2020-03-14 Uptown Manhattan

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## 2020-03-14 Uptown Manhattan

### PCs

Sean Caldon
K. Malcolm Lawson
Shiloh Young

## Log

> **Janothar**The City of New York is not having a good week. New York is now the hottest spot for Coronavirus in the US, Broadway has shut down completely, restaurants are empty and small businesses are panicking about making their rents, much less managing to pay their employees. The mood is bleak, but some people are still out and about, often wearing face masks and trying to get where they're going as fast as possible.**Sean Caldon**He is walking around, seeing if there is any particular place that catches his eye to stop by.  He smiles at the people who give him looks for not wearing a mask.**K. Malcolm Lawson**It was well after Midnight when Malcolm finished up his latest round of case briefs. The University Libraries were all closed anyway in anticipation of Spring Break, so he was patronizing a local cafe known for its long hours for students, but when he realized he was the only one there and it was well after midnight, he wished the staff well, left the most generous tip his limited funds could afford, and packed up his bag so they could close up shop. On his way out, he took his scarf and wrapped it around his face as a makeshift mask, for there weren't any regular ones left to  be had for love or money within the City Limits.
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> Coming out of the Cafe, he looked around at the usually teeming streets, empty now for fear of the next Black Death. It wasn't that far back to Lionsgate, so he started walking that way.**Shiloh Young**Shi is venturing about, herself masked up to better blend in, as she presses out with her newfound senses to determine who is and isn't sick - this whole ordeal was proving to be pretty convenient to test herself with. She makes a show of having somewhere to go in a hurry, but works her way to nowhere in particular.**K. Malcolm Lawson**(What would be the roll to notice and/or recognize Shiloh? Perception + Alertness? At what difficulty, considering the mask?)**Sean Caldon**(same question but in regards to malcolm :P)**Shiloh Young**(I'm cool with just having him spot her unless there's a dramatic reason to make it a test)**K. Malcolm Lawson**(Likewise, Sean has seen Malcolm in the Ceasefire Lounge, but he comes by rarely, and only in the company of Nicholas when Nicholas has reason to be there.)**Janothar**(sorry, had to go AFK for a moment)
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> (And yes, roll Per + Alert to spot someone you might recognize, diff 5, due to the sparse conditions**K. Malcolm Lawson**/r 5d10\&gt;\&61;5f1**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson:  5d10\&gt;\&61;5f1  \&61; (1 1 8 6 8, 1 success) \&61; 1**Janothar**(If you have 5 dice, you don't need to roll, we can call it a basic success)**Sean Caldon**( 5 dice here, got it)**K. Malcolm Lawson**(Shoot, I forgot the rule of your dice equal to or exceeding the difficulty succeeds automatically. Okay, so we can see and recognize each other, at least Malcolm and Sean anyways)**Janothar**Shiloh is getting information she perhaps doesn't want to know. There's a LOT more sick people than the news makes it look like, and many of them seem to be out and about, perhaps not even realizing they're sick.**Sean Caldon**waves over at Malcolm as they seem to be heading towards each other, "Good Evening! Enjoying this brisk weather and somber atmosphere?"**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm recognized Sean from the Ceasefire Lounge, a jovial fellow. "Indeed, in seven years here I've never seen the streets so empty. What brings you out from behind the bar?"**Sean Caldon**"Oh, I closed it early because no one seemed to have come out to it tonight and thought I'd go for a walk. Get some fresh air and what have you.  I agree though, in my time here, this is a first"**Shiloh Young**The discovery startled her, and even with half her face covered, one could tell she was disturbed. She withdrew her senses, and that's when she spotted the man from the subway across the street. "Oh, crap."**Janothar**"Is something the matter?" A smooth, feminine voice comes from right behind Shiloh, someone she had completely failed to notice.**Shiloh Young**She jumps, spinning to face this stranger, taking one step back. "Y-yes, just, uh, never seen the city like this before. It's creepy."**Janothar**She's an attractive woman in her late 30s, with dark hair, eyes and an olive complexion. She's a bit taller than average for the City, but probably short of the US average. Her hair is long and tied back, and she's immaculately put together. She's wearing a black suit over a white shirt with a black tie, though it's cold, so she also wears a leather jacket over it all.
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> "It's the virus. Some people are terrified, and others...well, callous, willing to risk the safety of others just to have a good time." she tilts her head towards a group wearing a lot of green who seem extremely drunk.**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm felt eyes on him from across the street, and saw out of the corner of his eye the young woman from earlier this week, talking to someone else across the street. He showed no reaction on his face, and kept talking to Sean.
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> "How long have you been here, anyway? Are you a native New Yorker? You certainly have the ease of someone who has been here some time."**Sean Caldon**"I've been here for about 4 years now.  What're you up to tonight?  Just wandering the town like me?"**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Getting some work done. The campus library was closed for Spring Break, I completely forgot that was coming up, but I imagine it would have been closed anyway, given the arrival of the new plague. So I patronized a small cafe near the campus. I would have come to the Lounge if I had thought about it."**Sean Caldon**nods, "Well, I am glad you didn't, you would have been disappointed that it is closed!"  scans around the street, taking in who is out, and what is happening in general around him**Shiloh Young**Suits. They always made her uncomfortable, and this was apparent in the way she avoided the woman's eyes, staring instead at the group she pointed out though not really paying attention to them. Instead, she withdrew that little notebook she had, and began to jot down circles laced with triangles and sigils, the precursor to her pushing out to read this woman's emotions.
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> /r 3d10\&gt;4f1**SidekickBOT**@Shiloh Young:  3d10\&gt;4f1  \&61; (4 4 5, 1 success) \&61; 1**Shiloh Young**(Mind effect to read her emotional state, especially to see if she intended harm)**Janothar**(@Shiloh Young always use \&gt;\&61; not just \&gt;)
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> She gets a crystal clear thought back at her You know, that's quite rude.
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> People can roll Per + Aware, diff 6 if they like to pick it up**K. Malcolm Lawson**/r 5d10\&gt;\&61;6f1**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson:  5d10\&gt;\&61;6f1  \&61; (5 10 10 10 8, 4 successes) \&61; 4**Sean Caldon**/r 5d10\&gt;\&61;6f1**SidekickBOT**@Sean Caldon:  5d10\&gt;\&61;6f1  \&61; (3 8 5 2 7, 2 successes) \&61; 2**K. Malcolm Lawson**(Would Astute matter for this, Janothar?)**Janothar**No
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> Malcolm picks up not just magick, but a Stormy Resonance to it, though it's quite weak.
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> Sean just picks up magick, and doesn't see anyone who's been in the Lounge other than Malcolm around**Sean Caldon**looks squint eyed at Malcolm  "Something going on?"**Shiloh Young**For the third time tonight she startles, hands fumbling and nearly dropping her little notepad, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "Well, yeah, of course it's the virus," she sputters.**Janothar**The woman laughs slightly "You must be new. I am Nektaria." she nods, but doesn't offer her hand, clearly someone following CDC advice. "You should be careful how you use your skills, there are bad people out there, and you wouldn't want to draw their attention...or become one of them. Mental disciplines are particularly tricky to use ethically."**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper that only Sean could hear. "Don't look directly at her, but the young lady across the street, olive skin, glasses, not wearing the power suit, I met her Tuesday, and if I'm not much mistaken, she has just woken up to join our ranks. I tried to make first contact, as it were, but it was in the middle of the night and a lone young lady being approached by a man in a suit is not unjustified in having an abundance of caution. I lost track of her, and didn't know if I'd ever find her again. I would approach her again, but I doubt it would go over any better than before. Her power is wild and undisciplined, and she's using it incautiously, she'll be bound to draw unwelcome attention. I just don't know how to approach her in a way that would be welcome at this moment. Any ideas?"**Sean Caldon**glances over at the two he indicated, whispering back "Well, she seems to have a friend that I do not recognize... If we just flat out approach now, especially if you freaked her out last time, she will run... lets watch a minute and see if she needs help and then we can step in.  Otherwise, lets just remain here where we can see them"**Shiloh Young**Weird name. Shiloh coughs. "I'm just trying to stay safe," she'd mutter, remembering Tati's warning. She cast a long glance to the men across the street, to possible escape routes should this not-so-mundane stranger prove threatening. She opens her mouth to say something, but thought better of it, pausing before something else was asked instead. "Did you, uh, want something?"**K. Malcolm Lawson**Continuing to whisper, Malcolm looked to Sean "I thought you knew everyone who's anyone among our number. Are you certain the other woman is one of ours?"**Janothar**"Well, you were walking and watching everyone who's sick, then just halted and cursed. I suspected that it isn't just the virus that has you spooked." She looks across the street "Is it one of them? Have they caused you problems? If you need help getting away from them..." she trails off, sounding quite worried for Shiloh**Sean Caldon**"I know the people who have come in... she has not;  I do not know either of them yet.  That is what worries me..."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"If they haven't come in, does that mean they are potentially not willing to stay on friendly terms, or perhaps not even aware of the 'arrangement' we have going on in this city?"**Sean Caldon**nods "Could be either one. Could be they want to operate without anyone knowing about them too.  Or they are even more dangerous than any of us..."**Janothar**((Not saying what's going on, but they could also just not like bars, also an option))**Sean Caldon**( :stuck\_out\_tongue: yea but that is inconceivable to sean)**Shiloh Young**Shiloh tenses. "No, no... look, I appreciate it and all, but its just been a couple of weird says for me, alright? Everyone telling me not to trust everyone else - I don't know what all you people want from me!" - she didn't sound like she entirely believed that last part. Her voice was getting a little loud now, and her face flushed red, though that, thankfully, was mostly hidden.**Janothar**"Look, there's a lot of paranoid people out here, but you've got more to fear from coronavirus than this particular community." she shakes her head "Aside from most of them just being creepy morons, there is something like a rule of law here. No one is allowed to mess with you. You get to choose what you want." she shrugs "You can choose to be paranoid, keep your secrets close, never trust anyone, and you won't really learn to use those new skills you have, you'll find yourself drifting away from your old friends because they just can't understand what you went through and how the world is different now. Or, you can take some chances and try to make new friends. So let's try this again. Hi, I'm Nektaria. I know, not a common name around here, I was born in Athens, though. Who might you be? I'd offer my hand, but well..." she gestures at the city as a whole.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"There are a lot of unknowns in this situation, too many for comfort." Flicking his eyes to see if Shiloh was in distress, he looked back to Sean "What does the 'Arrangement' say about aggressive recruitment practices, and the responses thereto? I seem to recall it has not been reduced to writing, but you seem very knowledgeable about its terms. What is our recourse if this situation we are observing becomes unfriendly?"
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> (Can I make a Perception + Empathy check to note Shiloh's distress, and if so, at what difficulty?)**Janothar**(let's call it 6, if you were closer it wouldn't be hard...but then again, basically everyone is distressed at the moment.)**Sean Caldon**"No real rules stand against recruitment. It is more of just nonaggression towards each other. If it becomes unfriendly, well then... it is only right to protect another person regardless of who they are."**K. Malcolm Lawson**/r 5d10\&gt;\&61;6f1, Perception Specialty: Astute**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson: Riddikulus!**K. Malcolm Lawson**/r 5d10\&gt;\&61;6f1**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson:  5d10\&gt;\&61;6f1  \&61; (10 1 9 3 8, 2 successes) \&61; 2**K. Malcolm Lawson**(If the Preception Speciality: Astute was relevant, that would be 3)**Janothar**(She seems alarmed...there isn't really more for him to get than that)**K. Malcolm Lawson**Flicking his eyes back to Shiloh, Malcolm continues whispering to Sean "The young woman's name is Shiloh, and she's beginning to look alarmed."**Shiloh Young**A moment of quiet follows, broken only by heavy breathing through that face mask as she considers her options. Her shoulders began to relax slightly. "Alright, alright," her arms cross. "I'm, uh, Shiloh. Shiloh Young." She still avoids eye contacting, glancing elsewhere, to that drunken group. "I'm just a student. Is there, like, some safe or neutral place I can learn about what happened to me, Nektaria?" she sounds out the name slowly, trying to pronounce it right.**Janothar**"There's a place that pretends to be neutral." she shrugs "Whether they are or not, I can't say. I don't spend time there. No pressure, though, I can give you my business card, you can call me if you have any questions, I promise to answer however I can." she holds out a card "And if you want, you can take a look at me with that special sight of yours to make sure I'm not sick before taking it."**Sean Caldon**"Well, I am sure she saw you just as you saw her.  You can try going over there, with your arms out in the open to show you are no threat and smiling... here " reaches into a pocket and pulls out a Ceasefire business card  "Approach her with this, apologizing for scaring her the other night and you wanted to make sure she knows about a safe place for her regardless of her choices made"**Shiloh Young**There's a soft huff followed by a squint as Shiloh does exactly that, flipping to a new page on her pad. (want me to roll for it, or nah?)**Janothar**(Nah, you're good) She's actually in perfect health, you've not seen very many people in such textbook good health as she is.**Sean Caldon**(sean would radiate good health like a beacon if you looked at him with your sight...)**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm sighed ruefully. "It's not a bad idea, but I'll wait for her to conclude her conversation with the other person before I do so."**Sean Caldon**"Better you than me or you with me.  She at least knows you a little.  I am a complete stranger and she could feel intimidated if both of us approach"**K. Malcolm Lawson**"I agree, it's a good plan and I'll do it myself, but we'll wait a moment or two more, see what happens."**Shiloh Young**After another short pause, Shiloh plucks the card away, sliding it into the pad. "Thanks, I guess," (was off getting food, my bad)**Janothar**"You're welcome. If you need anything, let me know." she looks back over at the two men "Are you going to be alright? I should be getting home soon, but if they're a problem, I can help you get away. But if you're fine, then just remember, I'll answer that line day or night. If you need anything, just call."**Shiloh Young**"No, no, I'll be fine, thanks. They're cool." At least, she hoped so. She shifts in place, still uncomfortable. "I, uh, I'll call you sometime soon."**Janothar**She nods "I look forward to talking to you again. Perhaps somewhere indoors, it's a bit chilly.Adio." she nods once again, before turning off, to go about her business.**Sean Caldon**"Go on, I'll wait here"**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm nodded. Waiting a moment for the other woman to walk out of sight, Malcolm walked across the street, hands out and open, a broad smile on his face.
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> "We have got to stop meeting like this, Shiloh. At least I'm not in the suit this time," He said, gesturing towards his more casual attire of jeans and a hoodie. "I'm not with the Men in Black and I'm not out to neuralize you." He tried a slight laugh, realizing the joke might fall flat, he nervously continued.
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> "I wasn't trying to scare you the other night. Really, I wouldn't have approached you at all if I didn't sense the disturbance that happened to you. I understand your reasonable fear of a stranger approaching them in the dead of night. But I saw what happened and I thought you might be even more scared by what happened to you, and going through that experience alone might be even more daunting still. I was trying to be subtle, but that's not my strong suit, so I will be direct."
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> "You're one of us now, and you need to know that there is much more going on than meets the eye. There is a place, a patch of neutral ground we all recognize. It's here." He extended the business card for the Ceasefire Lounge. "The gentleman across the street with me is the proprietor. It's neutral ground for all our kind. If you prefer, we can go there and talk this out together."**Shiloh Young**Shiloh watches his approach, but she doesn't scurry off this time, instead plucking the card away and sliding it atop Nektaria's. as she listens to him talk. She's nervous, but his words put her more at ease, and the tension within her fades though not entirely. The talk of men in black did inspire a frown, however.
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> "Is that - is that actually a thing? Do they really exist?" she blurts, though quickly shakes her head. "It's, uh, it's okay. I was panicking. Sorry if, I, uh, came off rude, though you gotta admit it was weird." She tried to smile, glancing down at the card. "I guess I can check it - I want to understand what happened to me - though, uh, the lady just said this place, or I think it's this place, was only pretending to be neutral." Another frown.**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm was grateful she didn't run this time. He was still slightly nervous.
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> "I honestly don't know about the Men in Black. They might be. I know that some among our number are devoted to ensuring the no evidence of our art is noticed by the rest of the world, it wouldn't surprise me if they have a team of suits on hand dedicated to erasing that evidence. Maybe this is a situation where Art imitates Life more than we expected."
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> "I try not to be easy to offend, Shiloh, so no offense taken. It was a weird situation, and honestly, in a city of eight million people, when you walked away I thought I'd never see you again, so you'll forgive me and my companion being a touch stalkerish so I could make sure I talked to you again, at a bit more length this time, and I can try to help you understand what happened to you. It happened to me too, a couple of years ago, though it didn't result in quite as dramatic a situation. Did you ever find out what happened with your friend?"
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> "The place with the card I gave you is informally known around here as the Ceasefire Lounge, for reasons I can explain later, and it wouldn't be able to function as such if it wasn't neutral ground. The proprietor knows just about anybody who is anybody around here, and makes it his business to find and communicate with everyone like us the open invitation to his establishment and the terms of the arrangement in force there. It's about the safest place in the City for people like us to meet up, which is why I suggested it. If this other lady, who the proprietor didn't know, thinks it's not neutral, then that's a problem he'll want to know about it. Do you mind if I introduce you, to include him on the conversation?"**Shiloh Young**The idea of some soul police (for that is how she understood magic at the present) patrolling about for unauthorized use of said abilities made her queasy, especially with how carelessly she had been scanning the place. But she shook it off, and nodded in reply to his last question, gesturing for them to cross to his friend.
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> "I don't know. He won't talk to me at all, and I'm worried the same thing happened to him, only it went wrong or something. I mean, something did go wrong. He was terrified of me," she'd say as they approached Sean.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"I could see that he was running like he was pursued by demons, but he wasn't radiating power like you were at the time." Seeing her confusion, Malcolm raised a hand "I'll explain later. Just know that you need to be careful when using the Arts, as they inevitably attract attention, which can be unwanted."
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> Waving to Sean, Malcolm and Shiloh approached. "Sean Caldon, this is Shiloh . . . I don't believe I caught your last name?"**Sean Caldon**he will greet them with a warm smile, " A pleasure Shiloh.  I apologize for being over here all creepy-like while you were talking with that other person, but having heard your previous experience with Malcolm here... I feared scaring you... It is rather late at night after all."**Shiloh Young**There's a small huff of protest, but she lets it go. "Young," she replies with little enthusiasm, before turning her attention on Sean. She tries on another smile, but, realizing it'd be covered, pulls off the face mask with some irritation. "It's cool. I was more worried about the lady who came up behind me without me noticing, but she seems cool, too." How difficult that made it to figure who was genuine, who could be trusted.**Sean Caldon**he nods in understanding "Well I am glad your conversation was a pleasant one then.  As I am sure Malcolm mentioned, I work at a place that is considered safe and neutral for all of us and I wanted to formally invite you to come in anytime we are open.  I am always happy to help you or anyone else who might need it and I ask nothing in return. People from all the various groups come in and talk with the knowledge no violence or aggression is permitted.  We do have very good tea and coffee as well, no need to drink alcohol despite it being at a bar."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Well, you do have the keys, and it is a bit cold out here, would you mind us taking this conversation to the Lounge? We can answer a lot more questions Shiloh certainly has better there anyway."**Sean Caldon**( i got to sleep irl.. its 4am here so going to decline that for now in story, but wanted to let you know why :))**Shiloh Young**"It does sound nice. I'd like to see it, it is kinda cold out." (ahhh, g'night!)**Sean Caldon**"Unfortunately, I cannot open it tonight, but I welcome you both in tomorrow to discuss further.  It has been a long day and I fear I must get some sleep.  I wanted to wait until we knew you were safe and to give you your invitation before taking my leave"**K. Malcolm Lawson**(I'm at the same location, but I'm lonely and insane and would keep the scene running if Shiloh wants to keep talking, but we'd have to go somewhere else.)**Sean Caldon**( by all means! i wish i could stay up later to also continue but i am falling asleep at the keyboard haha)**Shiloh Young**( I'm down to keep going, it's 4 AM here as well but I've gone practically nocturnal atm )
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> ( and no worries! )**Sean Caldon**( im around all afternoon / early evening tomorrow so can definitely play then if you wanted)**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Understood, Sean, but before you go, can I have a few more of those cards?"
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> "I'm a night owl by nature, Shiloh, if you would still like some company, I would be glad to give it. If you feel you can trust me."
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> ( im around all afternoon / early evening tomorrow so can definitely play then if you wanted)
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> (I may not be available, as that's when I meet with my normal gaming crew, but we'll see.)**Sean Caldon**"I can give you one or two of the cards, sure, but please be responsible with them and have whoever you give them to tell me that they are from you.  It takes a lot of effort to keep the place neutral and it helps to know where people are getting the invitations from." he will hand over 2 cards, and take a step back "And with that, I wish you both a good night and be safe, I look forward to talking with you again"  he smiles and bows slightly as he begins to turn and walk away**Shiloh Young**"Studying keeps me up all night half the time, too. Dad's always complaining, calling me a vampire," another huff. "And, uhm, yes, please? If only because people like us keep finding me and I'm afraid the next one might not be so friendly." She waves to the departing Sean.**Sean Caldon**(thanks for the scene, gnight!)**K. Malcolm Lawson**(Goodnight!)
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> Malcolm waves as well, before turning back to Shiloh. "Let's keep walking. Speak softly, we can't be sure of unfriendly ears. I generally don't like discussing our affairs in public in the first place, but I suspect neither your place nor mine would be acceptable locations to go talk, and I can think of no particularly quiet places that would be open this late, what with the pandemic we have going on presently. It has made the streets emptier than ever I've seen them in my seven years in the City, so we can hope to remain unobserved."**Shiloh Young**"I mean, my dorm's pretty safe, I think. I have a private room if you'd rather talk there or one of the study halls - they're usually empty-ish this time of night." Her words were hushed. She wasn't too keen on taking back to where she was staying, but with the way he and everyone else continued finding her, it was only a matter of time before it was discovered. Or so she believed.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"If you feel comfortable with the study halls, that's fine, with the pandemic, they're open to students only, but I do have my Student ID with me if it's needed. I'm more concerned with your comfort and safety than anything else. I didn't want to make you feel afraid earlier, and want to put you at ease now, and I also want you to be able to ask as many questions as you have. I won't pretend to have all the answers, but I will try to tell you as much as I can. What did that other woman want with you? And what were you trying to do to her earlier?"**Shiloh Young**"Yeah, yeah, I got one too. I go to Columbia," as they walk, Shiloh throws nervous glances around, as if expecting another stranger to pop up before them. "And it's okay, my dude. She was kinda offering the same thing you are now - gave me a card, offered to answer any questions I might have. And I, uh, was just trying to see if she was gonna hurt me. She seemed to know what I was doing, called me rude. Like, mentally." Awkward laughter.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Which School? I'm at the School of Law, third year. About two months from graduation and the Real World. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that, but I am ready to hand in the last case brief I won't be paid to write."**Shiloh Young**"Nursing, but I'm dual majoring to study Western Esotericism, too. I just became a sophmore, though. Graduation seems like a dream." The talk of law school drew pinched brows, but she didn't voice her disapproval.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Esotericism? That explains your quick adoption of the Art. You were trying to read her mentally then? That's an impressive leap, you must have some natural talent or experience already to be able to call that up on demand. But studying Western Esotericism explains it somewhat."
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> "What's with the furrowed brow? Something I said?"**Shiloh Young**"Well, yeah, it's always been an interest of mine," she turns her head down, as if embarrassed by the admission. "That other lady, the one we met at the subway, she talked with me, too - showed me the souls that run through everything. I practiced with her, and have been practicing to 'see' things ever since. I can see all sorts of stuff now." The frown returns. "I was seeing how sick everyone was before the suited woman showed up. It's bad, worse than they're letting on."
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> She chews on her lip as he probed about her expression. "It's nothing."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Tati? She found you again? Interesting."
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> "So you were out practicing tonight. And you saw the disease is worse than we know. Given how few testing kits are available, I cannot say I am surprised. I fear things will get much worse before they get better. And there isn't a mask to be had for a hundred miles. I'm guessing you, as a nursing student, had some already to hand when this crisis happened. I'm not going to ask for one. Aside from this encounter and the normal course of my work, I have been practicing social distancing and sanitation as well. I suspect we'll be going to online classes soon. But the case briefs will still be due anyway."
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> "This other woman, just now, you tried to read her, and she detected your attempt, then? And responded to you in your own mind?"**Shiloh Young**"She's cool." Shiloh didn't expand further, worried the wrong slip of information might come to hurt her or Tati both. The woman's warning still echoed in her mind.
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> "And, yes, I think so. She definitely knew what I was doing, but I dunno if was in my head or just projecting those words in own, if that makes sense."
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> "As for the disease - I dunno, man. It's way, way bad, like a lot of these people don't even look sick on the outside or seem to even be aware of it. I'm worried, but I can't stand being cooped up all the time."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"I can understand not wanting to be confined. Ironically, as empty as the city is just now, we're likely as safe from infection out here as inside, but for the purposes of our conversation, better to take it inside than talk outside."
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> They had walked several blocks and were getting close to Columbia's main campus again.
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> "You take the lead, wherever you feel comfortable. I think you're owed some answers, but the questions need to be asked somewhere we won't be observed. Wherever you feel the concerns of privacy and your personal security are best balanced will do for this purpose."**Shiloh Young**"Mhm. I know a study hall that's usually empty this time of night. Come on." She waves for him to follow before suddenly jogging off to #columbia-university**Shiloh Young** new scene
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> Shiloh swipes them in, and leads her new companion to her favored study spot, which was, indeed, void of students at this hour night of the morning. It was a cozy little place, and Shiloh took up a seat near the corner that sat between a bookcase & small table which held another seat beside it. "So," she began with a deep breath, "How would you explain what happened to me?" She had heard one side, but there was no reason not to get another perspective.**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm settled into the opposite seat, dropping his messenger bag off to the side.
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> "Well, to know that, I'd need your perspective on what you experienced. I caught up to you in the aftermath of the experience, and I couldn't see what you saw when it happened. If you tell me what you experienced, I can try to explain it. Why don't you tell me what happened to you in that house?"**Shiloh Young**She draws her legs up onto the seat, folding her arms about them and resting her chin on her knees. "It was weird. I - we - were checking out because I learned it some old alchemist supposedly lived there back in the day. I was dying to find something genuine, and that, combined with knowing a lot of these historical places are run down or basically abandoned sealed it for me.
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> It wasn't hard to get into the place. Pretty empty. But I felt this weird presence, something drawing me into the basement. I found a secret passage to bypass that door, and through it I came on some alchemical equipment under a cloth. It had these weird symbols on it... even Nathan couldn't take his eyes off them. Something came over us. I reached out and felt I could possibly do anything, understand everything. But Nathan freaked out, crushed the glass he was holding and ran." She purses her lips. "You know the rest."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"I see. So, when you felt that call, what changed for you in the moment that you reached out to grasp that possibility, to do anything, understand everything? What did it feel like?"**Shiloh Young**"It's... hard to explain. I know it sounds stereotypical, but it really was like a weight lifted off me, and I could see everything for what it really was. Like the beginnings of creation, if you want a religious metaphor. Vast oceans and endless dark skies. Purification..." her brows knit, and her gestures grow more strained, as she was struggling to put words to the experience. "I wanted - want - to know more. I wasn't, and I'm not satisfied with all of this." At 'this,' she gestured to all around them. "This world is sick, and I don't just mean the virus going around."**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm sat back, nodding at several places. "I don't have much more perspective than my own to offer in this regard. Most of us regard the moment we first left Plato's Cave, to borrow a favorite metaphor from a favorite Philosopher who, I suspect, was one of us too -  as a very personal and private experience. Thank you for sharing yours with me."
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> He stood up again, starting to slowly pace around the area in measured steps has he composed his thoughts.
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> "There are a lot of metaphors used to describe the experience, a common one I have heard that seems to cross boundaries of our crafts is that the experience is akin to waking up, which is why the experience is often called the Awakening."
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> "It's different for every one of us. Mine, for example, happened while I was taking the LSAT, if you can believe that, as for some reason that day, I was thinking of Heraclitus, Divine Logos, and my wish, like so many Philosophers before me, to understand the Universal Laws that underpin everything, because our universe doesn't function as it does at random. There is a rightful order underpinning it all, and though it exists in a state of constant change, even those changes abide by that Universal Law."
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> "About halfway through the test, for a brief, shining moment, as I was contemplating the patterns within the patterns, I became aware of everything, that nothing was at random. I could see the patterns in the test questions, hear the rhythms in the scratch of pencils and the hum of an air conditioner, sense that the Universe operates much like I thought, and if I could only see it for what it is, as I could then, that I could change this chaotic world to harmonize it with the way I could see things ideally should be, starting with myself. And that was when I truly began my study of the Art, though, like you, I had been studying it informally for many years before. We probably have had some of the same professors, you know. And you may know more mages than you think."**Shiloh Young**As he shares his own story, Shiloh perks, listening with great interest and nodding at various points that she agreed with. "I think we see things pretty similarly. Maybe not exactly, but close. I feel there's an order running through it all, and if we can understand it, we can become so much more than what we are now."
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> "I gotta thank you too, for sharing your side of this whole waking up business. Going through it during the LSAT of all things, though, that's gotta be tough. Hope it didn't stop ya from passing." She cracked a half grin.
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> "And I wish, but I've been studying mostly on my own before hitting college. Dad didn't approve, so I kept it to myself before then. If someone had been there to help me & Nathan deal with what happened, maybe he wouldn't be so scared." The frown returns. (I'm getting drowsy, so posts might become sporadic)**K. Malcolm Lawson**"No, I think it was in part responsible for my passing it with such high marks as I did. It's easy to spot even the tempting but wrong answers when you see the pattern underlying all patterns."
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> "Understood, my parents don't know either. Nor do they know about what happened to me during the test, or anything after. Like most of the people around us, they are still asleep. And I don't know that I will ever be able to help them see the world as I can."
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> "This is the crux of our dilemma, Shiloh. So few of us ever Awaken, and we are surrounded on all sides by those who don't. When we use our Arts where they can see, the force of their inability to see the world as we do, to think like we can, and to know what we know, that we can change the world with our Art - their disbelief also acts like a fundamental law of reality that we live under, because we share our reality with all the people who are still asleep, and that disbelief makes our Arts difficult if not impossible to perform when Sleepers are present. Something to beware of, and bear in mind."
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> "Something else to know - when you use the Arts, there is always a chance your efforts will be noticed by others like us. Those of us whose eyes are open cannot close them again, not completely, and we all retain an unconscious awareness that there is more to the world than we can see, hear, feel, and our instincts for such things only get stronger with time. When using the Art, you open yourself to the world as you take hold of it and command it to change according to your will. The power radiating off you when you do that can be detected, sometimes even by those still asleep, but definitely by those who are Awakened like ourselves. Be careful when and how you choose to work your Arts, and especially who witnesses you doing so."
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> "I wish I had been there when you and Nathan had your experience. But I am here now, and can try to answer any other questions you have."
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> (I'm getting pretty gassed too, do you want to pause and resume this scene later? Or conclude it and agree to meet again some other time?)**Shiloh Young**(We can pause it if you're cool with that? I'll reply when I'm able,and if you need Malcolm in another scene before then we can just say they agreed to meet later?)**K. Malcolm Lawson**(The more I think about it, the more confused it will get if we attempt to pause the scene and resume it later. Let's just conclude it. I trust you to give us an out.)**Shiloh Young**"So that's how you guys keep finding me." She begins to rub her temples. That was a lot to take in. "I have so many questions, but I'm gonna need to get my head wrapped everything you just dropped on me. Let's meet again later at that lounge?"
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> (Sorry for the lame response but running on fumes & trying to give us an out)**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Sounds like a plan. I can walk you back out to your residence hall if you like, so you aren't walking through campus alone at night, or we can walk out and part ways here if you prefer. In either case, take this."
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> Malcolm produces a small wallet from the pocket of his hoodie, and pulls out a business card.
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> "Text me and let me know it's you now, and I'll put your number in my phone. Then text or call me again when you want to meet up. I'll be waiting for your call."**Shiloh Young**"...does every Awakened get a business card?" She quips, sliding it with the rest before firing a text his way. "No need, my dorm is close. See you around, dude." And off she goes.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Nope, only the ones I want to hear from again." He waves goodbye. "Until then."