maybe just young and cocky."

Maybe there was a double meaning to that, but if so Ian didn't draw attention to it. Grace got a silent stare in response to her statement, but he seemed to take the hint because he let the subject drop, allowing Arionna her misinterpretation.

"Yes, Alex is... helpful, like that." (Alexander would most assuredly have less complimentary things to say about Ian.) "Trust isn't a binary. You get to know people, and gradually you learn the ways you can trust them and the ways you can't. That takes time. But you can be wary of people and still enjoy their company. I do it all the time." This seemed to be directed equally at both Grace and Arionna.

"And I don't think I need much help appreciating the human form in any capacity." His smile there was self-aware, but he let it linger on Arionna a moment - acknowledging the obvious innuendo inherent in her choice of words.

Grace
Grace rolls her eyes at Arionna -- hard. Apparently, there is much reason to work out the eye muscles lately.

"Ari, you talk about the world as though it's dying and you want to watch. You want people to stop saving it and let nature take its course. And you're a Mage. You talk about people as though they were a plague of locusts that you'd love to squish beneath your feet. And you're a Mage. You might not be much of one yet, but as you grow into your power, you become more you. What you say and believe becomes what you actually do. And it makes me wonder -- are you going to watch the world burn? Or are you just talking out of your ass? I trust people fine -- when they're not assholes."

Talk about bluntness. Grace holds no punches. Ian will get the picture here -- the reason why Ari is not, and will not, be in the loop. The loop is about discussing threats and handling them. Ari wouldn't even be slightly interested in that anyway.

Arionna de la Babin
If she has caught onto Ian's innuendo, it has become slightly apparent with the shift of color to her face, and a small quip of her lips into a grin that fades almost as quickly as it arrived. Ah but it was there. "I guess you're right." She says to Ian. "I admit, I've seen little reason to trust much of any since I've met them. Judgmental, most of them. Blindly heroic, to a fault I'd say."

"I'm a witch, and I engage in witchcraft. If Mage is your word for it, then by all means. As for my perspective on the world, I think very few individuals...no... no one has the capacity to express my view accurately. It reminds me of the poor individuals who read Dostoyevsky once and think they understand the point of it. The truth is there are layers, and those who think they understand from a cursory read, are those who are shallow and lack the motivation to tear it apart. What you know, or think you know, is based primarily on perhaps...two encounters with myself. Limited sample, don't you think?"

"Personally I think you overstate your importance, and the intensity of the situation with the world. But then..." She held her hands up lightly in a small shrug. "What do I know? What I learn I learn of my own accord, with my own will, as has always been the case. Alex seems to think it best I build some sort of network with all of you, but I see no reason."

"Do you know the difference between small town, religious bigots and most of the... mages... I've met thus far? One is wrapped in technology, and the other in false civility. Admittedly, at least you're honest about it. I prefer the honesty. Far less skulking required."

Ian
"Oh for fuck sake, Grace, do you have any idea what a monster I was when I was a teenager? Being likable doesn't make someone inherently trustworthy." Ian let out an irritated breath and rolled his eyes skyward, as though asking for patience.

"This is a stupid argument. You're making assumptions instead of talking. I fail to see how that's helpful to either of you. But if you want to sit here and pick at each other all night, be my guest. I'm going to finish my run."

And with that, he turned around and jogged back to the path.

Grace
"I've tried talking with her. It's like talking to rather uncaring rocks," Grace says, to Ian's retreat.

"Well, it is," she says, to Ari. Now this is gone uncomfortable, but again -- Grace doesn't much care.

"And you're right -- I don't know you very well. But from what I have been able to parse, you don't particularly want to be trusted. Either that, or you don't see the need for trust. You like arguing with people, and not by attacking their ideas, but attacking them. I get the feeling you like making people uncomfortable, whether that's intentional or not. And it really really works. I realize I'm doing a bit of arguing and prickling at you right now, but you seem to like it. So. We can do that."

Arionna de la Babin
There's a small tightening of her lips as Ian starts to jog away. There is little for her to say in what he said. In her perspective, it wasn't her that was the brunt of the problem.

"Rocks lack the capacity to care to begin with. " She leans over to begin gathering her items up and slide them in her bag. "And why do you think that? Because I don't agree with your perspective? Perhaps I don't find your ego to be engaging. Maybe it's because I don't find the concept of playing nice with those who judge me to be rather appealing. "

"You give your trust where you like it. I'm no more in control of it than anyone else. If you don't give it, then you've chosen not to. And you'll have to live with that. I'll survive with, or without the group of you. A choice you make. But if you think that I'll hand over my trust so freely, you're mistaken." Ari slid the strap of her bag on her shoulder and straightened. "As it stands, it is a greater cost to me to trust you, than it is the other way around. And given what I've seen so far, you don't come across as a particularly happy bunch, or an enjoyable one. Not very giving, certainly."

She shifted a little, tilting her head. "Do I make you uncomfortable? Have you considered that perhaps it's not entirely a choice?" Her brows furrow slowly, and her tone darkens a little at Grace. "Some of us were not gifted with plainness. How easily you would have fitted in where I come from. No one would have suspected anything, and how I envy you for it. Must be a lovely feeling to blend in."

Arionna de la Babin
[OMG being able to blend in]

Grace
Grace raises an eyebrow. "Okay, now you're making assumptions about me that aren't true. I know exactly what it's like to be completely alien -- to have nobody in your life, even your parents, who consider you human. I still don't talk to them. They should have known better.

"When I was growing up, I had nobody, Ari. The reason why I like technology so much is that I found that the only way I could talk to people was through an interface where they couldn't figure out how old I was or what my gender was or any of that shit.

"You don't have a monopoly on solitude. Maybe the reason why I'm so hard on you is because you remind me of the very worst parts of what I became when I was alone. I hated people. And I wanted a release for that hate. But then, I grew up. I had to come to a realization that was I was doing to myself wasn't beneficial to me."

Arionna de la Babin
"Then you should know better yourself. If you profess understanding such concepts, then perhaps you should recall that the methods of interaction most of you employ is not endearing. Why should -I- chance my own safety when it's likely you're no different than anyone else? Solitude has benefits. Benefits that I see no reason to relinquish to individuals who have given me no reason to do so."  Her brows stayed knit, focused on the woman in front of her, though she slowly began to cross her arms over her chest. "What you have to offer I can find on my own. It'll take me longer, most likely, but at least I'll have the satisfaction of completing it myself. "

"Though it seems you have one distinct advantage. You were able to interact with people. "

Grace
"I gave you all the chances, and opened myself up to you in the beginning, Ari. You've shot me down enough times since then that now you've got me on the offensive. That's why my method of interaction with you isn't endearing. Anymore.

"And it won't be, up until the point when you learn to treat people with the respect you now reserve only for yourself.

"You will find, that interacting with people comes a lot easier when you want to. I don't think you do. I don't think you see the point. Or the benefit. So I don't know why you even try. Do you?"

Arionna de la Babin
"Is there a point? Other than dancing around n the middle of the park, is there a point to our engaging in any sort of conversation? The truth is I see very little point to most of you. Alex seems to think that making friends is somehow important, and that somewhere along the way, the lot of you might be helpful. Thus far, I don't see how that's even possible."

"There are ...certain.... individuals I've grown to enjoy being around. For them, perhaps I do, a little. But then, they've given me cause to give them what little I have. For the rest? I know how it will end. Why put effort into something that will only end with a great cost? I'm better off channeling the effort into something more useful."

Grace
Okay. Grace is the kind to let people do what they want to do. And Ari wants to be alone. She doesn't want to engage in conversation, so that's where Grace ends it.

She won't even say goodbye, just nods, and turns around -- starts meandering away. Likely this will be the last time Grace will even acknowledge her presence.

Calling Iris

Grace
[Corr 2, Entropy 2 = Secure Comms -- Just try to crack my encrypted elevator music -- I dare you, Carol. Diff 5 - 1 = taking time!]

Dice: 3 d10 TN4 (8, 9, 9) ( success x 3 )

Grace
[Extends!]

Dice: 3 d10 TN5 (2, 2, 5) ( success x 2 ) [WP]

Iris
[bam - security ENABLED]

Grace
Hiding the data you want to deliver in other, meaningless gibberish is like hiding the truth in a lie. It's also one of the very basics of hacking. This data you're concerned about? Totally normal, nothing special.

The vampires are on red alert. They've taken down their email server, at least, so that shows at least some security awareness. And Grace follows suit. You never know who could be listening in.

If someone does try listening in to this phone call, they'll get some calming music and the bustle of background noise, like someone butt-dialed one of the more competent members of the vampire community in Denver, and is trying to leave a very long message of coffee-shop sounds.

Grace is not actually at a coffee shop. And that's not actually what Iris will hear when and if she picks up. Turning one's microphone on for a few hours while surfing the internet somewhere has its uses.

Grace is actually bending space and the code of the universe to offer the olive branch that is security of the kind large governments wish they had to this woman. And she's calling. Ring ring, Iris.

The number's untrackable. And for a few seconds, there will be that coffee-shop noise in the background when this call is answered.

Iris
There was a pause on the other end when Iris answered her phone. A beat of silence while she listened to the background noise and pondered the unknown person on the other end of the line. Maybe she thought about hanging up, but given the kinds of people she'd attempted to ally herself with? She likely expected something like this. So after a moment, she said, "Yes? Who is this?"

Grace
"Ahh, yes, I'm Kalen's friend," Grace says, and the background noise dissipates. There's a pause as she considers giving a fake name, but Kalen gave his.... fake name. Right. "Kit."

"I've taken care of eavesdroppers. Don't worry, I'm not actually out somewhere, though it sounds like it. I figured you might appreciate the ability to speak freely. Someone listening to us will be very bored."

Iris
"Kit," Iris repeated the name in a business-like tone. "I'm guessing you already know who I am, then. And yes, I do appreciate discretion wherever possible. Did Kalen ask you to contact me, or did you have your own business to discuss?"

Grace
"Oh yes, I know approximately who you are."

And what you are.

"I'm not really here on Kalen's behalf, though he did give me the number, so he knows. I mean..."

Okay, Grace. You're talking to a woman who likes wearing nice suits. She probably thinks your Kalen's underling or something, right? Try not to stumble over yourself...

"Kalen did tell me a curious thing about your meeting. Derrick said the emails provided were pretty damning. You said that Denver would be in some kind of nebulous extreme danger if Lilean Holdings gains a foothold here. But to be honest, all any of us have been able to determine through reading those emails is that they're probably smuggling drugs, and probably smuggling people in other cities.

"I have my severe doubts that's all that's going on, but I just can't seem to get people interested in acting on what's essentially a cloud of hazy maybe-nothingness. You understand?"

Iris
"Ah. Yes, I do." There was a beat of silence before what came next. "To be honest, I think we assumed that if you were going after Lilean, then you must already have your reasons. One doesn't dig around in the personal correspondence of a powerful criminal organization without having some motivation. Or were you simply curious? Regardless, you found what you found. I can verify that your interpretation of those findings is accurate. Lilean is involved in organized criminal activity. The drugs are where the money comes in - that and their legal business revenue. The rest is... really more where my concern lies. If they are involved in human trafficking, as these e-mails indicate, then they are a threat that needs to be taken out. I do not abide by the kidnapping and... sacrifice of innocent lives.

If I understand you correctly, you're asking me where the immediate threat lies. The truth is, the threat they pose is not to you. At least, I don't believe so. It's myself and the other people I stand for who they want to eliminate. We are the reason why they are being careful. And if they are successful - if they do eliminate us - then Denver will become just like Miami. They will have free reign to do as they wish, and people will go missing. People will die."

Grace
[Perception + Empathy = Really? You care about kidnapping and sacrifices?]



Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 6, 9, 10) ( success x 3 )

Iris
[From what Grace can gather, it does sound as though Iris is being genuine when she says that she is not in favor of kidnapping and sacrifice. There is, perhaps, a depressing kind of calm to her tone. As though this sort of thing is something she's... come to accept as part of the world she operates in. A terrible part, yes. But not something she finds shocking. That being said, she understands the gravity of it. And she would choose to keep that from happening in Denver if she can. That's the impression, anyway. It's a bit difficult to to be sure, over the phone. And Iris is probably a practiced liar. Then again, if she was lying, it would probably help her cause to offer up a more... dramatic smoking gun. Something that affects the mages personally.]

Grace
People will go missing. People will die. Yes, well, it seems that people die in Denver on occasion too. It's just covered over, like wallpaper over the bloodstains.

Is that better? To shove things under the rug and pretend they don't exist? Would they just be giving control over the city to people who are better at wearing expensive suits and doing their makeup and appearing nice?

It's hard to say. So far, all of the data she has points to the Black Orchid vampires as being evil murdering assholes, yes. True that. But Grace only knows approximately who Iris is.

"My reasons are that when things go bump in Denver, it usually means the world's about to end," Grace says, and maybe Iris can hear the exasperated, eye-rolling going on. The world ending is not something Grace finds terribly shocking anymore. "Things went sideways. We investigated. We found shifting, nebulous maybe-danger. That's when we contacted you guys.

"Who do you think they're sacrificing to?"

Iris
Ah, see. Here was a question that our dear Iris seemed rather reluctant to answer. The pregnant pause on the other end of the line went on for longer this time.

"To be honest, I don't know. It could be some kind of fringe religious cult. Or it could just be wolves killing for the sport of it. I wish I could say that we were immune to that kind of extremism. Most of us find it disgusting. But... it does happen. As you've seen. And then the rest of us must contend with dangerous but well-meaning hunters who think the solution is to murder every... vampire in sight. I wonder if that's a situation your kind can relate to."

Grace
Hydra comes to mind. Only they weren't exactly well-meaning. More like vengeful idiots.

"Witch hunts you mean? History is full of that sort of shit."

And the present. But Grace isn't here to talk about Hydra and the Technocracy and its pogrom.

"Well, I can't promise I can turn anyone to the side of doing something, to be honest. There's a lot of talk back and forth about whether this alliance will actually be a benefit to Denver. I have been trying to convince people that action is worth it, that it's in everyone's best interests. That's been difficult. All I know is that they're assholes who definitely need to be out here. I just don't know if allying with other vampires is going to be an easy sell. More like, definitely won't be an easy sell.

We mostly deal with existential threats to the world, the universe, all human life everywhere, that sort of thing. I had a friend once who had a disaster scale where everyone dying at once didn't even rate to the halfway mark... But yeah. Even if I can't convince others, I am always willing to dosomething. Lilean Holdings might just up and disappear someday. I just like to know what it is that I'm trying to fight first."

Iris
"To be honest, it's reassuring that you feel that way. I did half-expect you to jump at the chance to trap us all in a room together. Granted, I'm not an expert on the capabilities of witches and sorcerers, but some of my friends are certain you're going to set us all on fire. Rather anachronistic, I suppose. You seem more like the type to empty out our bank accounts."

Was she really this calm? Or was it simply an act to make Grace feel more at ease? Whatever the answer, it certainly felt believable.

"I do hope that we can work together, as I'm quite certain that it will benefit all of us. But I don't blame you for being cautious. You have the luxury of being able to walk away from this. I do not. I do, however, fully believe that if Lilean Holdings and Grayson Addario win this fight, they will turn their sights on any other threat that gets in their path. Including you." After a pause, she seemed to consider something.

"There is... another way that you could help. Grayson has someone on his side. A very old and very dangerous ally named Elgin. There may be a way to convince him to... not involve himself in this fight. Doing that would increase our odds considerably. I believe your friend Kalen has already met the man who could help us with that. Wesley Edevane? Once upon a time, the two of them were friends. But Wesley is on this whole... Switzerland kick. He told me he doesn't want to get involved. Maybe you can convince him otherwise."

Iris
[Edit: That was supposed to say "Elgan" but apparently I forgot my own NPC's name.]

Grace
They are so honest, aren't they? All those honest beings. Grace laughs a little at the thought, something Iris might chalk up to the Mage laughing at her.

"We are capable of many things. Including bank accounts. But money is so distasteful anyway. I could set fire to some money..." All of it. In the world. Heh.

Come on, Grace, you're talking to somebody who eats people as a general course of action.

"Yeah, Kalen told me about Wesley too. Is Elgin the one with black mirror eyes?"

Iris
"I would ask if you'd met him, but if you had I doubt you'd remember. Yes, that is an accurate description. Though I don't recommend you try to seek him out. I wouldn't recommend antagonizing Wesley, either. He seems harmless but he's stronger than he looks. I was going to try to force his hand, but I would prefer a gentler option if it's available. He loved Elgan once. Old love affairs are hard to break, for us."

Grace
Vampire love affairs? Eww. Grosstastic. Grace squints at that one. Then again, she did the same when Kalen told her he was going dancing with one of them, acting like it was such a fine date.

"I had to make Wesley some fireflies," Grace says, and groans. Well, Iris? You were expecting strangeness and unpredictability? Check.

"I won't try to antagonize him. I will tell Kalen about that one, thank you. He might have better luck there than anyone."

Iris
"Fireflies? That... somehow does not even surprise me." (Maybe Wesley was the Vampires' version of Kalen.) "But good. That eases my mind a little. I do still think the negotiations with Grayson would go better with more force on our side, so please... don't discount the idea too quickly. It's a risk but it's a calculated one. I wouldn't put us in danger needlessly. Regardless, any help you're prepared to offer, we will gladly accept. And I hope we can remain... tentative allies, as it were."

Grace
"Thanks. I want to do something, that's for sure. Anyway, it's been fun," Grace says and lies. At least, that last bit was less than true.

"We might be back in touch. I'll see what I can do."

That, however, is the absolute truth. She always seeks what she can do.

Iris
Iris gave a small huff of laughter at Grace's attempt at diplomacy, but she was kind enough not to call out the lie. It was the sort of obvious courtesy that people said all the time and didn't actually mean.

"I hope to hear from you soon. Have a good night."

Vampire Alliance

Derrick Lin
[Ian be rollin' the things. Same as before, mind protection, base diff 5 -1 (resonance) -1 (practiced)]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (3, 4) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[extending +1 -1 (goin' slow)]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (3, 3) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[One more]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (4, 4) ( success x 2 )

Kalen Holliday
[How awake are we?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN7 (5, 6, 6, 8, 8, 9, 9) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
[Aaand resonance masking. Diff 5 -1 (resonance) -1 (slow)]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (5, 8) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[extending +1]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (7, 8) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[one more]

Dice: 2 d10 TN4 (6, 6) ( success x 2 )

Grace
[Mental Protection is cool. Let's do that. Base diff 5 - 1 taking time]

Dice: 3 d10 TN4 (6, 6, 7) ( success x 3 )

Derrick Lin
[For my records, Ian will have these effects active for the next... month. Or until such time as he decides to drop them. *g* Mind Shield level 5, Masked Resonance level 5]

Grace
[Extends with WP]

Dice: 3 d10 TN5 (4, 7, 10) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[And Grace has a lvl 3 mind shield for one month]

Grace
[Corr 2, Prime 1, Entropy 1: Scan for the duplicitous vampires we're totally expecting. Entropy for detecting other vampires, Prime for detecting other magics. Base 5, -1 taking time, -1 Resonance (Keen), WP (2 spent)]

Dice: 3 d10 TN3 (3, 8, 10) ( success x 4 ) [WP]

Grace
[Extending, WP (3 spent)]

Dice: 4 d10 TN3 (1, 9, 9, 9) ( success x 4 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[Grace spies on all the things]

Grace
[Extending with actual dice numbers again -_-]

Dice: 3 d10 TN4 (2, 7, 10) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
There were certain types of food joints that tended to attract night crowds. Asian noodle places usually fell into that category, and Saigon Bowl was no different. The restaurant was highly rated within its (moderate) price range, which made it a popular destination for college students and bar hoppers and anyone having a late night craving. The setting was casual, but the food was excellent. Not that a man like Derrick Lin was likely to be able to appreciate that. Perhaps the scent alone was enough to bring back fond memories. Perhaps he'd picked the location with more of a mind to strategy. Either way, he showed up on time. A few minutes early, actually. And he ordered a vietnamese beer and a bowl of Pho, neither of which he'd touched. Instead he sat with both elbows on the table, messing around with something on his phone.

He looked very much as Kalen remembered him. Dark, shoulder-length hair. Mixed asian and caucasian features. Tonight he wore an old leather jacket and a band t-shirt for the Strokes. He was seated at a table all the way in the back, a reasonable distance from the other diners, most of whom were occupying tables closer to the windows.

Ian was there too, seated alone by the wall a few tables away from where Derrick sat. He'd been there for a while, slowly consuming a stir fry while he talked to someone on the phone. A couple of students on a date were seated next to him.

Derrick Lin
[Once Grace gets her effect up, she'll be able to both see and sense Derrick's presence in the restaurant. Beyond that, she won't pick up on any active magical effects. At present, he is the only vampire in the immediate vicinity, but with Grace's senses extending out beyond the restaurant, she will feel a dark spot of frozen entropy in a parking lot a few buildings down.]

Grace
Grace has been at work for a while now. Having a set place and time for this worked out in her favor, as she was able to arrive early and set up her surveillance net.

And where are we doing this from? Her car, across the street and down a ways from the restaurant. For all anybody can tell, she's an individual who has become so distracted by her phone that she's pulled over to park for a while and deal with her voracious Words with Friends addiction.

It's not Words with Friends.

No, she's extending her will into the universe and gathering holographic data from it.

Kalen will get a text before he enters:

There's another one a few buildings down. Currently immobile.

Kalen Holliday
Kalen comes into the Saigon Bowl looking...a bit less like Derrick remembers.  Derrick met Kalen out for dancing.  But this version of Kalen...well, this one is new to everyone.  Even to Kalen, who is trying on a new skin.  He's wearing jeans and a moss grey long-sleeved tee-shirt and a brown corduroy jacket.  Other than the coat, which is vintage (and new to him), everything he is wearing is new.  He pauses at the entrance, looks around the room, pulls out his phone, taps out a brief text (reading simply: 'Thanks.  Keep advised.'), and then heads toward Derrick.

He hangs a leather satchel across the back of the chair opposite Derrick and then settles into that chair.  He smiles a little.  "Hey," he says, as though he and Derrick are two people to whom coming here for dinner should seem perfectly normal.  "How are you?"

[How distracted by Resonance are we?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 4, 4, 8, 10, 10, 10) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
[When Grace shifts her visuals to the parking lot where the other vampire is waiting, she narrows her focus down to a silver BMW, and its occupant - a very smartly dressed black woman who, at present, seems to be fixing her makeup in the visor mirror.]

Derrick Lin
Derrick looked up when Kalen walked in, tracking him with his eyes while Kalen approached the table and sat down. After a moment of silence, he smiled and sat back in his seat. The appearance was one of relaxed ease. (Like a meeting of old friends.)

"Ah, I do remember you." Whether he remembered Kalen fondly or otherwise was another matter, but for the moment he did not appear either overtly suspicious or aggressive. "I apologize if I seemed suspicious before. I'll admit I wasn't thrilled at the way you chose to contact me, and I needed to be sure you were who you said you were." There was a pause. "I looked through the information you sent me. There's a lot of pretty damning information in there."

Derrick Lin
[Edit: "I looked through the e-mails you sent me." (oh repetitive words)]

Grace
Grace shifts the audio-visual input down to that other spot of frozen entropy, and finds a black woman in clothes that would normally make Grace second-guess someone's motives. That is to say, she is dressed to impress. And that on a vampire? Doubly second-guessing now.

Huh. Someone has the same idea she has perhaps?

The other woman's looking into a mirror, seeming to fix her makeup. Let's take a closer look, shall we? Is that what you're really doing?

Derrick Lin
[As it happens, that really is what the woman is doing (putting on makeup.) Grace won't pick up any active magic - of any variety - in the area around the car. After a few minutes, the vampire stores her mascara in her purse and sits back to check her phone. When she sees there are no notifications, she puts it away and gazes out the window. It looks as though she's waiting for something.]

Kalen Holliday
"I apologize.  It isn't usually my first choice, as contact methods go, but we had only so many options."  Kalen rests his forearms against the table and leans into them.  "And, yes, I suppose.  Though it may vary, to some degree, upon how one defines damnation and the conditions warranting it."  The words are a little bit at war with the new skin.  Well.  It will take practice.

He looks up at the approaching server, smiles, and orders tea and lemongrass stir-fried tofu.  Once the server is gone, Kalen returns his attention to Derrick.  There is a quick, curious glance at the food.  He remembers Wesley rescheduling dinner.  Wesley who is the only vampire to feel...so completely, maddeningly, perception-shatteringly human.  At least Derrick has the decency to feel a little bit spooky.

"Thank you, by the way.  The other night wouldn't have gone so well, if you hadn't-"  Let us walk away instead of shooting Alexander from about two feet away.  "Done things the way you had.  And considering what you told me, I thought you would likely feel similarly about that information as I do."

[How do you remember me?  What do you think about that information?  Per+Empathy - WP]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 6, 6, 7, 10, 10) ( success x 6 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[Manip+Subterfuge]

Dice: 8 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 3, 3, 7, 10, 10, 10) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
Derrick made a noncommittal sound, rolling his shoulders lightly. "It was a less than ideal meeting, but I like to think we can move past it." He shifted position, leaning forward so that he could drop his voice when he spoke next. "And I believe, in this, we may in fact have similar goals."

Derrick let that settle in for a moment before continuing. "I have a proposal for you. But first I need to know... how many of your group do you speak for?"

Grace
Okay, so the lookout is just waiting for a signal. On her phone.

Seems like a fairly normal contingency plan. After all, Grace is doing something similar, right? How are the vampires supposed to know that they aren't being trapped? Okay. Shifting the sights back to Kalen and Derrick...

Kalen Holliday
And once again, Kalen is leaning into a vampire.  The reasons are ostensibly the same, but whatever he saw in Wesley that let him really relax he does not see in Derrick.  He doesn't have any reasons but practicality.  And everything for him has always been easier.  He doubts that he will give Derrick any jars of lightning bugs.  Or that Grace will.  This is...a very different meeting.

"Directly right now, as regards what we will do, none.  We're...sort of into making communal decisions.  We are all opposed to what is happening at that club, that I can confidently say.  We are, honestly, of varying minds as to the nature and scope of what constitutes an appropriate response.

"My willingness to speak to you is...less unusual here than it is in other places I have been.  It was a bit less complicated before, but this shadowy woman encountered a couple of my friends and they are, for understandable reasons, a little spooked.  Still, they know we're meeting.  There were no objections, only some concern that I might be walking into a trap.  I believe they'll consider your proposal as seriously as I will."

Derrick Lin
Derrick listened to this with a guarded expression. He gave a little nod, sitting back a few inches. It made it look less like they were conspiring. "Myself and some friends are interested in a temporary alliance. Neither of us will be able to achieve what we want alone. But... together? I believe we can. I'm not really the one you should be talking to though. Are you willing to walk with me?"

Grace
So far, everyone seems to be playing nice, but Grace perks up at that last bit. Walk with me? To that BMW maybe? To meet the other entropy hole?

Eeh.

Kalen will do what he will do. And she will shift her perceptions and watch over his steps.

Kalen Holliday
There is only a slight pause while Kalen thinks about that.  At least Ian and Grace will be pleased to note that he does not pour himself onto this vampire's arm.

Even if they are less pleased by his answer.  "Yes."  He rises, picks up his bag, and pulls out a pack of cigarettes as they head toward the door.

Derrick Lin
At Kalen's agreement, Derrick smiled and reached into his pocket to produce a leather wallet. He dropped a few bills onto the table to pay for their (uneaten) food and got to his feet. There was a brief delay as he sent off a text to whoever might be waiting for them, then he walked with Kalen to the door. Unlike Wesley, Derrick made no attempt to initiate contact between them. On the contrary, he seemed quite aware of Kalen's personal space.

Once outside, Derrick gave a little nod over one shoulder. "I have a friend waiting a few buildings down. She asked if she could meet with you. She'll be able to fill you in on the rest of the details."

So unless Kalen objected at this point, the two of them would walk the distance to the nearby parking lot. Derrick was quiet on the way over, leaving his hands free where Kalen could see them. As they approached their destination, Kalen would see a smartly dressed black woman leaning against a silver BMW. She watched them approach with a coolly appraising gaze.

"Pleasure to meet you - I think." Her mouth ticked up in a smile at that. "My name is Iris. What should I call you?"

Grace
From her vantage point, hunched over in the car, staring at her phone -- the tenuous tether to the Data feeding her -- she realizes that Kalen forgot her udon.

Gonna kill him.

She's nervous, but hopeful, as things seem to be looking up. Or at least, they are not yet trying to shove shadows down his throat. So, not looking down exactly.

Derrick Lin
[Ian - sneaksneak]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
[Derrick Alertness]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (4, 4, 6, 7, 8) ( success x 3 )

Derrick Lin
[Iris Alertness]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 5, 7, 7, 10) ( success x 3 )

Kalen Holliday
Kalen fiddles with the cigarettes, but after a second drops them back into his bag.  He'll have to come back for lemongrass tofu.  It's alright though, he promised Grace udon, and this place had about every noodle but udon.  He'd have had to go somewhere else anyway.

He isn't exactly perfectly relaxed as they approach Iris, but he returns her smile with one that is actually real enough.  He can appreciate that greeting.  Also that the cosmos has decided to grant him pretty vampires instead of vampires with skin like melted wax.  Of course.  That had ended much more quickly.  Violently.

That night had ended with new allies.  New information.  He'll take that.

What should she call him?  He pauses.  Because he, for a few seconds, cannot quite remember who he is.  He isn't giving them who he might be becoming though.  These are not the people to give shards of your still forming dreams.  "Kalen," he says quietly.  "And, likewise."

Derrick Lin
"Kalen, then." Neither Iris or Derrick seemed surprised at the name Kalen chose to offer them. Either Wesley hadn't mentioned anything to them about Kalen, or they were hiding it well. Iris took a step away from the car, drawing closer to Kalen. Derrick hung back a little, throwing glances over his shoulder. None of them (including Grace) saw where Ian went after Kalen and Derrick left the restaurant. (In fact, he went out the back entrance and came around the other way.) The parking lot was lit by a couple of street lamps, but was presently empty of life - apart from Kalen and his... rather unliving companions. A few other cars sat empty in nearby stalls. Occasionally someone passed by on the sidewalk, but otherwise, they were alone.

(Well, almost.)

"You probably aren't aware, but there are some of us who've been looking for a way to remove Grayson Addario and his employers from Denver for quite some time. We just haven't had the leverage to do it - until now. The trouble is, if you remove the agents, more will be sent in their place. If you burn down the business, insurance will pay for a new one. These are all temporary measures. If you really want to get rid of Lilean Holdings, then you need to make sure that their losses are greater than their profits. Then they'll have no choice but to withdraw. If we can make them believe that they are outnumbered here, then I believe they will leave willingly. Derrick and I have prepared an offer to buy the club, but they'll laugh in our face if it isn't backed up by some real leverage."

Derrick Lin
[That was Iris speaking, btw. Sorry for not making it clear in the narration.]

Grace
Oh, that sounds peachy. Lets let one set of vampires take over the other set of vampires? And then what? They end up doing the same?

Grace grimaces into her phone screen. At least Kalen has found some of these... people don't just set out to kill everybody. Not like that asshole in the park. They might be the lesser of two evils. Might.

Will have to keep an eye on them.

That one did have a point though. Burning down the Orchid would be satisfying, but they don't appear to live there. And their parent company might just set up a new shop, eh? What if she burned down 5 fucking clubs? That would draw attention. She sighs.

Kalen Holliday
Kalen blinks.  He had mentioned that endless vampire war was less than desirable, but buying the club hadn't occurred to them.  Minimize their losses and they would more likely withdraw.  They'd just be in another city, but Grace can monitor their holdings.  Maybe if they get chased out of enough cities moving locations will drain enough of their resources they will stop.  At any rate, they don't have the resources to take out an international vampire organisation.  And, as his cabalmates once said, they need to mind their limits.

"You definitely have my attention.  What kind of leverage did you have in mind?"

Derrick Lin
Iris seemed pleased by Kalen's response, but the pleasure was sobered by the nature of their discussion. Leverage, in this case, could only really mean one thing. Threats.

"They're more afraid of you than they let on. Not least because your kind are so... unpredictable. What you've done here? Hacking into their private e-mails? That's impressive. Right now, they have no idea how big of a threat you actually pose, and that's good. We can use that to our advantage. Make them believe that the entire company is in danger, and they will scramble to protect what they can. Denver has the youngest and least profitable of their holdings. They will cut it off if they have to. We just need to make sure they understand that it won't be worth defending. Which... is where you come in. Or rather, all of us. Together. Presenting a unified front. They won't be expecting it, and that... will scare the shit out of them. We probably won't even need to fight. The mere appearance of a gun is often enough to command a response."

Grace
Grace smirks. If they knew that she can find out where they all sleep. And that changing where they do so won't help.

Then, Derrick would probably be just as afraid of her. Well, you know... Too bad.

Grace kind of wants to fight. She kind of wants to remove that shadow monster from the equations that hold her stuck in place. It's personal, but also -- she showed the kind of callousness to human life that Grace cannot abide. Her victim may not have been dead yet, but he was close. And what would have happened had Sera not been there?

That's a question she doesn't really want answered.

Kalen Holliday
"We might well be able to come to terms.  But I am curious.  Why are you interested in removing them?  I'm all for not having that kind of evil in my city.  But...I have little reason to expect that your motivations are compassion or empathy.  What will you do with whatever you get from this?"  There is no hostility evident in the question.  Kalen doesn't think they're doing this to make the world better, but he's not terribly disturbed by that thought.  Predators are, after all, predators.  Some are more easily tolerated than others.  And removing international vampire crime organisations from the equation certainly seemed like a step forward.

Derrick Lin
"A fair question. To which I will tell you... despite what you may have heard, not all creatures of the night are monsters. Many of us wish only to live our lives in peace, as you do. The people who work for Lilean Holdings do not want that. They are careful, because they have to be. But make no mistake, if they gain the kind of power they desire, no one will be safe. I don't want innocent people getting killed. I don't want my friends getting killed. And I don't want this city to fall to chaos. That benefits no one. Believe me, I hate those fucking assholes as much as you do. Probably more, since I know them better."

Iris crossed her arms over her chest and eyed Kalen for a moment, her expression shrewd and considering. "I don't know if I can trust you. Truthfully, there was a fair bit of push-back against this idea from those that I spoke to. Many think that you'll lure us into a trap. There are stories, you know. Of the things you can do. But I don't think we have a choice, and I don't think you do either - short of inaction."

At this point, Derrick stepped closer, turning to Kalen to offer his own response. "My company is making the offer to buy the club. And my intention is to run it as precisely what it is: an entertainment venue, and a safe space for our kind."

Grace
Ugh. Again with the vagueness. What kind of power do they desire? Why would no one be safe?

Truth be told, Grace would rather receive an annotated version of those emails. Explain what the hell they're talking about, besides the obvious.

But, if she sends Kalen another text, it'll probably just tip them off at this point. And, barring actual danger, she's not going to do that. She just keeps watching for other vampires to show up, further horrible things? But so far, nothing.

Kalen Holliday
"I expect to hear no little bit of resistance when I take this offer back.  Still, I want no part of an unwinnable war, and I cannot imagine they do."  Kalen nods, and he smiles, though it's a bit muted by their topic of conversation.  "I do realize, now, that it is true that some of you are not monsters.  All of you are dangerous, which leads me to be cautious.  But I suppose you have the very same dilemma there.

"There are, I suppose, three things I know will be asked.  The first, and most obvious, is how we threaten together.  We can come to that.  The second is that, while I imagine you'd like us in general to avoid running off hunting in the streets, there is one associate of Grayson's we definitely want to see gone if she doesn't withdraw.  I doubt you'll miss her.  Third," and here he glances at Derrick.  "Your future club has some ghosts.  We would like to...help them.  If we can.  If, at some point during the transition you could allow us access, we would appreciate that."

[And - Per+Empathy on Iris' explanation in that last post - WP because Kalen hates having all his WP]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 5 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[Iris Subterfuge]

Dice: 8 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 4, 7, 7, 9, 9, 10) ( success x 5 )

Derrick Lin
Derrick and Iris looked at each other. Something silent passed between them, and when Iris returned her attention to Kalen, she nodded. "I'd like to arrange a meeting with them. I won't lie, it will be risky. If things go wrong, there could be bloodshed on both sides. But it's the quickest and most effective method of dealing with them. As for... Grayson's associate. I bear no love for any of his friends. Just... be certain that however you handle her, it does not interfere with our negotiations. The third matter? I'll let Derrick decide."

Iris glanced at Derrick, who seemed wary but... amenable. "If everything works out, I can give you access while the place is closed to do whatever you need to do. So long as you promise not to leave any... hidden magic behind."

Grace
If Derrick had the capability to detect hidden magic, he likely wouldn't be so gung ho about this whole thing. That he's willing to offer despite that incapability? Maybe it says something. Or maybe he knows somebody who is better at that sort of thing.

All in all, he's being a lot less useless than last time. Still, she can't fathom why it was so important to be face-to-face. Maybe someday she'll figure out how to project images of herself at people so they'll stop being all fucking weird.

Because that makes sense. To her.

Kalen Holliday
And again Kalen nods.  "I ask only so that we can help the souls trapped there."  And that is the truth.  God knows what the Spirit Mages will want to do, but Kalen's intentions there are pure as the fucking snow.

"I will see what I can do about arranging a meeting.  Do you already have a particular location in mind?"

Derrick Lin
"We can decide that once I know all of the particulars. For now... I think both of us have people we need to speak to." Iris pulled out her cell phone and opened up her contacts. "We'll need to exchange contact information. This is my number..."

Iris waited until Kalen was ready, then rattled off a series of digits. When they were through, she offered him her hand. "I hope this will prove a valuable alliance for both of us. I'll be in touch."

And with negotiations at an end, Iris and Derrick got into the silver BMW and drove away.

Laser Tag!!!

Grace
Kalen's off to go dancing with the undead. And Grace wasn't invited to his little soiree, so she gets to chew her nails at home, and hope that Kalen's people-sense is up to the task.

There's nothing like doing things to make you forget about what you can't change, right? So she sends off a message to Jo. No need to bend the universe's ear this time -- she lets her devices do that instead.

Jo. Want to come see my lasers and shit? We can try out the arena.

And then, there follows an address. The Office.

Jo Hamilton
It's that time of the semester when people like Jo get a little extra time off. She could go home, spend time with her fam fam, but it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable as staring at her computer for days on end, doing gaming tournaments and eating cheetos. Really, can life be any better than that?

She's damn near neck-deep in the interwebs, beating some poor souls in the simplistic game of League of Legends (oh come on, a girl like her can figure out the exact method of winning, it's not really that much fun anymore...except to hear them btich), when she gets a text from the ever-lovely Grace.

She has a choice. Of course it would be the illusion of choice. Maybe she doesn't really HAVE a choice, but has to simply follow the program. Alright Neo, settle down. Regardless, when Grace sends out a message, Jo isn't one to decline. At a whopping 52 degrees, she dresses in a long sleeve with a red shirt over it sporting the 'What's your SINE?' and a nifty little graph.

She doesn't have a car. Jo rides her bicycle, all the way from campus to the little ol.. eerrr.. that place that Grace keeps her toys in. "Dude..." She sets her bike off to the side and adjusts her backpack as she makes her way to whatever door seems most likely to house someone alive, gives a very firm knock. "Yooooo!"

Grace
[Awareness!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 2, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )

Grace
It's almost like Grace just knew. The knock happens, and the door opens like that, and Jo is yoooing at Grace's face.

"Jo. Hi. Come in. Do you want some coffee? I have some, and like, a whole platter of things to put in it."

And then, Grace turns and jaunts down the hallway to the kitchen, because she wants some coffee. And to Hell with, you know, actually letting the other person say hi back, or say yes to the coffee first.

"We also have food!" she yells to the ceiling.

Jo Hamilton
"Dude! Coffee! Like yeah, I'd totally hit that!" It's like meeting old friends that you crash on their couch and play mario kart with. That's how she acts anyway. Totally not a knew place right? Nope. Doesn't feel it anyway.

"Oh yeah! I'm a food monster! Whatcha got? The good stuff right? Like, you don't strike me as like the person who to be eatin like celery and stuff."

Grace
"There is some noodles that nobody touched, which is a shame 'cause it's sesame. And hummus. Also you can put some fajita steak in the hummus, which sounds weird, but trust me?"

The kitchen, when they get there, is not so full of expensive utensils as you might expect. None of the current residents are quite so much cooking geniuses. All that food Grace was talking about comes out of the fridge in boxes and styrofoam containers. Apparently, the only thing anyone cares to actually make around here is coffee, which is fresh French pressed and in a carafe on the counter.

The coffee bar area? Now that is a thing of beauty. There's caramels, and rock-candy stirrers, marshmallows, and in addition to all the little boxes from the fridge, Grace pulls out a dainty little thing of cream.

"After food, I'll show you the lasers. Or we could food later and laser now. I care not."

She takes her boxes and sets them on the counter for Jo to peruse, then takes her cream and goes off to prepare her coffee. Grace's coffee contains a lump of caramel and a candy stirrer and cream by the time she's done. Someone likes a little caffeine with her sugar.

Jo Hamilton
Jo is about to contract diabetes.

She knew this day would come. It was foretold by the men in white coats with clipboards and frowns on their faces. And before diabetes? Cavities.

Jo was going to become an overnight legend.

There is food, and coffee, and things to put in coffee that would make the original coffee process obsolete. Jo was about to get creative.

The first thing that one must do is procure the nectar of life. Though it's not so much coffee as it is candy with a dash of coffee. The heat will turn the candy into liquid - and so she shall consume it in the fastest way possible short of an IV.

LET THE SUGAR HIGH COMMENCE!

And food? Jo has remained skinny thanks to the power of genetics, otherwise she'd be the size of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Coffee. Food (one of everything, at least, with fajitas in hummus as suggested).

By the time Grace suggests many ways in which they can go about lasers and food, Jo is already stuffing her face with something...noodles? fajitas? Hummus? Whatever else was laying around? Didn't matter. She was a chipmunk.

After an almost painful swallow, she sticks her tongue out and grins. "Food. Coffee. Lasers. Or Food/Coffee while looking at Lasers. Or operating like the lasers with your feet while you eat. Cause that's how we roll yo."

Grace
This was an inspired idea, Grace thinks, as she sips her coffee. If anything, Jo is a fantastic diversion. Hopefully, all this will fill up the tanks, after Jo's long ride.

"Foot. Lasers. I'm going to have to figure that one out."

She sips coffee, and giggles at Jo and her chimpmunking. Grace has already eaten, and thus consoles herself by filling her cup again when it empties.

"Thanks for coming over. I needed a distraction."

Jo Hamilton
Grace is almost confusing in the proclamation that she needed a distraction. Jo even pauses, in the midst of slurping up some noodle like from a cup of Ramen, only to slurp it the rest of the way.

"Dude. Like, we have got to get you like some kind of extra hobby cause like, before here? I was whippin some kids in League. I mean, not like it's hard or nuthin, but then there'd be COD, or like Elder Scrolls online, or like, FF 14 or something. I mean like, really? We totes gotta get you something to lose yourself in." Her lips curl up into a wide grin and Jo bothers to pick up a noodle and flick it at Grace. "Seriously."

Grace
Grace rolls her eyes over her coffee. "I have games. What do you think, I'm the one computer scientist in the world without a Steam subscription?"

She jumps up on the counter and dangles her feet off, just in case you might have gotten the impression that Grace was one for formality.

"Just, you know, I tried Civilization, and then I tried listening to the walls, and I just couldn't get my brain to stop. It does that sometimes."

Listening to the walls. Yes. Okay then...

Jo Hamilton
"Sudoku?"

Jo gulps her coffee sugar, sliding her tongue along ehr lips to get the residual off. "Did you like try Sudoku? Cause like, if ya got like craaaazy thoughts comin in and you're all 'OH MY GOD GET 'EM OUT' I do Sudoku, or like, chess? I mean like you can totes play chess online with people now. Like WOAH. Wouldn't do that whole like scrabble thing. People be cheaters and stuff."

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan Civi is so dull. I mean like, you beat it once and like.. it's old school. Computers suck. But like the wall problem? Like man..that's all shrink talk there. I mean if you're like talkin to walls and stuff? Kinda weird."

Grace
She rolls her eyes again. "I wsn't talking to walls, I was listening to them. There is a huge difference."

Grace sips coffee, ponders how to put it.

"Like, I see the universe as made up of data. Data can take many forms, right? Like a table or a chair or a wall. But you know, you can take that same binary code and display it as something totally different. Like sound or light or a puppy or whatever. I haven't figured out the puppy yet. Gimme time."

Jo Hamilton
"Well, sure but like, the forms we know of aren't the real form of the universe it's just like, the simplistic form that like people have figured out. I mean if we really like understood the data the universe was like giving out, we'd be in like complete control casue we could like manipulate it and stuff."

"But like why would you like want to listen to walls? I mean like why are you like trying to hear when you can like read? And then like...I mean walls don't really have like a voice or a real program. It's like the walls in a video game. They're just spatial information. Like if you want to listen to something, you listen to the sosftware running in the space."

Grace
"Something to do. And because it sounds pretty," Grace says. Sips coffee. Wonders what coffee sounds like. Probably more exciting, because it's hotter.

"I do know something of the data the universe gives out, Jo."

Jo Hamilton
Jo quirks her brows, squints her face and gives the most obvious 'HUH' look ever. "Duuude you are like super weird! Listening to walls and stuff. That like, bored huh? No like peeps to chill with or nuthin? I mean you got like friends and stuff cause like I met them and all, and they all seem pretty like hip and stff.."

Grace
"Yeah, I have friends! That's why I invited you! You are a friend. Therefore, you are invited to come mess around with my lasers."

So yeah, Jo. You're currently under the Friends list of Grace's social network.

"Really, even if you weren't my friend, you could come mess around with my lasers. It's a community thing. Fun, but educational too."

She nods at Jo to punctuate her point.

Jo Hamilton
"Well PFT yeah. Like I'm everyone's friend. But like I meant like not ME but like other people. I mean like, super cool I got to visit but like I mean gotta have like other weirdos to like shoot lasers with!" She moved to put her dishes in the sink, which meant hopping up with a bit too much energy. "Right so lasers! SHow. me. the laseers!"

Grace
With that, Grace slides off the counter, and hops to, lanky legs taking her in a none-too-graceful walk to the Arena. Jo might have gotten the impression that this place was a strange mix of styles. From the outside, it looks like nothing special. On the inside, the furnishings are lush, and the walls colorful. But in those areas with a more Grace-like function, function is the rule of the day. Kalen's left the decoration of their laser-tag arena to Grace, which means?

There's a panel of black shiny buttons on the side of the wall here. They're labeled with a label-maker. Lights, fog, ultraviolet, START, what looks like a timer knob... Beside the panel are a line of coathooks with coats (all rather nice, because Kalen was responsible for these. Some of them were his, before Grace got her hands on them). Beyond the coats, some fancy-modded Nerf guns. They have visible wires sticking out.

And the arena itself? Armed with laser turrets on robot arms that hang from the ceiling, it is a grey and black landscape. Mirrors dot the area in strategic locations, so one can see around corners if they wish. There's also a few mirrors hanging at angles from the ceiling.

Grace smiles ear-to-ear when she shows this room off with a wave of the arm. "Lasers!"

Jo Hamilton
There is very little that Jo can say, if anything, except "WOW." She just blinks, keeps still and holds out her hands. "OH. PARADISE. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Jo slides to her feet and wraps her arms around Grace's leg, holding on tightly. "I... I think I love you."

Grace
"See? You were the right one to call. I needed someone who would appreciate the awesomeness," Grace says, and dons a light coat. It's tricked out in the same way that her usual red number is -- black lines of plastic run across the seams, dotted with LEDs to flash upon being hit.

Her favorite gun is a small one. After all, we're fighting with lasers, not bullets. There is no extra power to be had in a bigger gun. But it's a sci-fi looking thing, with a huge handle.

Jo Hamilton
She climbs herself up, making a mock 'dusting' motion. "So like, we going to like do things like with it caue I mean, like.. lasers!" She rocked on her heels. "Like..another coat thingie?"

Grace
"Yeah! Take one. And a gun. And then I will hit the start button. And then we go hide and chase each other!"

Grace is excited. She puts her coffee cup down by the wall and waits.

Jo Hamilton
That was exciting. Jo grabbed a vest and threw it on, with the gun not far behind. She bounces in place. "Ready? Ready? Let's go!" She only needed the opportunity to run off to do so. So long as she could hide, she was already on her way! Laser tag!

Grace
Grace's eyes alight with glee, and she hits the lights and the fog and the blacklights and the START. It's on.

Both coats light up. Blue for Grace and green for Jo, and just yet, their guns don't work.

"30 seconds! Go!"

And with that, Grace slips into the maze.

[Dex + Stealth = 5, Arcane mitigated by the fact that she's got lights on...]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 6, 9, 9) ( success x 3 )

Jo Hamilton
[perc + alert]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) ( success x 1 )

Jo Hamilton
dex + stealth +1 dif for no friggin stealth]

Dice: 2 d10 TN7 (8, 10) ( success x 2 )

Grace
[Perc + Alert = I see you!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 5, 6, 8, 8) ( success x 3 )

Jo Hamilton
Jo had no idea where Grace was. The girl was good at slipping around out of sight and hearing. She played enough COD to know that she should press against walls, slink along slowly and peek around corners. So really, Jo wasn't quite as inept as she might have thought she was.

She leaned around a corner to peek for Grace. Where WAS she?

Grace
It's all fun and games, until Grace turns into a stealthy monster. If she weren't wearing lights all over her, there's a chance Jo would never ever see her coming. When it comes to sneaking, she's surprisingly good.

When it comes to shooting? Not so much. But she catches the sight of green lights on the ceiling and aims for that mirror...

[Dex + Firearms = pew pew lasers]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (2, 5, 5, 7) ( success x 1 )

Grace
And thus, does Jo's coat buzz and blink red. Grace breaks her stealth to yell out a "Yeah! It worked!"

Jo Hamilton
"Ah! W.T.F. man. Like.. what the floozle!?" She pursed her lips, squinted her eyes. "It's not over!" She would have even waved her weapon if she thought Grace could see her. "I'mma get you! I'm Solid Snake!"

Grace
"Get yer orange box ready," replies a disembodied voice. It's somewhere over... that direction, Jo!

Jo Hamilton
stealth!

Dice: 2 d10 TN7 (3, 5) ( fail )

Jo Hamilton
If Jo is Solid Snake, then she's Solid Snake on drugs. Or maybe she forgot her box somewhere.  Can't hide without your box. She squeaks around the place, peeking a bit too far around the corners.

Grace
[Perc + Alert = I see you!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 2, 4, 6) ( success x 1 )

Grace
Grace stalks through the maze loudly, because hey, she's already scored a point. It's time to... What was that? A face behind that wall? She trounces over.

Jo Hamilton
Trouncing. Jo's eyes widen and she breaks off in a run to find a place to hide before Grace can get after her. "Nooo! "

Grace
There's a reason why Kalen refers to her as Kit. She reminded him of a fox, wary but still predatory. And now, with her wings, she is reminiscent of a falcon. Jo has little chance when Grace turns to gleeful play.

She's spotted, again, but before Grace can get a good shot, the maze interferes.

"Yeeees!"

Jo Hamilton
[stealth]

Dice: 2 d10 TN7 (4, 8) ( success x 1 )

Jo Hamilton
Jo rolls on the ground, crawling in an attempt to slide out of view. At the very least, she wasn't tromping everywhere or running into things.

Grace
[Perc + Alert!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 1, 2, 3) ( botch x 3 )

Grace
Grace is on a hunt, yes, but eventually her sharp eyes betray her. She certainly doesn't expect to see Jo on the ground. That might be super obvious when she steps right on top of poor Jo, ending up tripping all over herself and dropping the gun.

"Oh fuck!"

Solid Snake indeed...

Jo Hamilton
Jo let's out a yelp, though it's more like a loud grunt, and as Grace topples over, tries her best to wiggle. Ah but now she has a Grace somewhat on top of her. The bonus?

She can totally tag her with the gun, at point blank range. Oh yeah.