2020-08-01 Milk, Outlands, and Mysteries
Milk, Outlands and Mysteries
Participants: Johan Norea Luu Rick
Location: Overgrown Victorian
Date and Time: August 1st, 2020
Summary: After spending time apart, a group of Hermetics investigating the past of the Lodge come together to share their current findings.
It is late afternoon in LA. Rick, having asked trusted people to come over, is busy tidying up the basement of his house. On the coffee table is a box of donuts, some chips, dip and other small snacks. Sitting on the bar next to a pile of 1998 law review magazines is a coffee urn, with creamer, sugar and cups out. He's keeping an ear out for the doorbell, and when it rings he goes upstairs to greet the first guest, escorting them to the basement.
"Afternoon," Luu greets Rick, as she enters his home. Her clothes uniqlo and nike basics, Celine frames, Golden Goose sneakers, and hair dyed the pale white-green of cucumber guts. "I trust all has been well?" she asks as she makes her way with Rick down to the basement. Making her way over to the bar, she fixes herself a mug of black coffee. "I'm assuming you brew it without the whiskey and just add it for yourself afterwards?" she dryly jokes, before taking a seat and crossing her legs, waiting for the others.
Ding Dong
Johan arrives with Norea, wearing a t-shirt that says 'LAWFUL STUPID (Is Not an Alignment)...', with jeans and a flannel wrapped around his waist. When the door opens, which Johan and Norea arrive about 5 minutes after Luu does, he gives Rick a wave. "Sup?" Once in the basement he looks at the donuts and mmmmmmmmsss. "Hopefully we got some boston cream in there." His stomach echoes his desire, giving a wave to Luu as he sees her settled in. "Howdy ho, Luu."
"Hi everyone." Norea's mood seems a bit subdued, although not outright down-in-the-dumps. "Enyo isn't coming. Among other reasons...when I sat her down to give her a big-picture sketch and gauge her willingness to involved in something like this, I found out by accident that she's still an apprentice. Which would mean my master would have to talk to her master, before bringing her onboard. So I hit the brakes."
Rick gives a little chuckle to Luu and says dryly "Something like that. The coffee is just coffee." He pours himself a black cup, adds some creamer and some sugar and stirs. He motions to the chairs and couches, about to say something when the doorbell rings again. "Excuse me a minute.", he says as he dashes up stairs again.
"Afternoon Johan, afternoon Norea. Come on in." He motions Johan and Norea towards the basement, then darts into the kitchen for a moment to come back with a pitcher of Sun tea. Tromping back down the stairs he sets the pitcher down on the bar as well. "Boston Creme? Of course there is, what sort of place do you take this for?", he says with a grin to Johan. He looks towards Norea and blinks in surprise "She...is? Oh, I wasn't aware of that. Alright." He sits down and crosses one leg over the other, falling silent to pick up his coffee.
"Her Chantry seems to be doing it's own thing anyway," Luu notes as she takes a sip of her coffee. "That one girl seems to have a real chip on her shoulder about Hermetics," Luu continues to explain, "so I have found interactions that try to engage her to be often thwarted. Eventually she'll make Degree, and then we can read her in a bit more." A beat before she wonders, "So what's all this about?"
"Yeah. I went to the Garage to get briefed on Haruka's expedition to the Forgotten City, since she asked for help, and Enyo talked to me like I as 5 years old." He shakes his head. "Patronizing little shit. If she was trying to be helpful she didn't help at all and just looked like an asshole." Johan shrugs, taking two Boston Creme's and taking some of that sun tea. "Well, it's been a bit so I figured we'd get the gang back together and figure out what all we've found out so far. You were doing Angel and spirity stuff yeh? Me and Norea covered the pavement." He gestures with his thumb between the two of them. "Figured we'd headbang and discuss what we've all found."
Norea opens her mouth as though to say something, but then stops, and moment later snaps it shut. She sits down beside Johan, puts her handbag beside her, and folds her hands neatly in her lap.
Rick's eyes flicker between Luu, Johan and then Norea. He looks back to Johan when Norea sit and says "Well, I identified the name of the angel and its order. Beyond that, at this point, I have not done any further exploration of the lodges mysteries for a few reasons. The big one is that I wanted to wait and see what you two have come up with. Norea had asked that I get the tribunal records, so I am preparing for a trip on that, but I have to go outworld to retrieve them for some reason." He gives a little shrug. "Also, Kwan wishes to do some work on the grounds and trying to revitalize the estate a bit. You might be seeing me with a rake and a shovel soon, laying down sod.". The last bit gets a little laugh out of him. "Oh, and the typewriter ribbon was a bust. Nothing on there. I have it over here somewhere if anyone else wants to take a look, but i think its a false lead." He glances between Johan and Norea again, and says "So, I have to ask. What happened in Seattle?"
Luu chuckles lightly as Johan refers to the other chantry as 'Garage,' which seems fitting to Luu. "I was there for other reasons," she notes to Johan, "and they mentioned going to the mountains North of here towards a portal. I mentioned that I had recently discovered a portal in the mountains North of here, and they seemed to have zero interest. Too focused on their own adventure to hear that anyone might have information that would be useful. Given that and the fact that invisibility only hides one from one sense seemed to be a revelation to them, I don't have much faith in what they're getting up to, but sometimes pain and failure are good teachers, should one survive."
Luu listens to what Rick has to say on the Lodge, then turns to Johan and Norea with a raised eyebrow as she sips her coffee, waiting to hear about what happened in Seattle.
Johan slllluuurps his tea. Johan makes a disquieted face. To anyone who has been around Johan for any significant period of time, knows that it is the face he makes when he swan dives into the Tank - that happy place full of whiteboards and dry erase markers so you can strategize. "Well...Leyton King, bani Solificati if you can imagine that...is a bit of a loony toon. Dude had us tested to make sure we weren't clones before we could get in his car." He grumbles. "Anyway. Gave us the deep dive in what happened back during the Lodge's glory sex days. Chancellor was some dude named San Christavo, who apparently was a major league D-bag. Anyway. Harold Montegue, one of the original founders of the Lodge and the same one who patrons the Garage, swiped the node of the Forgotten City which is where the Lodge got it's supply of tass from. Without the Node, the Lodge opted to engage in ceremonial sex magick given that at the time? Sex orgies among the elite were commonplace, to charge the Talismans and Wonders of the grounds. Some guy...Anaxgaros? I think that's his name, introduced teh Book of the Great Beast which made Marjorie and Temple believe they could turn the sex orgies into a Wellspring." He shrugs. Doesn't know what else to say about that. "So that's why the sexy time was a thing."
"However, in regards to the weirdness of the grounds and the weird ass circumstances surrounding the former Hermetics? If we believe King...which is a very big if, it's not looking good for Marjorie. According to King the whole Conquering Child rite that Temple was obsessed with? Was Marjorie's idea. The telescope wasn't Temple's, it was Marjorie's, and Marjorie is why Temple went belly up fuck nuts." He shakes his head. "He said that is why there were so many Tribunals. The first one is what gutted the Observatory and allowed them to take all the real goodies out of here. The other two, were just power plays to get the Chantry out of Marjorie's grasp. The Tribunals were done by House Janissary," He eyes Rick, "And we all know how much they loooved their schemes." He purses his lips. "Anyway. That is the 5 dollar version."
Rick looks from Luu over to Johan. His expression, first pleasant, turns real serious real quick, and he sets down his coffee cup and sits upright in his chair. "Alright. There's a lot to unpack there. First of all, how much do you put stock into what King said? Does he seem like a reliable witness, or is he running on his own political agenda." He considers some things. "That...would make sense about the ceremonial sex. It sounds like Marjorie, for all her charm and glamour, should not be trusted at all. One big question is...if she was this bad, and this much came out about her, why was she allowed to maintain the library and the grounds, even after the wonders were removed? What leverage does she have over the Order." He clicks his tongue, then nods a bit to himself. "The Janissary were....yeah. No need to go into _them_ any more." He looks up again at Johan and Norea, finishing with "I'll go as soon as I am able to get those Tribunal records. Does anyone want to come with me?"
"He's a Hermetic, and of the Eighth Degree?" Luu responds to Rick, "I imagine he has his own political agenda, but I don't think we're going to find anyone without that. It's more a question of what that agenda means and does it align with ours." A nod is given, as Luu adds, "but at our last meeting Marjorie fell into my trap. She'll be off-balance soon, which means she'll be sloppy, but also potentially dangerous. Be prepared to deal with that." As Rick describes an adventure, Luu notes, "Hey, you had me at Scooby Doo. Just let me know what help you need."
"I wouldn't trust that geezer with my SNES...but it is an angle that makes sense given what info we have without his input. It is merely another route to consider, but not the one we should assume is the truth." He says. "He explained that Marjorie slipped out of the crosshairs with political maneuvering. House Jerbiton and all that." He scratches his chin. "He screams politically ambitious, but more importantly he is a Temple loyalist. He adores the guy, and despises Marjorie because of 'what she did to him'." He explains. "As far as his political ambitions, he asked me to go to Durenmar and get something called 'the Milk of Isis'. Some formula that Marjorie needs as part of her Conquering Child ritual, and give it to him. He -says- it will put Marjorie under our thumbs and won't stand against us, knowing that we have the formula and she can't get it. He, in no uncertain terms, claims that she has spies all around Durenmar to keep track of who of the old Chantry tries to go and get it, and stop it...hence where I come in. And before anyone gets any ideas /no/, I don't -want- to give him the formula. For all I know he drank Temple's kool-aid and will summon the Conquering Child himself. Speaking of, no one in their right mind can give a straight answer about just -what- the Conquering Child is. King said it's a delusion of a madwoman, but delusions have power. Temple apparently thought he -was- the Conquering Child when he went crazy. Whatever it is, it is tied to the Aeon of Sun and Moon - topics Marjorie apprently invested a lot of time researching with that big ass telescope of hers."
"As for what Marjorie could have to keep herself in enough standing to keep the Chantry? I have no idea, unless she's that damn impressive in connections. Apparently House Janissary leveled every accusation at her including Infernalism, at all three Tribunals...so they went guns blazing. Nothing stuck."
To Rick's request of going with him Johan shakes his head. "Me and the Umbra don't mix. Not really my forte. You guys will have better luck than I would."
Although Norea understands a great deal of what Leyton King told her and Johan during the interview, in a lot of ways it was like hearing someone speak another language in which she is not yet fully fluent. Listening to Johan recount it all for Luu and Rick, and listening to the back-and-forth discussion, gives her a chance to add another layer of understanding to just what the hell she has gotten herself into.
Rick gives a little nod towards Luu. "As soon as I get the details of how to get there, I will let you know. We also have a new member of the lodge, an Askashic named Kwan. Very nice woman. I'd like to bring her with me as well. She might not be allowed into the archives, but I think a trip into the outworlds might be an interesting experience for her. I don't want to really exclude her from too much, since she is at risk too, but internal Hermetic politics she doesn't need to be concerned with. Lodge investigation, where appropriate, I am fine with her being a part of. Does anyone disagree?", he asks, looking around at the other three.
He quiets again when Johan speaks, listening carefully to his words. He lets out a little sigh and lifts his coffee to his lips, then as soon as he's done having a sip reaches for a maple bacon donut in the box. "Johan, do you have anything in your personnel files about King? What he's been up to lately? Any marks of blemishes on his record the last thirty years?" A bite is taken of the donut, and he peels off a strand of bacon. "So are you going to go and get this formula? Spring the trap as it were?"
Rick's question regarding bringing Kwan along on all of this has Luu looking towards Johan. Then looking back to Rick, she says, "I'm not the one to ask there, but I met her briefly at the Garage of all places, and she seemed nice." Thinking for a moment she says, "It seems interesting to me that they're heading off to The Forgotten City and we're finding out that there's some history with that and the two Chantries. A stolen Node? I do wonder what they're up to, and whether Enyo would be a useful source of intelligence for us, or for them. I'd personally say at the moment I don't have reason to fully trust her with any of this, and she'd probably be best used to feed stories to the Garage that we want them to know, but I wouldn't trust to read her into this. We should be careful before going too counter-intelligence, though, as we don't exactly know what we're dealing with here."
"No offense, but I'm with Luu on Enyo." Johan says. "You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that Enyo is fully on Montegue's side when it comes to the Node. Half of my meeting, which was supposed to be about planning, was mostly Enyo telling me that 'as a hermetic, I am lowly and speak in tongues and will have to earn the trust of the others'." He shrugs.
As for the topic of Kwan, Johan makes a face. The same face Johan gave when Luu wanted to bring in Jinny. "This is Order business." He says. "...but." He looks back to Luu. "Maybe...a different perspective is what we need to get an edge on what is going on." He finishes his Boston Creme donut....still in the Tank...then nods. "Sure. And I'd take Jinny too, if what Luu says is true regarding her skill with the Umbra."
Norea's head lifts, but she very clearly, deliberately avoids looking anyone in the eyes. After a moment she lowers her gaze back to her hands and stills their fidgeting.
Rick considers what Luu has to say about Enyo then looks to Johan. He pops the strand of bacon deliciousness in his mouth, chews, then shakes his head "I'm personally against using Enyo like that. While I wasn't aware that relations with the Lodge and the Garage were so rocky, I think that...deliberate manipulation and infighting amongst us just serve the larger enemy's purpose. She's also an apprentice, as Norea pointed out.", with a nod towards her. "I think the better approach would be to...teach her if we can that the rest of the Order that she belongs too might be a resource worth respecting. She's very young in this world, let's not further her perceptions about the rest of us."
"It felt to me like Enyo was in an abusive relationship," Luu responds on the matter, "just talking with Haruka, she seemed to have some big problem with Hermetics, the Lodge, and an insistence that her individual way of working the Arts was somehow so unique and different it put her in a class by herself. Total hubris. But I can't imagine being a Hermetic in that situation would be particularly psychologically healthy. You either let it beat you down or you figure out the bullshit and get out. If Enyo isn't able to speak for herself and assert her place there, then I think she needs more time to develop before I would trust her with anything other than fictions I want the Garage to believe. Not that we have to feed her such stories, but my point is to be careful with the information you do give to her. I was not thinking to cause infighting, though, so much as obfuscate what we're up to. I do hope in time she blossoms and figures this out for herself, as I do actually like her as a person and see promise there."
"Jinny know a great deal about Spirits," Luu notes to Johan, "and I'd honestly be worried about a trip to the Umbra without at least someone that had her level of expertise, and I don't think that's any of us just yet. I know she and I each have a way to get into and out of the Umbra, but for everyone else, I think we'd probably need to get some additional help or a Portal or somesuch. She might know someone that can help there, though, I haven't asked as I've been keeping all of this compartmentalized."
Johan shrugs. "Enyo wants nothing to do with me, and that is perfectly fine." He takes a chug of his sun tea. "I don't want any issue between Chantries either. I haven't commented either way on whether I believe Montegue stole the Node, though Haruka was worried if my standing in the Order would be compromised if I was found helping them given the situation. I told her the same thing I would tell our Masters if it comes up: Suck it, and if I die in the Forgotten City bury me face down so they can all can kiss my perfectly molded ass." Apparently, strangely enough, Johan has his own unique thing...called thoughts. "So if anything, we must assume that the Powers That Be will look at the garage with a bit of...let's say antagonism, even if we don't."
Norea softly clears her throat, and once Johan finishes speaking and she has a chance to address him without interrupting she says, "Excuse me - Johan? I would like to wait outside until the meeting is over. If that's alright."
"Well, if we can put a capstone on the Eyno topic for right now, I'd say that having her with her own people might do her a world of good. I'll make an effort to reach out to her and be social with her. Maybe others should do the same to.". He glances among the other three. "Alrght, so it sounds like we have our next steps? Myself, Luu, Kwan and possibly Jinny will take a field trip, Johan you and I presume Norea are going to go to Germany it sounds like." He looks up towards Norea as she asks to be excused, then back down towards Johan.
"Oh you're going with them to the Forgotten City?" Luu asks Johan, a bit surprised. "Well, i tried to let them know, but you should be aware," Luu continues, "that there's definite Cartel acivity in those mountains. I had some acquiantances who went there to do some paranormal investigation and got butchered. Something to be careful for." Norea gets a funny look, and then a shrug, before Luu looks to Rick and says, "Sounds like a plan to me."
