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There's a new mage in town, and the local Hermetic realizes it..
melody - Wednesday, February 24, 1999, 12:47 PM ----------------------------------------------- Gregory saunters rather casually into the Library; pausing at the threshold, he glances about, his gaze flickering over the occupants found within. Melody is reading at a table. She brushes a lock of hair back from her face absently. Gregory heads towards Melody; pausing, he inclines his head towards her, "Hullo there. You'd be Iris and Tracy's friend, wouldn't you?" Melody looks up, startled. "Yes...oh, hey." Gregory's gaze is piercing, nad he chuckles, "What're you reading?" Melody holds up a book. It's old and dogeared. _Aradia, Gospel of the itches._ Gregory's brow rises, "Interesting subject matter. Have you read Sullivan's study on the evolution of Wiccanism from its roots to the more modern version currently espoused today?" He sounds curious, his hands tucked idly into his jacket pockets. Melody gestures across the table. "No, sounds like something I'd be interested in though. Gregory sits at The booth near the stage. Gregory lowers himself into the seat; he shrugs, and smiles, "It's interesting. It deals with the similarities, and how it's changed to adapt to the modern world." You say, "You mean New agers?" Melody pronounces it like nuahjers, sarcastically. Gregory rolls his eyes; he shakes his head, "No, I mean /true/ Wiccans. Not the hanger-ons that tend to grasp at straws." He shakes his head, "The people who actually /believe/." Melody leans back in her seat. "What about them? I've seen some real flakes out there.." Gregory's brow rises, "There's always flakes. But those who are truely interested in something, be it religion, or life, or anything else, they're to be respected." He shrugs, and motions with a hand, chuckling, "That's part of what makes life so interesting.." He trails off, and comments, "And I'm a bit of a philosopher, I'm afraid." You say, "Not a problem. So what is your take on 'em?" Gregory hmms? "On who? 'New Agers'? It really depends. Those who are truely searching for 'something' I can respect for the search. Those who are 'riding the wave', the mindless ones...well..." He trails off, making a dismissive gesture. Melody nods. "And the real thing?" Gregory's brow rises, shrugging, "One can respect anyone who has sworn to a particular code, be it Wiccanism or Christianity or something more esoteric." Melody mmms. "Do you hang out at Iris and Tracy's a lot?" Gregory hmms? He shakes his head, "Not a great deal, but a bit; we know each other fairly well, I suppose you could say." He grins, "I think I'm going to be their child's ... godgrandfather, or something. I've kind of taken up the reins as Iris' godfather of sorts." Melody nods slowly. "I'm considering taking her as a student of sorts." Gregory mms? "Student?" He looks curious. "How do you mean?" Melody pulls out her pentacle. "She's a very talented young woman. But she doesn't know much about the Goddess within." Gregory's brow rises; he appraises you slowly, and chuckles, "Oh really?" He seems to glance at you intensely, a rather wry smile flickering over his features, "I think she does fine as she is...her singing is a wonderful...tool." At your table, Gregory considers you; he motions, "Perhaps we can talk someplace more private?" His voice is low, and he smiles. Melody leans back and smiles at you. "I would love it, considering I just had a feeling about you that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck." Gregory's brow rises, and he chuckles, droll, "I figured you had." He rises to his feet, and offers an arm, very polite, "Shall we miss?" Gregory gets up from The booth near the stage. Melody gets up from The booth near the stage. You say, "Indeed." Gregory offers, "Follow me." (Travel snipped) You head up the hill, and enter the home. Brick House - Main Room As solid as the exterior, this room is full of enduring furnishings. Oak buttresses a high ceiling, the dark gleam of the wood a striking contrast to the pale cream of the uppermost surface. More of the same decorates the walls, door frames of a deep, rich cherry and pine. The whole house seems to be furnished in a similar fashion, hardwood floors all richly appointed. Here, in the living room, a soft rug is carefully arrayed in front of a fireplace, the rug's soft tan weave matching the floor's pine. The fireplace itself is of grey stone and brick, roughly hewn in artistic similarity to the wood that adorns much of the home. Along one wall is a bookcase, chock full of books, most of which are linguistic works. Over on the left, a dim archway leads into another room, seemingly the bedroom, while on the right, another leads into a hallway. Obvious exits: OutStairs Gregory enters the house from outside. Gregory motions with a hand; he inclines his head towards you, and chuckles, "I think perhaps we should introduce ourselves, hmm?" He glances around a brief moment, then returns his gaze to you. Melody chuckles. "Melody Savon. New to the area. Are we doing full names, or just the simple?" Gregory chucles, softly, "Full would be better, at least for the first time." He adds, "Get all the formalities out of the way." He motions with a hand, and begins, "I am Wakati Illustro Gregory Masters Bani Shaea, walker of the Lighted Path, Speaker to Spirits, and as you seem to be friend of my friends, at your service, miss." His tones are formal. Melody smiles. "I see. I'm Vine bani Verbena, no fancy titles." Gregory chuckles, murmuring, "Titles tend to help when dealing with certain spirits. They like the formality. It's a pleasure to meet you. As for Iris...I'm something of a teacher for her, but I don't know a great deal, so I'd be glad to have help." He motions with a hand, and comments, "Where are you from, originally? And please...forgive my manners. Sit?" Melody has a seat and smiles at you, her manner somewhat distant. "Iris.. as an Order member?" She shakes her head. "And I'm from England, most recently." Gregory chuckles softly, "Nah. I don't know if the Order's totally right for her, though some of it is. She reminds me of a ... Merinita magi." He motions, "Whichever path she decides to follow, I'll help her with it. I can hope, however." His lips curve, "England? I'm most recently of Los Angeles, by way of Boston and Alexandria." Melody nods. "I know Shaea must be an Order house, but I don't recognize it?" Gregory chuckles, "Indeed. We, the Shaeans, are the loremasters of the order. We study, and catalogue much of the Order's knowledge. I myself am a teacher. That is ... what I do." He motions with a hand. You say, "I see. So you don't like to make things go boom?" Melody smiles a little. Gregory uplifts an eyebrow, and chuckles, "Quite honestly, miss, I /can't/ make things go boom." He motions with a hand, "My talents lie in other directions." You say, "Such as linguistics. I never would have known if you hadn't come over to Tracy and Iris's, by the way, but you stick out like a sore thumb at their house." Gregory chuckles softly; he tilts an eyebrow, and looks down at himself, "Do I? Am I truely so...extraordinary?" He chuckles, and offers, "I'm surprised they haven't told me, if they know. That's something I'd think they would do." Melody corrects herself. "You do if you know they're both Awake, I should say." Gregory mms, "Indeed. I am hardly less than I am, nor more than I am." He speaks simply, not arrogant, merely accepting. "At any rate...is there aught one can do for you?" You say, "Just knowing who you are is enough for now. I'm looking for the safety of numbers, of course. And an idea of who and where to avoid." Gregory's brow rises, and he considers, "I can provide thus. Firstly, the woods are fairly dangerous at times. As well, the club called the 'Delirium' is to be avoided as well." You say, "I don't club anyway. What's there, Technos?" Gregory shakes his head, "Nah. Vampires." He motions with a hand, shrugging. "Or so I have it on quite good information." You say, "Woooonderful." You say, "I assume the woods are shapeshifters." Gregory nods, "Aye. And things are ... tense there. Quite tense. If you ... would like good relations, I would really suggest not interacting. There have been ... incidents. Luckily, peaceful measures have been sustained, but the shifters brought a technocratic team to the city-- a pair become...wolfman, or whatever it's called, in a cafe here..when a technocratic agent was there." You say, "I don't care for them, so don't worry. I keep to my own." Gregory nods, "Good. That's something we can agree on." He inclines his head, "Other than that...it should be fairly all right, as long as you keep to yourself. If you wish, I can help you get settled. Depending on your wishes, I could help a great deal, though some would require me to speak to someone else." Melody nods. "You can, of course, tell your local superior I'm here and available for contact. I don't know if Iris and Tracy have any contacts other than you, so.. Gregory mms, "Local superior...I suppose you could say that." He motions with his hand, a wry smile flickering over his features. "What, if I may ask, do you do? Where does your magick lie?" You say, "I'm a psychic, mostly. Still learning, but with some degree of control." Gregory mms, and nods, "Interesting. Psychic?" He catalogues, instinctively, "Mental, Spiritual, Emotional, that sort of thing?" Melody nods. You say, "Less with the Spiritual, I'm afraid." You say, "My teacher told me she was injured in that area in some past life, and couldn't help me." Gregory nods, "Mm. Those are my specialties. Especially spiritual. I tend to walk the Umbra quite a bit..." A brow rises, and he shudders, "I cannot imagine that. The Umbra is...beautiful." You say, "I would like to see it at some point." Gregory mms, and considers; he motions with a hand, "Indeed. If you like, I could show you." You say, "I would like that a lot." Gregory nods; he considers, "All right. Have you 'seen' the Umbra at all?" Melody shakes her head. "I have an idea of the setup, but not from experience." Gregory considers, and appraises you, "Would you like to?" Melody nods. "Certainly! I'd like to learn, if nothing else to attend the seasonals." Gregory chuckles softly; he nods, "Ahh, yes." He rises to his feet, and begins to chant softly, murmuring in an oddly tonal language under his breath. The warmth of the home's furnishings have managed to make its way here, in the Umbra. An old house, well maintained, the careful furnishings glow more strongly here, taken care of and cherished by the owners. The fireplace seems to exude a heat of its own, as if in past heat has permanently taken root there. Over by the wall, a small collection of webs seems manifest, glittering brightly in spite of their precise orderings. Each archway, on the left and right, seems somehow brighter, more vibrant. Melody doesn't react when you start altering things, but as it takes effect she draws in her breath slowly, glancing around in awe. "This is which level?" Gregory hmms? "This is the ... near umbra. There are paths to the higher umbra. I could also show you the lower-- that's where the dead reside. Ghosts and the like." Melody nods. "Please. I've heard it's ugly." Gregory's brow rises; he nods, "It is...it is ... decaying. Everything is there." He considers you, then your sight wavers again as he chants, this time calling out to someone else, though the only word you likely will recognize is 'Osiris'. Solidity is but an illusion, wood decays like everything else. The seemingly solid furnishings here are slowly rotting into nothingness, each plane and angle somehow weaker, with less strength than it should. Darkness seems to shroud the entire room, laying over everything within like a cloak, a shroud of absolute and utter darkness, eating away at the life of that which comes into contact with it. The two archways are simple maws of waiting darkness, the floor rickety and unkempt, and the fireplace lit by a few dying, forlorn embers, desolate, dying, the center wall somehow conveying a sense of wisdom, lost. Melody hisses in a breath. "There is no Life there..." she murmurs. Gregory mms, "Not really no. It's the place of the Dead. I've visited a few times. It is not...a nice place." He motions, "Though those in it can be very nice." Melody nods. "I can see why..if they're used to seeing this, they must be looking for something to brighten it." Gregory nods, "Something like that. Most are ... there for a reason. To /do/ something. The rest leave that place to another." The effect slowly wavers and disappears, "I don't like looking upon it for long. The Middle and High Umbras though...they're lovely." Melody sits back slowly. "How long have you been a shadewalker?" Gregory considers, "Ten? Twelve years?" He nods, "Around there. It's what I do best. In a way, the world of spirit and the world of matter are seperated, and that's part of what's wrong with the world." Melody nods slowly. "But it does keep out what's in the deep shade.." Gregory nods, "That's the Deep Umbra. Things out there are truely horrific. From my studies, the Gauntlet was weaker in the past. It /needs/ to be weaker to ... allow true interaction occur, but it must remain. Consider it ... a veil over the sun. Too thick, and the person is blind, too thin and he's blinded by the brighness. Just right, and...he can see." Melody mmms. "Useful. A good metaphor." Gregory shrugs, "Metaphor is an important tool. With it, you can illustrate esoteric points with relative ease." You say, "So long as you don't get too caught up in the metaphor to see the reality, which I've seen happen." Gregory nods, "True enough. True enough." He chuckles, "Balance is required for all things. Light and dark, life and death, order and chaos." Melody nods. "A truth which is too often lost." Gregory shrugs, "People lose things." He stretches, appraising you, considering. Melody slowly stands. "We both have things we should be doing, I think. Tracy has my number." Melody blinks as she senses Mind and Prime magicks aimed at her, and instinctively grabs for her boot and her necklace. Gregory nods to himself, and offers, by way of explanation-- he hadn't even chanted, or similar, "I do apologize. Another warning. We have a Nephandi in the area. That was what I was doing; I do apologize for startling you. I had to be sure." Melody relaxes just a TAD. "Son of a bitch, man. Invite me into your house and then call me Fallen. Just like an Order mage." She looks upset. Gregory sighs, softly; he tilts a wry brow, and comments, "I can handle myself. Tracy and Iris may or may not be able to. I would much rather risk myself than them." He speaks simply, "And I did not 'call' you one, I checked. I have been checking any magi I meet. Would you not do the same, to protect those you have sworn an oath to protect?" His tones are polite, but firm, "I am what I am, and I will protect the flock." The last is said almost ... as if part of a ritual. Melody rolls her eyes. "Fine. Fair enough. Sorry. I've had bad experiences with your tradition, sorry for jumping." She shoves a knife back into her boot and releases her necklaces slowly. Gregory chuckles; he comments, "I've noticed thus. There are some who have a higher notion of their importance than they should." He walks towards you, and bows low, "Perhaps I can aid in recovering the honor that the Order may posess. If you will allow it, of course." Melody nods slowly. "Maybe. Maybe some day I'll even tell you WHY I'm touchy." She inclines her head to the bow. Gregory nods, "If you wish. That's your choice, however." He smiles, "At any rate...you have my address. If you need anything, don't hesitate to visit. And if you wish, I can help you learn of the Umbra. It's...what I do." Melody nods. "Thanks. I'll see you around." She heads out the door with a last look at you. You open the door and walk out of the house.
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