2020-11-07 Luck of The Draw

Luck of The Draw

Participants: Jinny Lee Lorelei Luu Rhode

Location: Winters Retreat

Date and Time: November 7, 2020

Summary: First meetings post-vision

Mood Music: Warren Zevon - "Johnny Strikes Up The Band"

Lorelei climbs out of the car and shuts the door. Her vehicle is electric, so it’s unlikely that anyone heard her arrive until this moment when the *thud* breaks the silence. The house she parked in front of is HELLA creepy, which might be reason enough to make some individuals pause, but Lorelei carries an inflated sense of confidence so she doesn’t even hesitate. She has been brought here, guided along by the tug of a phantom string, or perhaps a trail of spiritual breadcrumbs, and there’s no way she’s leaving until getting some answers.

She hesitates at the front steps -- however briefly. There is another individual on the porch, a tall man only viewed from the back, and something about his silhouette stirs recognition. Strangely, his presence is more of a deterrent than the spooky house he stands in front of.

"Coward," Fenrir growls in her mind.

"Shut up," she whispers to him.

And with that, Lorelei draws her shoulders back and presses forward, her confident gait announced by the spry sound of footsteps...

By the time that Lee starts to face her, Lorelei is half ready for a fight. She has no idea why she's been drawn here, no idea what this place is, and for someone who operates with unerring confidence, the sensation of being caught off balance is both unfamiliar and, frankly, annoying. Her guard is already up, ready to confront whoever or whatever it is, which is why her expression is already scrunched up when Lee completes his turnaround.

The sight of him causes an immediate and visceral reaction. Lorelei rapidly blinks, her body language drawing back and then forward as if caught in a lunge of disbelief. "You..." she starts to say, the words trailing. And then again, this time more accusatory, "You. What are /you/ doing here?" Her boots loudly clomp up the stairs, finishing her ascent toward the porch if only to gain a few more inches of height. Not that it matters. He's so much taller. "Did you, like, follow me here or something? Fucking creeper." Never mind that he got here first.

Lorelei comes to stand on the porch in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest and hip lightly popped out. Her blue eyes are narrow and discerning, as if looking for indications of guilt on his face to confirm that he is indeed a fucking creeper.

Lee is still coming out of it, the fading of the Vision leaving him a little unsteady as he turns. Lorelei reacts first, his attention dropping down to her as she barks her accusations at him, leaving him to blink and straighten up to his full height. "You." he says in a tone that's far more confused than angry.

At her suggestion, his forehead wrinkles - "I got here first." briefly indignant, Lorelei can see him take a breath and calm himself. He looks back over his shoulder at the house and then over to Lorelei once more, wary - after all, she's already angry with him. He takes a step back and lifts his hand up, chin lifting some so that he can look down his nose at her. "You didn't have to throw my shoes you know. Especially if you were gonna follow me around." turning it back on her, his hand left up to ward her away, or at least add some distance. "Or you could've just called, Bluebird." that said with a cheeky smirk, something about the phrase a certain challenge to the shorter blonde.

Some of Lorelei's tension relaxes when he points out that he got here first -- it's a valid point! -- but she still doesn't completely trust him. Who knows how long she was sitting in her car for? She starts to turn, scanning the front of the property for his vehicle, but the light reconnaissance stalls when he calls her Bluebird. Immediately, her freckled nose wrinkles in distaste, affording her a certain adorableness that would likely bother her even more if pointed out. "Don't call me that," she says. "And you're lucky it was only your boots I threw."

She takes a moment to disconnect from the spat, if only to examine the Jacobean style house in front of her. She examines the stately front door and the many windows, her hackles immediately raising when confronted by the building's general spookiness. "Is this where you live?" she asks, sounding uncertain. "It gives me the fucking creeps."

And then, apparently deciding that he's taking too long to answer, she simply steps around him -- allowing her shoulder to gently *clip* his arm -- and knocks on the front door. Thump-Thump-Thump! She steps back with a creak on the porch's floorboards, her hands resettling themselves on her hips. While she waits, she takes the opportunity to look Lee up and down like he might have fleas or some other parasites.

"Oh please, you had fun." Lee counters in a slightly too defensive tone. Lee notes said additional cuteness, eyes settling for a moment as he does, a very faint smirk appearing on his lips like he's about to point it out. But then she looks to the building and Lee looks up, over his shoulder. "No, but it's fucking great isn't it?" he says, pretty much in time with her 'gives me the fucking creeps' line. He rolls his eyes a bit and turns back toward the door.

"I already rang the bell." he says, letting her take the lead as she steps in to knock. It means whoever exits the house will see Lee looming up behind Lorelei, the shorter blonde. Lee is pointedly ignoring the look to focus on the door itself. After a second he says, "So what brings you all the way out here if you don't even know the owner?" a needless needling as they wait for the door the open, Lee's gaze aimed up and over Lorelei's head like he's rubbing in just how much height he has on the woman.

He's dressed in clothes for hanging out in his backyard, a pair of gym shorts and a Led Zeppeling 1977 World Tour t-shirt and a rather worn lookng pair of light blue flipflops that have *clearly* seen the beach more than once. He seems comfortable in the exceedingly casual getup. One never knows where you'll be when a vision strikes, after all.

She pauses by the bathroom door to check on the resident, heralding her arrival with a quick rap of knuckles on the door frame. She leans in and sees Luu bathed in Moonlight and, for a second, forgets what she's saying but then, the knocking on the door downstairs and the muted sound of arguing stirs her from her reverie. "They're here." Whoever they are. "I'm going to go greet them. We can't have them fighting on the front porch." She steps back and then, leans back in adding, almost as an aside. "If you'd like to make a dramatic entrance, you've got about two minutes for me to make my way to the door."

Stepping back and pulling the door to, Jinny calls out from the second floor. "Coming!" and starts making her way down the hall to the staircase. She pauses in front of one of the full length mirrors on the wall, smoothing her hands over her darkened clothes, trying to look presentable. It's not very magickal, what she's wearing, or really even clean thanks to all the paint spatters, but that really doesn't matter right now. At least she's wearing her somewhat nice sneakers today - a pair of Golden Goose with a gold star that probably gained $500 in value now that they're 'distressed.' She glances down the stairs and starts down, pausing near the vent at the first landing. "We've got guests." She calls into the ductwork. "Please be polite." She starts away, then pauses, calling again into the vent. "And thank you for the cloth. It was lovely. Luu is adding it to my dress."

The only response is a bit of skittering that heads towards one of the spare bedrooms.

Jinny sighs and rolls her shoulders, making her way down the stairs two at a time, jogging a little towards the front door, hitting the lights of the main sitting area as she passes through. She leaves them on, and oddly enough, the creepiness of the house is possibly amplified with each lamp and overhead fixture she turns on. The last ones, the hanging fixture in the foyer and the porch light, click on last, a shape illuminated before it vanishes behind the door, and the large Bevelo lantern hanging by the front door flickering to light when the switch is hit. A few locks and one chain are undone and, steeling herself, Jinny slowly opens the front door, standing silhouetted in the front door.

She looks from one to the other and smiles, taking a small step forward, then hesitating. "You know." She finally says, her voice lilting, quiet, and slightly Californian with a mismash of accents built in thanks to her upbringing. "For the number of times visions lead people to our front porch, we should really, really have a script by this point." She pauses, glancing to them both. "You had a vision, right? Something completely unexplained, and you found yourself here?" She lifts up on her toes and looks over Lee's shoulder, catching sight of a truck and a very nice-looking Bentley, sinking down to regard the pair. "If you didn't....we have a vacuum, our home insurance is up to date, we don't have gutters that need cleaning, the lawn guy comes on Thursdays, our knives are handed down and can be used as surgery in a pinch, and we really, REALLY don't want to change religion, although I'm sure your Thetans or holy book about Jesus boxing dinosaurs or whatever is /lovely./"

At the top of the second floor stairs, appears a woman with hair dyed stark white and still wet from a shower or bath from which she must have just emerged. She was at least thoughtful enough to put on a very fluffy looking white robe and house slippers, the embroidered logo indicating they come from 'The Circle' a super new trendy LA nightlife and wellness spot. Never being one to pay retail, they were very much stolen, which is surprisingly easy for one of certain talents. The iconic Celine frames she wears? Those are a different story. The look she gives towards the door, suggests that instead of having heard that door after just finishing her purification rituals, hearing the door caused her to rush from said rituals; nonetheless, it's a friendly and welcoming looking, and not really with a hint of surprise that there might be unexpected guests. Though Luu only met Lorelei that one time, and isn't even really sure of her name, the situation was definitely memorable enough, that it brings a smirk to her face and puts together all but one of the looming puzzle piece.

Luu makes her way down the staircase with a certain fashionable elegance, that in part is a stylized way of avoiding post-bathing slippages. Hearing Jinny mention the Vision as she makes her way down the stairs, Luu is quite amused as she says, "Yeah, hit me in the bathtub. Luckily I'm used to my antennas being weird." A beat as she adds, "and drowning." Already having a Scientology E-Meter in her collection somewhere, Luu isn't particularly interested in all door-to-door religious sales pitches, and The Watchtower people long since realized they didn't want to take her up on the invitations inside. Putting a hand on Jinny's shoulder, Luu says, "Relax, we know -- " and there's the briefest pause, as the social machine realizes she does not know Lorelei's name, and pivots, to noting, " -- 'My Good Side.'"

Looking between the two, and now having two Spirit encounters related to at least one of them, Luu is fairly assured as she introduces herself saying, "Luule Elsbet Bennet, bani Xaos. Come in, please, lots to explain, nothing to fear."

Lorelei 'hmphs' when Lee says that he already rang the bell, not even allowing him that concession without getting the last word in -- or last syllable, anyway. And of course, as he walks up to stand behind her, she straightens her posture instinctively, vying for that last half an inch to make herself seem like the bigger and scarier predator. If he gets too close, she'll prod him back with an elbow, ensuring that she remains front and center in her rather ridiculous power stance. She opts to ignore the inquiry about why she's here, somehow feeling foolish and therefore vulnerable about not having a good answer. At this point, she doesn't know that Lee is a Mage, and there's no good way to explain the fact that she drove here in a fugue state after enduring a trippy vision. And so, after a terse glance over her shoulder, she'll crisply reply, "None of your business."

The young woman turns back around with a dramatic toss of her hair, the long blonde locks neatly swishing and smacking him in the face. Because that's what he gets for standing so close.

'Coming! is heard in a feminine trill from upstairs and Lorelei's posture once more straightens. Her shoulders square, her lips press, and she looks ready to meet a lion or some other creature on the other side of the door. Lorelei is dressed in a fitted white cut-out dress with an oversized denim jacket layered over it featuring an image of the tarot card The Moon on the back ( https://imgur.com/a/9YVbHX4 ). Two wolves howl atop their pillars, serenading a large moon with the twelve zodiac signs arched above. Just before the door opens, Lorelei informs Lee, "You look like a hobo by the way."

Swoosh! The door swings open to reveal Jinny. Lorelei is once more startled when she finds herself looking at a (somewhat) familiar face, though this time she looks a touch sheepish for the imperious knocking and immediate grandstanding. "I know you," she says, sounding relieved. When she hears the informative spiel about the vision, some of the tension relaxes in her shoulders -- but of course that leads her looking back at Lee, wary and confused, before turning back around. "Sounds about right," she slowly says, too shocked to come up with a pithy reply beyond that.

Lorelei's gaze swings up when Luu appears as well, watching her journey down the stairs with a strange combination of relief and disappointment. There will be no battle today, it would seem. The mention of 'My Good Side' warrants a crisp nod, some of her confidence returning as she takes a step inside with the invitation. "Literally the weirdest PR campaign I've ever signed up for," she notes, moving deeper within the foyer while nosily looking all around the strange home open interest. "But Los Angeles gets to keep on keepin' on for another day, so I suppose it was worth it." The young woman looks between Jinny and Luu, back and forth, and then, after completing her small pivot, settles in place. She goes silent for a stretch. Rather than introduce herself any further, she simply looks over at Lee with a hiked eyebrow and asks, "So who the hell are you then?"

Lee spits hair out of his mouth as Lorelei's ponytail slaps him, his hand raising up to brush at his face as it comes in. He glares briefly down at her back, eyes settling on her jacket for a moment - the wolves and the strange beast from his vision seemingly important somehow. He's pulled out of his pondering by her words, "Thanks." he says, like he doesn't care at all, "You look cute. Love you in white, and the tarot /works/." He's heard that 'coming' but he simply can't resist needling her just a bit more.

His back straightens up and his hands fall to his sides as the door opens, an amused smile appearing fading from his features only to return suddenly at the list of things they have and don't need. His arms come up to fold across his chest loosely, settling there as he waits, head tilting partially to the side. He opens his mouth to speak when Lorelei begins to take over. His attention drops down to the shorter woman, giving her the space she needs, an eyebrow lifting up as the words come tumbling out, protective of secrets and dismissive of Lee's right to be there with their equivocation.

Lee's eyes move from Jinny to Luu and he inclines his head, just sort of going for it. "Lee Black." he says, "Euthanatos, my Acarya is Henry Fitzgerald of the House of Dreams." an introduction that's short and to the point, who he is, what he is, why he might matter If either of them are particularly into low budget, cult horror flicks, Lee is a mostly unknown director (Fame 1), but it's very likely even devoted fans of the genre might not know his work.

He steps in after the little blonde, then steps over to the side, giving her space and, not-that-subtly separating himself from her challenging words. His arms unfold from his chest as he steps in, hanging loosely at his side. He pauses then adds, "It's a pleasure to meet you both." Still, his attention lingers on Lorelei as he finds a comfortable place to stand, the scent of smoke - faint but spicy - filling the entry hall of the house as he settles himself there.

To be fair, Jinny was busy painting and convincing a spirit that the rite going on in the tower at Ascension Lodge could ruin Hollywood by sending magickal vibes while dressed in a pastiche of 50's and 2020's style, but she does remember Lorelei or, at least, seeing her looking amazing and maybe having her face made up. There was so much going on, after all, so when Lorelei declares that she knows Jinny, it's a concession, like giving someone the riddle of the sphinx and having them answer with a particular Pokémon that changes the number of limbs it has as it evolves. So when she makes her introduction - short as it is - she nods and offers a smile. And Lee? His introduction as being a member of the House of Dreams earns a smile of its own. Stepping back, Jinny moves to stand next to the white-haired Luu as she shares her tongue-twister of an introduction, waiting for an appropriate moment.

"I'm Jiinya Jacinto. Or Just Jinny to people who see me more than once. Kha'vadi...Dreamspeaker in the old tongue, and member of the Baruti. The storytellers." she adds, almost as an afterthought. They're not very many of them after all. She slips around the pair to close the door behind, shutting out the world outside, welcoming them to the world inside.

She retakes her spot next to Luu, glancing to the white-haired woman. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions." she says. "We may not have all the answers, but we are all on the same path. Why don't you come in and take a seat?" She gestures to the main room behind.

A knowing nod is given to Lorelei regarding 'My Good Side,' as if Luu is saying 'tell me about it.' Lee introducing himself gets Luu's attention, as she tells him pleasantly, "I don't think I know Henry, but I'm acquainted with The House of Dreams, we were helping them with a project fairly recently." The scent of smoke causes Luu to slightly furrow her brow as she thinks, a quick glance over to Jinny. The two of them recently spent time in a small cave with an eternal flame, and the scent and the experience definitely clung to their bodies afterward. She is fairly certain the ritual purification she just engaged in would have removed such lingering traces, it was a rather thorough process on the mental, physical, and spiritual levels, but at the same time the interruption of the vision has her slightly unsure about this. Given that they're in front of new guests, any thought of mentioning this or attempting some sniff test is out of the question, but definitely back to the bath after this meeting.

Three having introduced themselves fully now, Luu looks to Lorelei and says, "This is kind of embarrassing, but I didn't get your name the other day." There's a glance over her shoulder to the inside of the Chantry, before looking back and adding, "but beyond that, while there's not really neighbors to worry about, I think it is probably best if we have the rest of this discussion inside. I promise we'll explain everything." A beat as she adds, "At least everything that we've been able to explain to ourselves. I promise we're friendly, and that I was /not/ involved in cooking any of the snacks that we'll offer as part of our hospitality." A smile is given along with Luu's self-deprecating comment about her own cooking abilities, followed by a gesture of her head towards the inside, as she begins to make her way back into the Chantry.

"If you'll just sit through our presentation, we'll have your vouchers for your vacation shortly after." Jinny adds as a joke.

Lorelei listens with too-rapt attention when Lee offers up his credentials, doing her best not to look as invested as she is. She gnaws on the inside of her cheek, distinctly annoyed, and then mutters something that sounds a lot like 'should have known'. She is more than happy to turn away from him when Jinny resumes speaking, her blue eyes trailing over the artistic woman as if sizing her up. Thankfully, there is no aggression in the look -- merely curiosity. "Jinny," she says, echoing the name with a curt nod. "You made a lot of sense back at the mission with My Good Side. I don't know a lot about spirits, but lying seemed like a mega stupid idea, so I appreciated the way you handled it. Very classy." The compliment is paired with a sudden grin, the flash of her canines making the gesture appear distinctly wolfish.

Lorelei wanders further into the house at that point, accepting both Jinny and Luu's invitation. While it would be polite to stay close to either of the hosts, she seems content to make herself comfortable by wandering down the hall in the direction of -- where? The sitting area? She's about to find out. The only hesitation comes when Luu admits to not knowing her name, at which point the blonde stalls and looks over her shoulder. "Lorelei Brandt," she says, once more flashing a smile that threatens to *ruin* the bitchy resting face she has so meticulously cultivated. "Verbena. Moon-Seeker. You rang up Auntie Tilda for assistance with the whole..." Lorelei lifts a hand and absently gesticulates, "Doomsday deal. She wasn't able to attend, having already jetted off to the Bahamas with whats-his-name, so she sent me instead."

Lorelei looks between the two women, still smiling, until catching a glimpse of Mister Joe Black in the background -- at which point the pleasant look suddenly drops and she corrects the error with a quiet glare. Another hair toss later and then the confident blonde is strolling down the hallway once again, her body moving with a swishy-hipped sashay.

The witch doesn't bother to stop when she speaks again, simply calling over her shoulder, "I hope the vouchers are digital. There's nothing worse than paper flyers. Like, how many trees had to die so that I could read your shitty ad?" A beat. "I could eat, sure." She's taking the offering of snacks literally, apparently. And then she's disappearing around a corner to make herself quite at home, presumably in the living area.

Lee makes his way deeper into the house as well, ignoring Lorelei's comment - or at least pretending to. The observant will notice the very faint smirk that creases his features as he moves along deeper toward the offered chairs. He nods at Jinny, "A pleasure, I haven't met many of the Kha'vadi, and I don't know much about them. I'm eager to get to know you and learn more." he says, sounding honest as he makes his way through the house.

Lora gets a look - "Verbena." he says, in response to her own introduction, "That tracks." all of it mumbled under his breath as he makes his way over, looking and questioningly indicating a chair. Assuming he receives some sort of nod or something he'll sink down into it, easing back to relax. "Looks like the set of the Addams Family in here. It was all pink and pastel to show up on black and white film the right way." he says, and it doesn't sound like its a bad thing at all, more like he just wanted to share that factoid.

He nods as well, "Snacks sound lovely. And.. explanations, at your own pace." Lee seems far more comfortable with this random vision leading him here, and the sudden introduction to two unknown mages.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. “You laugh,” Jinny turns to walk backwards, talking to Lee, Lorelei heading into the living room proper. “It does tend to grow on you. While it probably could stand to be updated a little, that's not in the budget at this point in time. Besides,” she turns to walk into the living room proper, “We have a lot of other things to worry about first. I mean, we've already dealt with a world-ending event, and it's only past Halloween. I can't wait to see what's in store for Christmas, or Kwanzaa, or Festivus.” That probably got most of the established holidays coming up.

Trotting into the sitting room, Jinny settles into a nondescript chair upholstered in puffy velvet, pulling her legs beneath her in a side-saddle sort of stance, minus her shoes of course, since those are probably upstairs somewhere. While she waits for Lee and Luu to make their way in - because who knows what they might run into in these halls - she turns to Lorelei, watching her travels around the room. “Thank you for your compliment. Too many willworkers see spirits as tools, batteries, or annoyances. I've found that placating them, or at the very least being polite, does far more than being forceful when it comes to the more esoteric and interesting ones like My Good Side.” She giggles. “I can't believe I got her autograph. I think we'll probably get that framed in her social spot when it opens up permanently.” Yes, she still remembers the chimnage she offered - that they all offered - and one fully intends to complete if, even if she's the only one who does.

“I've not met many Verbena.” Jinny admits, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear with her left hand. “I'm looking forward to learning more about your traditions - both of them, actually, and your avatars. I can't wait to hear their stories and to compare them to the visions that we had, as well as the ones that led you here. .” She looks to Lee with a smile. “Who knows what we’ll learn when we start working together…?”

“Lorelei,” Luu echoes back, “a pleasure to meet you formally. Thank you for your help, and please do thank your Auntie Tilda for me as well. The danger of Marjorie Cameron’s attempt at her aeonic sex magick ritual has not quite passed yet, but at present all we can do is hope that the Spirits are on our side.”

Looking to Lee, Luu explains, “Not sure how familiar you are with Old Hollywood scandal, but in the nineties they like totally called this place ‘The Laurel Canyon Mummy House.’” Walking further into the space, she adds, “sat on the market for a while, so I got it for next to nothing. Apparently some people aren’t interested in living in a home known for where they found a mummified corpse being held in the arms of its freshly dead lover. Personally, I think it's really romantic.”

Gesturing around the various pieces of furniture, Luu says, “Please have a seat, I’ll get some refreshments and then we’ll talk about important stuff.” Shuffling off towards the kitchen in her robe and slippers, Luu says, “yeah, I’m always bringing home weird things I find at estate sales.” Disappearing through the doorway, she can be heard to call back, “oh yeah, and I’m always getting rid of brand new designer clothes.”

“Will do,” Lorelei says to Luu, confirming that she will extend the thanks to Tilda. Even with the offer to take a seat, the young woman seems more comfortable pacing, as seen by the fact that she continuously prowls from one side of the room to the other, pausing here and there to stare at the various curios that hang on the walls and clutter the shelves.

Coming to a rather macabre stop right beneath the room’s dangling noose, she says, “I don’t know where *you* were–” a sharp glance toward Lee, “But apparently this Marjorie Cameron chick and her cronie Whats-His-Name Temple are doing a banging rite to bring about the end of the world. Like I said earlier at the meet up,” her body language shifts, now addressing everyone in the room, “...Life magick is sort of my thing. I’d be happy to help with a boner-no-more solution if we ever find a way to get in the tower and confront them. You know–womp-womp-womp.” She pairs the three syllables with an erect finger that gets progressively droopier with each one.

Lorelei resumes her restless pacing, now moving toward an antiquated looking armoire so as to nosily (rudely) open the top drawer and peek inside. She sees a curved knife and a tarot deck. She looks up from these treasures to flash Jinny a terse smile and says, “I’m not surprised that you haven’t met many Verbena. We don’t usually live in busy cities like Los Angeles. There’s more of us up north, especially in Humboldt, but in Los Angeles–? Slim pickings.” She lifts her shoulder, not appearing especially bothered but goes on to say, “I’ve tried to use social media to make contact but technology is hit or miss with my order.”

At this point, Lorelei picks up the tarot deck and begins to shuffle it. Luu has been in the kitchen for a while now, no doubt rustling up some questionable snacks for the interlopers. She side-eyes Jinny when she mentions them working together, looking uncertain and maybe a bit prickly at the prospect. “Is that what this is supposed to be about?” she wonders with a frown. Knowing, already, that it feels right – but resisting the notion anyway.

She looks from Jinny to Lee and adds with a soft wrinkle of her nose, “I’m not buying it.”

“Campfire man.” Jason Rhode was watching like a circling vulture from a second story railing. His eyes locked on Lee. “I wrote a book about you, I think.” His eyes were wide with curiosity as he seemed to regard the man with a leariness appropriate for a character that had walked out of a book. “...Do you stay up all night?” The Cultist asked. “Tending the campfire. Because there’s something in the dark that’s waiting for all of us?” The Cultist probed Lee with questions while, eyes and head locked on the engagement, he headed for a stairwell and then down into the group’s midst.

“I’m sorry.” He looked down over himself to do a very obvious ‘am I wearing clothes/where am I?’ tier wellness check.

“Disciple Jason, son of Paul, Rhode, bani Sahajiya.” The Cultist introduced. Indeed he was wearing pants, albeit blue stretchy sleepy pants with white piping, and a tank top that almost managed to conceal some large scarring on his torso. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Lee makes his way toward the seats as well, Lorelei getting a little shrug at her question of where he was, “Somewhere else important probably.” he says with a calculatedly mysterious smugness. He continues his way over toward the chair as Jinny talks, nodding in reply, “I don’t usually end up actually *going* anywhere when I have the visions, so I can’t wait to hear all about what this is.. And why we’re all here.” he says with an expansive gesture, eyes trailing over the furniture and various decorations. “Lovely house, by the way.”

And he’s about to take that seat, Luu heading off to fetch refreshments, when Rhode comes in and Lee blinks at the greeting. He straightens his back, that smoky, campfire scent still apparent, giving the room a (more) cozy feeling just from his presence. “Y..yeah, actually.” he says with a blink, tilting his head and finally sinking down into his chair. “There’s always something in the dark. The fire is all we’ve got to confront it.” he says a bit more solemnly than before, eyes fixing on Rhode, his voice carrying a faint crackle that shows just how deeply that fire has marked him.

A second later, there’s a lopsided grin appearing on his features, moving past that moment of solemn warning. “Lee Black.” the name an obvious Hollywood affectation, when you think about it. A name that would look good on posters. “Euthanatos, learned under Henry Fitzgerald of the House of Dreams - not a member, but I still walk them.” said with a bit of pride at his second pass of an introduction. “Good to meet you.” His eyes move to Luu and Jinny then, finally shifting to land on Lorelei, though they flicker back to the group at large a moment later, “All of you.” there’s a beat before he replies, “So what now, how’s this work? I’m as lost as the witch.”

Jinny watches the Verbena go around and rummage through the packed full drawers. Whatever’s in them was put there once and left there undisturbed, so it’s not really a surprise when Lorelei pulls out tarot cards and a crescent shaped dagger. Jinny wouldn’t be surprised if there were more of those in the house, scattered about, picked up at various estate sales, garage sales, and thrift shops, all tucked away, waiting to be found. She’ll not know for a good long while, because cataloging Luu’s collection of esoterica isn’t in the cards right now. She’s just about to answer the question posed when she glances up at the newly arrived Rhode, waiting patiently for him to finish his questioning, introduction, and opening statement. Motioning him down, Jinny calls out. “Jason! Come meet our guests.” And, after a moment she adds, “Luu’s making snacks.” Hopefully. She then turns her attention to Lee as he helpfully repeats his introduction to the cultist on the second floor, waiting for people to settle before she starts to speak.

“First of all…welcome. It’s a pleasure to meet you both, officially. Now, to get to your questions.” She looks to Lorelei “Is that what it’s supposed to be about?” Jinny states, lacing her fingers and resting them over her stomach, looking at the other woman. “And ‘So what now, how does this work?’” she says to Lee, her gaze moving to regard him respectfully. “Both very good questions. Perhaps not the best ones, but definitely the first ones that come to mind. To start with the second part of the second question, the vision did work. Exactly as intended; not that we had anything to do with it, of course. To put it simply, you’ve both had a vision that may have revealed great truths, or put you through an ordeal, or just given you images that you didn’t understand and then dumped you unceremoniously at the doorstep of a mansion in the Hills. A mansion that is currently home to a chromatically-dyed Hermetic, a Dreamspeaker that paints stuff, and a Cultist that really has interesting tastes in pharmaceuticals. Kind of weird in the best of circumstances, you have to admit.”

She shifts in her seat, looking over to Lorelei, leaning forward a little, draping her forearms over the arm of the chair and stretching her back out as she talks. “You’re not buying it - that I can honestly understand, but the thing is, we’re not selling. You’re here for a reason, just like I’m here. Just like Luu’s here. The reason you’re here is to make a choice; for you to decide something and not for us to force you. What you end up deciding?” She lifts her hands. “WE all have no clue. It may be to tell us to go to hell, or to discover that we follow the same sort of paradigm and join us in our journey, or just to dig through our drawers and find some tarot cards. By the way, give those a shuffle and deal out the top three. See if they help with the direction you should go.” she adds, almost as an afterthought, straightening to her sitting position again.

“To give a little context on what came before.” Jinny says, looking towards the kitchen where Luu is. “When Luu and I met, we had an almost instant connection. After many, many conversations, we found that our view of Ascension was practically identical which, really, was more of an oddity than we recognized at the time. The question ‘where do we begin’ came up and, well…” Jinny sighs. “We clicked in a way that family does. Now, we got to work and, not without a few sacrifices and quite a few discoveries, she and I founded this chantry, Wayak'il Ts'onot náak'Chi'ha. And that was good.”

Jinny takes a breath. “Then…the first vision happened, and Rhode appeared. The vision I had then was of a train station, and a little girl telling me to find my companions before the subway roared past. I awoke in a chemical daze, wandered the streets for a while, and ended up opening the door to my room from the inside, ending up in my hall, with Rhode on the doorstep out front. It was a little disorienting to not know how you got into a closed room.” She smiles over at the man. “Anyway, when Rhode came, we all had visions that were both unique but with shared aspects. After talking with him, learning his views and him learning about ours, we asked him if he would consider us and he decided to stay. And now Luu, Rhode, and I have all had visions again - as did you both - and you ended up on our doorstep.”

She pauses, looking at them both. “If you’d like to stay and hear about what we’re working towards, it might help you to make a decision, one way or the other. I mean…” She smiles. “Aren’t you in the least bit curious about what we saw? I know I’m curious about what you experienced in this.” Jinny rubs her left wrist lightly, twisting her hand around, putting light pressure on the joint. “I know I’m never going to forget mine. Snow, bitter cold, a campfire and a fucking /huge/ wolf that I had to make a deal with.”

There’s a few minutes of moving about in the kitchen as the others talk, before Luu makes a reappearance with a tray of snacks and drinks – a pitcher of cucumber water, some glasses, and a bowl full of macaroons – apparently having found time to make an outfit change in the process; the fluffy robe exchanged for what would might look like a ‘boyfriend’s’ button-up shirt worn backwards, and as a dress. However, the the shiny light blue cortuno boots coordinated with the colored metal of a septum ring, the iconic Celine frames, and a pair of silver and lapis lazuli stud earrings involving a field of hyperbolic triangles that almost seem to pull one’s vision around at their mercy, suggests the woman knows what she was doing. Plus, any true fashionista would recognize it as a little number by Viktor and Rolf.

Placing the tray on the table by the seating, making refreshments available to all, Luu wonders, “Did someone say ‘campfire man’?” Looking around, she continues, “I was wondering if that scent was me. It is wonderful to be able to bring stories to life around the eternal flame of the first library, but the smoke definitely clings to you for days. I had thought I just got it off when I heard mention of it.” Indeed, Luu also seems time to have spritzed herself very lightly with a parfum, evoking the natural scents of a park, but an urban park, so not leaving out subtle notes of petrichor and even pollution. The thought that there might have been a lingering smoke scent on her that she couldn’t clear off, seemed to confuse her more than a vision that she explains as, “Yeah, there was a lot of smoke and fire, things crashing down all around, definitely heard a wolf howl. I had to work on a transformative sacrifice, like totally a lot of blood?” It might sound like a question, but it does seem likely to just be Luu’s native Angeleno up-talk that she slips more into at times.

“It all worked really as a purification,” Luu continues to explain, “it looked liked the actions of death, and – “ Glancing over to the blade Lorelei has found, Luu says, “harvesting a dozen people, before elementally purifying the now piles, by dissolving like sugar the poetry of their bones to turn their blood to water. Transforming them into a new healed form, drawing down the Moon to have the tides drown all in a cosmic abyss.” Casually recounting this as she begins to pour everyone a glass of cucumber water, Luu notes, “Those that stagnating on earth were welcomed with a place as stars in heaven, those who still had work to do remade the bodies of the planets and flesh through light.” A beat as she notes, “Might have gone slightly different if I wasn’t in a bubble bath, but drowning can be a good thing. Too many struggle needlessly against fierce waves, fearing what might happen if they don’t.” Handing out the waters, she says with a smile, “that’s how you miss out on Atlantis, but also be careful, it’s the same way one might fall into some sort of abyssal trench to be devoured by extremophiles that are now evolving due to the energy of consuming your body and soul.” A beat as she adds, “I’d imagine they have no use for the mind, so that would probably just be stuck there, unable for flesh to die or soul to transmigrate, consciousness slowly diffusing into the waters as it’s knowledge of horrors continuously experience, while it’s memories and dreams shrink to a bubble, trying to move on by floating towards the light, but ends up being an anglerfish.”

Taking a sip of water, Luu notes, “That’s the sort of thing we’re against as a Chantry, in the metaphorical and literal sense.” A beat as she adds, “the bad form of struggle or drowning, that is. Totally down with Atlantis – “ Luu’s eyes light up as she notes, “ – and I totally have the best Atlantis coloring book, but we’ll have to talk about that later. Right now it’s probably more relevant that the number five seems to connect to a way for some or all of us to move beyond stagnation, needless sacrifice, and death, and transform ourselves in vehicles of love and light, tending towards the seed of Ascension our Chantry has been given, and there’s – “ Pointing one at a time, to them she says, “and of course there’s one, two, there, four – “ a look of ‘hmm? For a moment, before she remembers to count herself as, “five.” Her smile broadens as she sips more of the cool cucumber water.

“Campfire man.”

Lorelei gives a start when Rhode suddenly calls down from above. She looks up with narrowed eyes, mildly annoyed at being caught off guard, but eventually relaxes once everyone else in the room receives him well. The whole interaction between him and Lee is curious, the young woman looking between the two men with obvious bemusement, although the latter’s statement about something always being in the dark and fire being all we have to confront it earns such a powerful eye roll that its rotation is practically audible.

The blonde drops the curved knife back into the drawer and uses her hip to shut it. She resumes shuffling the tarot cards whilst walking back toward the group, waiting until Rhode finishes his introduction with Lee before offering a slim cat-like smile and saying, “Hi, Jason. I’m Lorelei, Verbena Moon-Seeker.” She gives him a curious once-over, her gaze slinking from top to bottom, before she gradually turns around to listen to Jinny as she addresses their questions and her own general reticence about this fortuitous meeting.

It’s certainly an interesting proposition. Strangers all brought to this location under the auspices of a shared vision. While she listens, Lorelei acknowledges Jinny’s suggestion by drawing three cards. She flips them down on a nearby table, consulting them for her own purposes rather than the group in general. The first card revealed is the Hermit reversed (Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal), the second is the Ten of Swords (Painful endings, deep wounds, betrayal, loss, crisis), and the last card drawn is the Three of Cups (Friendship, community, gatherings, celebrations, group events). The message is fairly clear, which makes the young woman frown all the more. It’s honestly a bit embarrassing, which is why Lorelei is about to clear the spread when she hears Jinny describe her vision. A fucking huge wolf. Hm. Sounds familiar.

Luu returns with the snacks and Lorelei is equally intrigued to hear her vision, but it’s obvious that most of its explanation goes over her head. Unlike many (all?) in the group, she is not a super strong intellectual and it’s difficult for her to parse through the enigmatic imagery. Even so, there is a stir of recognition when the other woman says “Too many struggle needlessly against fierce waves, fearing what might happen if they don’t”, and Lorelei gives her head a knowing nod. “Fear is a great teacher. And pain. There’s a reason that it only takes one touch of flame to teach a child not to seek it out again.” Lorelei’s eyes slide meaningfully toward Lee, brow arched, before she looks back to accept a glass of cucumber water. “Accepting the need for both lessons is the first step in overcoming them. Even death.”

She audibly snorts when Luu mentions them becoming vehicles of love and light, the very notion making her skin prickle with uneasiness. “Yeah. Well. I’m not so sure about that,” she says with emphasis, “I don’t think we’re going to win the war by holding hands and kumbaya’ing. Admittedly…” The witch frowns, one finger unconsciously toying with the Hermit card, “My avatar is a wolf. Fenrir. But I’m sure he’d agree that we’re not going to reach our potential by getting all touchy-feely.” Her nose wrinkles at the very idea. And yet, glancing at Jinny she asks, “What was the deal you made with this big fucking wolf?”

Jason was staring intently at Lee while giving constant aside-nods to the others to acknowledge something they’d said or to facilitate someone moving around the group or drawing Tarot cards. “It’s good to meet you.” Jason insisted to Lorelei, and his earnestness might have hit home harder if he could drop his obsession with her friend.

“I saw New York during the purges, when my girlfriend and I ran from the ‘Crats like Bonnie and Clyde.” He explained to the group. “Everyone’s big bad wolf is different, I suppose. Everyone’s reckoning, from a different perspective.”The Cultist waxed as he settled into the group. Jason reached out to pick a Tarot card out of the deck, and turned over a Two of Wands that he then set aside. He took a moment from his staring to contemplate this. “I guess so, huh? ‘Be thee ever lucky.’” He murmured.

“I did write a book about you.” He finally told Lee. “I thought I was writing about my other lives. I didn’t know what I was looking at until I saw your current incarnation.” The Cultist explained. “I’m… a fan? All societies that host you wind up owing you a debt.” He was at a loss for a word for a moment before he realized the obvious; “Namaste.”

Lee glances over at the tarot deck as it comes out, eyeing it a bit suspiciously for a second. He lets everyone else draw their cards first before stepping over to pull his out. It’s hidden as he lifts it up, showing only himself. His lips purse at it and he sets it aside on a random surface near himself without fanfare- The Page of Cups: happy surprises, dreamers, sensitivity.. He ignores it past the drawing and placing, settling back into his seat, nodding at Luu’s vision, hands folding atop his lap neatly as he straightens up his back. Too serious for a guy in gym shorts, flip flops, and a Zeppelin shirt.

“Mine was the war.” he says, “At least, sort of - the.. You know, the things we fear in the dark pushing us to seek the light, the terror of what’s out there - I was in the woods, it was smoky, but.. It’s always smoky - and there was a *thing* out there, something huge and menacing - could’ve easily been a wolf.” said with a slanted faintly accusing side-eye over toward Lorelei. “Whatever it was was hunting me down, like it had some reason to find me and I wasn’t about to let it catch up.” His lips twitch and he says, “The stars were wrong, and one came crashing down - and it was.. a satellite, the other side of things, too much definition, power and control from above, you know? Uh.. metaphors and whatnot, The Union rather than the Things Out There, both wrong, both devastating. The stories that drove us to become what we are, and a machine that takes our stories and strips everything important from them.” he says in an overexplaining sort of way with a small shrug.

He looks to Jason as he hops in, grinning a bit over at the other man, “I mean, I’m sure it *was* you, you know? Past lives aren’t exactly one to one, I happen to be sitting by the fire in this one, that doesn’t mean it won’t be someone else’s turn in the next, everyone’s got a story, the role isn’t defined by its current occupant, it’s the other way around - the role changes you, right?” a beat before Lee shrugs and says, “You’re an author, you’re telling stories as much as I am. We should collaborate sometime, write up a script, film something, get it *out there* you know? We could really shake things up.” another beat, “Namaste.” he says with a bright grin and a dip of his head, the full meaning of the word clearly intended in that moment - The Divine in Me Bows to the Divine in You. But, then, what do you expect when a Euthanatos meets a Sahajiya after seeing each other in Dreams.

With the metaphysical sniffing and approval taking place just a few feet from her, Jinny can't help but smile a little. Uncoiling herself from her seat, she gets to her feet and moves carefully across the room to grab a macaroon and a little bit of the cucumber water. On her way back, she takes a slight detour to pass near the tarot cards. Pausing for a moment and switching her bounty to her left hand, Jinny runs her finger across the backs of the cards with her eyes closed. Stopping at a particular one, she catches the edge with her pinky fingernail, eases it aside, and draws the one beneath it. She holds it close to her chest while she re-takes her seat. She's not done much with Tarot before, but the little man standing, looking to the right, studying what appears to be a staff can only be good, right? Page of Wands. Hmm. Maybe Lorelei knows what that means. She sets the card down and takes a sip, listening to the conversation for a potential on-ramp for her to join in. There's a soft sound of scratching through the ductwork, easily missed were one not potentially listening for such things, Jinny's head turning to regard the vent for a moment.

A gleam of glass-black eyes flashes, then nothing.

Jinny speaks. "Luu's visions...mine too, usually, are a lot more symbolic than straightforward. I think that'd be fair to say, don't you, Luu?" She looks to the other woman before taking a sip of her water, shifting in her seat to continue. "This one was fairly interesting, though. I was painting a wall across the street from the federal building downtown when I saw snow which...let's face it, snow in Los Angeles is about as likely as getting hit by lightning while underground. Sure, it can happen, but it's really, really unlikely to happen. There was a chill breeze and then, the next thing I knew I was in a snow-covered forest." She nods towards Lee. "Your forest, I'd bet."

She looks down at herself. "I was dressed just like this, so the cold just sliced right through me, you know?" She rubs her hands over her arms in remembrance. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't light either. Kind of a half-light or twilight, so I started walking through the waist-deep snow. There really wasn't a direction I could go, either. I just moved because, if I didn't, I'd probably freeze to death and that'd be the end of the story." Matter-of-fact, her tone about the potential of death. These visions can be intense if one isn't prepared for them.

She continues. "There were tracks in the snow that I started following, and after a while I saw a campfire in the distance. You can imagine my relief when I saw that, but then I heard something behind me, charging me." She nods towards Lorelei. "That big wolf I told you about? It was coming right at me like a freight train so I did the natural thing and started running away." She shakes her head. "As you might expect, it went about as well as you think it did. I got about three steps before he slammed into me, knocking me off my feet and into the snow."

Jinny leans back, remembering, her eyes half closed. "My avatar, the thing that chose me, is the human desire to explore. To see what's over the next hill, to map the unknown, to find what is lost and discover what is unknown. I call her Pathfinder. She was there, sitting in the snow next to me when I looked up. She and the wolf talked about...me. About all of us. He was unsure if we were worthy of the prize. Of ascension. Of even attempting it." Jinny trails off. "He said he was planning to eat my heart to test my bravery if the city didn't hold it already. So I offered it to him instead. I said that were I to do anything to bring shame to your emissary, my heart would be his to devour." She places her hand to her chest, her heart certainly still there, still beating at a slow, rhythmic pace as she breathes. “I'm guessing that emissary is you, Lorelei.” A statement of fact.

"My avatar said we were all strong. With different strengths. Loyalty, Friendship, Passion." Jinny pauses, seeming to just realize something she had been missing, or had missed. "Love." she murmurs, looking down at the card she had drawn, straightening and speaking again. "Pathfinder said we all took different paths that converge to the same path, like branches of a tree leading to the trunk. Some were through ordeals. Some were through forests of darkness. Some were through water and blood. Some were through a hail of gunfire with a steel man pursuing." Jinny turns to look at Lorelei. "You were right without even knowing it. His name was Fenrir. The wolf. He took my hand in his mouth and bit down. “. She looks at her hand, wiggling her fingers. He bit so deeply that it nearly came off. Just hanging by a few strips of sinew and fat. I felt the bones of my hand and wrist splintering in his jaws as he ground through the skin and muscle, my blood pouring out on the ground in a puddle..." She rubs her left wrist again, holding it tightly.

"He could have bitten my hand off, but didn't. He finally let go and just watched me bleed.” Jinny takes a breath. “I think I was in shock - I didn't scream or cry.I just sat there, staring, getting colder, with him watching me. And after a while, when I thought I was going to pass out, he said that the pact was made and healed my hand with his breath. I can still feel echoes of it all in my fingertips...."

There's silence as Jinny takes three deep, cleansing breaths, before she opens her eyes again. "When I was healed, he told me that ‘they’ will be there soon.I suppose he meant you both, because when I awoke, I was on the floor of my room upstairs, surrounded by blood-stained snow and you were knocking.” She takes a sip of her water. “And now we're sitting in the living room, conversing."

The cards she chose are laid face-up on the table next to the chair, a second card somehow along for the ride since it was stuck to the first. The top card? The Page of Wands. The one stuck to it? The World.

Lee's vision takes some thinking to put into context before Jinny speaks. "There are so many stories in the universe that the loss of one, the meaning stripped away, is a sacrilege. The Baruti spend their lives researching, finding stories that are lost or forgotten and bring them to life again. Stories drive imagination. Learning. They build connections that otherwise might not have been made but...without stories the world is a very dark, very lonely place. Like the world of your vision. Perhaps in your vision you were the last storyteller, and with your removal from the wheel, the story that they couldn't control would end...." A bleak look at Lee's vision. "We should not let that happen. The far path may seem like the only solution for some, and the easy path the solution for others. But the middle path? That is the way of our Chantry."

Seeing as everyone else has drawn a card, Luu figures it is her turn, and places her cucumber water down, still in good cheer. Listening to the introductions, Luu’s hand, but not her eyes move towards the Tarot deck. A momentary fumble in which she almost drew two cards, but realizing her mistake, she looks over with an almost apologetic smile to the cards, as she takes just her allotment.

When the face of the card first meets her eyes, it takes her a moment to understand what is being said by the teacher in the cards. It’s not that her mind isn’t quick with Hermetic magicks, it’s that those same magicks delayed perception at the doors, waiting to hear how the mistress of the castle would be receiving this light tonight. Of course she’ll receive this guest, let light in. What choice does she have after all? Eyeing the card, Luu brings it closer to her face for an examination.

“Kumbaya?” Luu responds very softly, her attention barely on Lorelei, almost as if she’s saying ‘come again?’ directly to the card she just drew. “Kumbaya?” she asks again, a little louder, but barely rising to the volume of the rest of the conversation. Exactly what Luu is asking about that particular word isn’t very clear, likely not even to her. The drawer was just closed a moment ago, and other than a coincidence of timing, there’s nothing in Luu’s demeanor to suggest the two are at all related.

“/Kumbaya/?” Luu asks once more, the question rising up through her chest, in a feminine and fearsome, and almost primordial growl, so practiced and controlled in the abyssal lyrical way that it seethes and delights itself as it passes along her lips. There’s a hint of Luu still in her eyes, far far away in some small glint, knowing exactly how tight of a leash she needs to keep on this, and not making any compromises with herself, over an inch or over a mile. The rest, the real presence allowed to be in the room for this moment, is pure Kali. The blade retrieved from the drawer is stuck out towards Lorelei, not in a way that threatens harm to the other woman, anymore than anyone else, as she makes clear the cosmos. “Light will destroy everything you see to create everything you see,” she explains, her voice taking on the notes of some ancient sutra of the end of days, “the universe conforms to her laws, not the other way around. No negotiations, just light, and love … “ A small chuckle is given, as she thinks about this, putting the blade down on the counter, the Three of Swords still held in her other hand. Apparently, she didn’t like being told that she still has some issues to work through, and perhaps the slightly murderous content of her ritual purification vision should have clued her in to that fact that she does.

Never mind which issues.

“... you don’t want to know what we’ll do there.” This is the moment when things are most dangerous, when they switch back to their normal arrangement, the chance that either side could assault or forfeit to the other. Picking up her cucumber water, Luu takes a sip, almost as if one moment has become another, with a blink of Kali’s fullness in between, but certainly not anything Luu would have really paid too much mind to. “The ones that don’t have love or light?” Luu explains, “those are the ones that bring the war, and for that they’ll be extinguished, but everyone else? They might still have some loved ones to return to.” A look is given to Lee and Jason, along with a nod, to make sure they know she may not have their war stories, but she’s just as ready for war; and Jinny? Jinny just gets a shy little glance.

As Rhode and Lee talk shop (Lorelei somewhat miffed about being overlooked by the former in favor of the latter) Lorelei will eavesdrop and look down at her three card spread. She had asked the deck what her current obstacle was, the source of the obstacle, and a suggested solution, and the deck had answered her truthfully – isolation, bred from betrayal, healed only through community. Even the tarot seemed to encourage their gathering. Lorelei is all too glad to return the three bedeviled cards back to the pile.

She straightens out of her lean and casts a glance toward the front door. Rigged tarot or no, Lorelei is about ready to offer a ‘thanks but no thanks’ to the group. She figures she’ll stay long enough to hear Jinny’s vision of the huge fucking wolf if only because that seems to concern her personally, but after that, it’s hasta la vista baby. At least, that’s what she thinks.

‘[Fenrir] was unsure if we were worthy of the prize. Of ascension. Of even attempting it.’

Lorelei frowns and slowly nods her head at Jinny. Yes, that sounds like her avatar alright.

‘I said that were I to do anything to bring shame to your emissary, my heart would be his to devour. I'm guessing that emissary is you, Lorelei.’

With this revelation, Lorelei experiences a strange set of extremes. Her body erupts in a wave of shivery goosebumps while her face floods with heat. She opens her mouth and fails. She isn’t sure what to say. Finally, still somewhat aghast, she asks, “Why would you do that?” She is baffled and shaken by the notion of someone making such a wholehearted oath, especially with Fenrir, especially for her – even if the offer was made before they met.

The conversation continues, but Lorelei’s mind has started to wander. She’s staring at the Tarot deck, watching while Lee selects his card (Page of Cups) — cue a sniff — and Rhode as well (Two of Wands). Jinny has hers (Page of Wands). This leaves her and Luu, and she’ll let Luu have the honor first. She moves to select a card soon after, but before she can look at it, she hears Luu start to speak.

Kumbaya? Lorelei glances over at the Hermetic. Kumbaya? The word is said again. Kumbaya?! By then, the Verbena has shifted to face the Hermetic with a soft frown and a lift of her eyebrow that seems to say – yes? Her relaxed posture changes when Luu suddenly grabs the knife from the drawer and aims it at her. Whether or not it’s intended as a threat, the sight of the blade leveled in her direction produces an immediate effect: Lorelei tenses and grabs whatever is closest – in this case an antique hand mirror that joins the rest of the room’s nicknacks in offering no discernible purpose other than providing interesting clutter – and levels it at Luu in a way that warns her to stay back. Something has shifted in the other woman, something other, and while Lorelei doesn’t instinctively quantify it as Kali, it’s clear enough that another forceful personality has entered the room.

When faced with fight or flight or rolling over, Lorelei will always choose to fight.

Still, she’s not especially intimidated. She’s tense – but not afraid. Lorelei keeps the hand mirror aimed at Luu while she offers her enigmatic prophecies, something about the first part – that light will destroy everything she sees to create everything she sees – having a strange effect on her. The statement seems to rattle in her bones, ricocheting through her consciousness. While she listens to the rest, still frowning with her neatly-manicured eyebrow hoisted, she’ll catch a glimpse of herself in the looking glass. She makes eye contact with herself, just as Luu discusses love and light and war, creating a strange moment of intimacy between the girl and her reflection. Luu drops the knife. Lorelei likewise lowers the hand mirror.

A long pause follows.

“...Okay, wow, well, this has been a super fun party,” Lorelei says, sarcastic and a little rattled, “But I need to go. I’m–oh shit!” She suddenly stiffens, eyes wide. “Shit. Shit! What time is it?”

Lorelei looks around the room before reaching into her pocket. She pulls out her phone, ignoring the obscene amount of texts and notifications that have sprung up since she went into her strange fugue state, and then lets out a shrill and girlish screech.

“I’m late for my audition!” she declares, dropping the hand mirror onto the side table. It lands hard enough that a small crack forms in the base but Lorelei doesn’t notice. She throws down the tarot card she drew – the Knight of Wands (Energy, passion, inspired action, adventure, impulsiveness) – and then takes a step backward. She looks around the room, meeting everyone’s eye (even Lee, though his look lingers a little longer and is paired with a squinty frown) and then says, “I…” A pause. A frown. A sigh. “I suppose I’ll be in touch.”

She turns to leave the way she arrived, mainly with a swishy toss of her blonde hair and a confident march across the living room. But then she pauses, looking over her shoulder at Luu and says, “Unless you’d like to give me a ride?” Because she remembers the talk of portals from the foray with My Good Side. “I promise not to say the K-word.” Kumbaya.

Regardless of the means of transportation, it’s time for Lorelei to go. Whether by Correspondence or electric Bentley, the confident blonde will flash the room deuces and be on her way, saying, “Maybe I’d find more love and light if I took whatever the Ecstatic’s on.”

And then she’s gone.