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.

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Karstil
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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Karstil » Tue May 02, 2017 8:52 pm

Ulrich is, at least, puzzled. He doesn't know what caused the effect, but not only has his helpful talk not formed even a little bond of trust and understanding, no, if he interprets the atitude correctly it has closed and barred that door really close.

The Prister puts his hand on the shoulder of the young man and presses it motivating. "Now, her use the medicine to help. I know you will all get better." He stands up and turns slowly away from the tree people, "I have to go. Please just..." it is another, not a novelty, but a rarity, Ulrich finds not the rigth words. So he leaves silent and quietly thinking about the failing that just occurred, and how he let the people and his god down.

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Trogdor » Wed May 03, 2017 8:04 pm

"I'm still pretty new in town," Jon mutters from where he lies, not entirely realizing that Pixel is on the phone. "Akashic contacts mostly on other side of country." He winces at the effort to speak. "Supposed to be a master in Chinatown, but I haven't found him yet." He tries to shake his head, but it hurts to much. "Can try some self-healing if I need to. I'm strong in Life." He takes a few deep breaths, the effort in talking having tired him out.

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Thu May 04, 2017 12:46 am

"Oh, good you're talking," says Pixel to Jon. Over the phone, she says, "He's talking, but he still needs help pretty damn bad. Oh, sorry for swearing. Does your order mind swearing? Never mind, it's not important right now is it?" Realizing she is babbling and probably talking too fast to understand easily, Pixel takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself down, using the meditation techniques the more experienced Virtual Adepts had taught her to. After a few breaths, she says to Jon, "I'm on the phone, getting help from, ah, contacts here in the city."

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Trogdor » Thu May 04, 2017 4:11 pm

"Mystical help, I hope." Jon replies with a weak smile. "If they can manage the worst of this, I can take care of the rest ..."

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by ManWithDoor » Fri May 05, 2017 3:58 pm

The voice on the other end of the line stays perfectly calm, although the tone does betray some surprise. "Ah yes, of course. I am ... here to serve. If you give me the address, I can be right over to help." After a quick exchange of directions, Pixel can hear some shuffling around, and the metallic whine of a zipper being closed. "I will be there within twenty minutes. Stay calm, and all will be well. May the Bodhisattva of Compassion be with you."

A few miles away, Dexter, June, and the newcomer Ulrich hustle along the foggy streets of San Francisco. Flashing blue and red lights converge on the scene, emergency responders of various stripes rapidly appearing. True to her word, Pixel's efforts seem to have born fruit, as the police are late to the party. The trio have no trouble getting far away before the area is cordoned off.
Feel free to do some last RP-ing before I wrap the Scene. Help is on the way for Jon, and Dexter/June/Ulrich escaped without issue.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Fri May 05, 2017 6:04 pm

Pixel, sighing with relief, gives Phoenix her address and says, "Thank you very much." She turns to Jon after hanging up and says, "Don't worry--it's mystical help, Brother Phoenix from your own Tradition." She begins pacing back and forth with nervous energy, "Sorry the place is such a mess, but it's as much a workshop as a home. Uh, do you want anything to eat? It's all vegetarian ..."

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Trogdor » Fri May 05, 2017 8:39 pm

"Thank you for getting me out of there," Jon says with genuine appreciation in his voice. "You were very kind to do so. I could explain disappearing in the chaos to the people at the medical tent, but I could hardly explain this." He gestures weakly at his injuries. I"m just glad the singers survived ..." For all that he's been savagely injured, the Akashic mage is surprisingly coherent, if soft-spoken at the moment. Maybe it's true what they say about their ability to master pain.

"And don't worry about the apartment," he adds. "I remember my dorm room in college when I finally took some time away from the temple. It's possible I rebelled a little bit from the asceticism of my temple life." He smiles

"As for some food," he considers for a moment. "Some tea for the moment, if you have some. I'd best keep an empty stomach if Phoenix is going to treat me. And if I do take you up on your offer once the treatment is complete. vegetarian doesn't bother me. That was our diet at the temple, so I'm quite used to it."

"He looks around the room at all the technology lying about. "So, you're from one of the more technical traditions. We met briefly a few weeks ago at a mystical get-together, didn't we?"

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Hayabusa » Sun May 07, 2017 10:32 pm

June does not even hesitate as she tags along with her good friend Dexter. As they are on their way and only when they are a a half mile away does she decide to say something. "That... that was pretty wild and close. And that sword fighting and the priest," the stage magician blurts out. "That whole thing was pretty amazing and so open. Pretty fun and terrible too. Exciting for sure. You wanna head straight to your place or want to grab a coffee or a bite on the way?"
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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Mon May 08, 2017 6:51 pm

"Tea, yes, tea," says Pixel, talking a mile a minute in her discomfort with the situation. "I have some herbal teas--no caffeinated--I'm wound up enough as is--but you probably don't want caffeine in your current state anyway. What about chamomile?" She brings back a cup of tea to Jon, gingerly handing it to the injured man.

"Tradition? Yes, I think we met a couple weeks ago. I'm a Virtual Adept. That's what all the computer bits and pieces are for. To help me build equipment to hack reality's code. And you? You're in one of the martial arts traditions, right?"

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Trogdor » Mon May 08, 2017 7:42 pm

"Yes," Jon replies. "My name is Jon Leng. I'm an ER doctor over at the UCSF Medical Center, though I'm originally from Hong Kong. The latter explains the British accent he speaks with.

"I'm from the Akashic tradition," as you could tell," he says, slowly inching up to a sitting position so that he can take his tea. "I was originally in the Kannagara monastic order - I lived for years in a temple in the mountains, studying martial arts and meditation, among other things. But fifteen years ago I had a crisis of faith." He looks up at Pixel. "This is very good, just what I needed." Jon holds up the cup of tea and takes another sip.

"So, fifteen years ago I left the Temple of the Sapphire Dragon and came to America to go to college. I wanted to experience the life I had left behind. I wanted to know how ordinary people lived. I won't say that I was wild, but I was far from an ascetic monk during those years." He smiles and shakes his head. "After I graduated, I spent a year on an ambulance squad, and then applied to medical school. Since my days in the temple, Life has always been one of my strengths. Becoming a healer seemed a natural step for me."

"Still, throughout all my experiences, I kept up many of the practices of the temple. It's hard to give up those old habits, and they felt right. I still meditated, and I practiced Do - our martial art - every day. But I felt adrift from the tradition. The beliefs of the Kannagara seemed too narrow for me."

"While I was in medical school, I met another Akashic mage at the dojo I volunteered at. He could tell by the katas I was performing that I was a practitioner of Do. That lead to conversations and eventually to friendship. He was part of a different aspect of the tradition - the Li Hai. Li Hai Akashics have an eclectic approach to magic and life, drawn from ancient and modern sources. They embrace new experiences, though with a sense of moderation. They tend not to dwell on abstract concepts, but focus on real-world causes to fight for, serving the community rather than some high-and-mighty concept."

"Well, that was the lifeline that I needed. It offered me a way to honor my old life, while embracing my new one. I could keep one foot in China and the other in America. I studied the path of Li Hai with my friend until I graduated medical school. Since then I've moved around some, to Boston for my internship, to Baltimore for my residency, then to Northern Virginia to work in the ER. Of late, though, I've been looking for more. I heard tell that there was an Akashic master of the Li Lai here in San Francisco. I took a job here to try and look for him - he doesn't care for company, or so I've been told, but I've heard he's very wise."

"So that's what brought me here. I've only been here a few months. I work over at the UCSF medical center as an ER doctor, as I said, and I volunteer at Chinese Hospital at their clinic. I'm still looking for the Li Hai master - I have a few new leads, but nothing's panned out yet. Earlier today I was enjoying an entertaining day at the festival when all hell broke loose, and you know the rest." He leans back, clearly tired from his explanation, but happy to have had a chance to let Pixel know who he is.

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