Prologue: The Bon Festival

Magic is Real.

We fly over oceans, hold the sum of all recorded knowledge in our hands, and speak with relatives halfway across the world without leaving our chairs. Magic isn't just flying on broomsticks or calling down fire from the Heavens. Magic is limited only by your Imagination, and your Will to make it manifest. There's a battle going on over the nature of Reality and Mankind itself. Pretend it isn't there, or get involved and forge the Future you envision.

Welcome to the Ascension War.

Moderator: ManWithDoor

User avatar
Muskrat
Level 21 Elite
Level 21 Elite
Posts: 10513
Location: The Secret Places Beneath the Earth
Title: Keeper of the Hidden Word
User Class: Scholar

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Tue May 09, 2017 5:24 pm

As she listens to Jon, an intent look on her face, Pixel pauses in her pacing and eventually sits down to listen. When she is done, she remains silent for a while, an abstracted look on her face as she processes this new data. Then she starts, as she realizes that she should reciprocate the conversation. "I've been here in San Francisco a while," she says, "maybe ten years, ever since I ran away from home ..." She trails off, then abruptly picks up again, dropping that line of thought. "I got involved in the local punk and activist scenes here and got a degree in computer science. I was good with computers and media--really good. So good that I attracted attention from the Virtual Adepts. They, ah, tested me and I passed with flying colors. And then I found out about," she gestures vaguely, "about the sort of things we just went through, about the Traditions. So I've been involved since. I'm still pretty junior and don't have a good fix on everything that's going on. But I've learned so much--you can do so much more with computer code than I ever thought possible ..." She starts getting dreamy eyed and rambles on, giving examples in increasingly more complex and incomprehensible technical language, until she abruptly stops and says, "Oh, sorry, that probably doesn't mean much to someone who's not a techie, does it?" She falls silent, looking a bit embarrassed.

User avatar
Trogdor
Emeritus Admin
Emeritus Admin
Posts: 27260
Title: The Burninator
User Class: Jedi Master

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Trogdor » Tue May 09, 2017 7:02 pm

"I'm no Luddite," Jon replies with a smile. "I can figure out how to work my phone, and I even managed to set up my Wifi network in my new apartment without help." Then he laughs. "But, yes. I'm afraid most of that went over my head. We all have our specialties and our strengths. I'm glad for yours. They got me out of the festival without any questions."

"So do you work with computers now?" he adds. "I mean as a job. Fiddling around in the magical world is interesting and fulfilling in many ways, but not often remunerative."

User avatar
Muskrat
Level 21 Elite
Level 21 Elite
Posts: 10513
Location: The Secret Places Beneath the Earth
Title: Keeper of the Hidden Word
User Class: Scholar

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Wed May 10, 2017 5:37 pm

"Yeah," says Pixel, nodding. "I work as a freelance techie, doing consulting for non-profits, small businesses, that sort of thing. I couldn't stand working in an office with some jackass telling me what to do." She shivers slightly at the thought--though she won't admit it to someone she's just met, it's not just that she doesn't like having a boss, but actually has trouble functioning psychologically with one. "And with the new world that's opened up to me--I dunno, it just seems even more important that nobody's looking over my shoulder at what I'm doing and asking questions that are none of their business."

User avatar
Trogdor
Emeritus Admin
Emeritus Admin
Posts: 27260
Title: The Burninator
User Class: Jedi Master

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Trogdor » Wed May 10, 2017 8:06 pm

"I completely understand," Jon replies. "Working as a doctor is nice in that I tend to be able to set my own course, especially in the frenetic environment of the ER. There's usually no one second guessing your decisions. Just you and the patient. Oh, there are oversight boards and the like that will pay attention to what you're doing. But in the day-to-day nature of things, I don't have a boss looking over my shoulder and breathing down my neck - though I will happily curse anyone from an insurance company that bothers me." He smiles to show that he's not speaking literally. "Thankfully we have people to take care of those calls, though it still eats up some of my time writing letters to the insurance companies."

"And lIfe can definitely be complex when dealing with both sides of the world - mundane and magical. When I was in the temple, I was mostly focused on the mystical side of the world. They didn't allow the mundane to interfere. When I went to college and medical school, I was focused mostly on the mundane side. I was taking a break from magic and trying to experience life. Now I'm trying to do both and I see the challenges involved."

"In fact, I'm actually not full-time myself right now," he admits. "I'm on the books as an ER doctor at the UCSF Medical Center, but only as a replacement for when people can't make their shifts. Things are busy enough that they welcome the help. But I'm not working nearly as many hours as I would if I was full time. It gives me the chance to do my volunteer work and focus on the other side of the world as well. We'll see how it works out in the long term. But for now I'm enjoying the chance to relax for the first time in nearly ten years."

Then Jon laughs and looks down at his injuries. "I suppose I have a little bit to learn about what constitutes relaxing."

User avatar
Muskrat
Level 21 Elite
Level 21 Elite
Posts: 10513
Location: The Secret Places Beneath the Earth
Title: Keeper of the Hidden Word
User Class: Scholar

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Thu May 11, 2017 5:26 pm

Pixel laughs, half-nervously, at Jon's joke. "So ..." She pauses, mentally scrambling to find something to make conversation about, rather than sitting around in awkward silence waiting for Brother Phoenix to come. "So ... what type of volunteer work do you do? I do a lot of stuff with local social justice groups, mostly on the tech and media production side--I'm not very good at actually working with people." She laughs nervously, not sure she should have revealed that much of herself.

User avatar
Trogdor
Emeritus Admin
Emeritus Admin
Posts: 27260
Title: The Burninator
User Class: Jedi Master

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Trogdor » Thu May 11, 2017 9:58 pm

"A lot of what I do is with a local medical clinic," Jon replies. "Getting kids immunized, treating those who can't afford regular care, that sort of thing. I do most of my volunteer work at Chinese Hospital where my ability to speak Chinese comes in useful. There are a lot of immigrants in Chinatown who appreciate having a doctor who can speak their language. It brings some people in for treatment who might otherwise stay away."

"I'm also looking into teaching some classes at the local Y. I used to do that back in Northern Virginia and Baltimore. I like teaching martial arts to disadvantaged kids. But I've also taught Tai Chi, yoga, and meditation classes when they needed it."

"I"m glad to hear that you do volunteer work as well. Too many of our sort get caught up in the power and the political infighting and forget the rest of the world."

User avatar
Muskrat
Level 21 Elite
Level 21 Elite
Posts: 10513
Location: The Secret Places Beneath the Earth
Title: Keeper of the Hidden Word
User Class: Scholar

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Fri May 12, 2017 4:54 pm

Pixel fishes around in her pockets, then hands Jon a professional card, on which he can see her legal name--Lindsey Seahurst--as well as the name of her business, the appropriately named Pixel Enterprises. "If the clinics you work at ever need any tech help, consider giving me a call. Yeah, I'll have to charge money, because that's how I put food on the table, but I do a sliding scale for non-profits."

In response to Jon's other comments, she says, "Yeah, I hadn't thought about it like that. I was involved in the local activist scene well before my, um, talents were discovered and the Virtual Adepts recruited me. I never really thought of giving it up--I mean, I see the media work I do as a way to try to help everyone wake up and take control of their lives, kind of live what those of us in the Traditions do, only on a different level. Does that make sense? It all seems connected to me. Of course, a lot of people I work with in the activist scene think I'm a little ... eccentric ... now, but people generally tolerate such eccentricities, as long as you're not trying to lord it over anyone else."

User avatar
ManWithDoor
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 9301
Location: California, USA
Title: Imperial Psyker
User Class: Imperial Psyker

Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by ManWithDoor » Mon May 15, 2017 7:17 pm

*Pixel's Apartment*
In the natural lull in all converations, as each person actively listens, ponders, and then responds, a solid knock at the door is heard. An almost aggressively nondescript man is at the door. Once he sees Pixel and Jon, he sighs in relief, and his facial features now appear as normal, as the Akashic known as Phoenix. After a brief greeting, he comes in and works his (literal) magic. A combination of reiki and a foul-tasting tea blend he brought do the trick. Jon's body is healed, but thoroughly exhausted. He passes out within a few minutes, enough time to see Phoenix handing over a business card of his own to Pixel. Before he leaves, he restores whatever spell he had previously, his identity disguised through sheer mundanity.

*The Foggy Streets*
June makes a few haphazard attempts at conversation, but Dexter and Ulrich don't seem to be in the mood to talk. Ulrich perhaps because he is an almost total stranger to the two, Dexter perhaps from trying to process the emotional and physical trauma he just endured. Even with the willpower of a Magi, they are, after all, only human. Humans can rationalize and analyze any situation, but the weight of the experience still takes its toll. Perhaps, in time, that will change. After many minutes of trudging along, the group finally silently disappears into the fog.
Prologue ended!

I'm going to take a week to get materials together for Chapter 1. It'll be a bit of a Narrative start, where I'll be doing a high-level look at a few interactions, before the real action begins. I'll be asking for some IC narrated feedback on how the interaction goes. ... this will all make more sense as I write it. Anyways, enjoy some downtime, finish Leveling up your character if you haven't yet, and I'll get Chapter 1 up in a few days.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

Post Reply