Fellowship of the Dice

Pixel is too preoccupied to pick up on any oddness about Autumn. "Nice to meet you too," she says mechanically.

When they arrive at Pixel's place, they find an apartment filled with computers and other technical equipment, as well as books on issues both occult, technical and political, with things stashed away in odd nooks and crannies--computer equipment in the kitchen cupboards for instance. Despite being cluttered, the apartment is still clean enough.

When they arrive, Pixel says, "Let me show everyone how the security cameras and other equipment works." She then scratches her head and says, "And, then, hmm, we'll have to figure out where people can sleep. There's the couch and, ah, maybe some yoga mats?"

Geyser walks several steps into the apartment and gawks at the kitchen, but says nothing about it. "I'll take a mat. Do you mind if I make some tea in the morning?"

Pixel nods. "Yes, that's fine. Let me show you where the food is. We should probably just order out for dinner."

Ulrich was silent the whole time since he left the museum. He could add nothing to the discussion about where to find refuge, because he was still only a short time in San Francisco.

Also was he completely spend from the events of the evening. So he could only keep his self awake on the way too Pixels home. There he spoke again, after Pixel showed them the place: " I don't want to intrude too much on your hospitality Pxel, but would it be possible to take a shower, at least for me that would be a great refreshment.

Between nursing an ever growing headache and being something of a loner himself, Dexter spared little more than an occasional glance in the direction of the quiet and aloof Autumn during the blissfully uneventful car ride over to Pixel’s apartment.

Shortly after their arrival and settling themselves in, Dexter wasted no time in seizing the couch for himself before anyone else might change their mind and claim dibs on the well worn piece of furniture instead.

Unceremoniously flopping backwards onto the cushions with a feeble groan, the Orphan laid an arm over his eyes to shield them from the room’s interior lights. “Either some water or a bit of green tea will suffice for me.” he murmured when the subject of food and drink came up, then briefly lifted his arm to glance over at Pixel with an imploring grimace, “oh and if it’s not too much trouble, some aspirin or an ice pack for this splitting headache I’ve got would be much appreciated, thanks.”

Dexter’s eyes narrowed in sudden realization of something, his hand waving about in a dismissive gesture. “Before anyone says or tries anything, no I don’t want it magicked away. Save that for when we need to put up the wards.” With his point made abundantly clear, the half-roma’s arm limply draped itself over his eyes once more.

Pixel freezes up for a moment, as requests come pouring over her. Then she takes a deep breath and mutters to herself, "Right, one thing at a time."

"Ah, let's see, first, aspirin. Well, I don't have aspirin because it gives me diarrhea, but I do have Tylenol. And I might have noise canceling headphones somewhere. If someone wants to make Dexter some tea ..." And she walks around the apartment, addressing requests one at a time and occasionally asking someone else to take care of something else. She finishes by ordering a large vegetarian pizza.

While they wait for the pizza to arrive, she turns on one of her computers and shows Autumn and anyone else who is available how the security system works and where the various cameras point.

Pixel is still a young up-and-coming Virtual Adept, rather than some Master half-existing only in the Digital Web, with electronic eyes every-where and every-when. It's an apartment that is average size for the area, which means it is overpriced and undersized, but for a one-night sleepover it will do. She has a few discreet cameras she installed that oversee the hallways outside and the views from her windows. She also easily hacked into the limited security of the complex itself, which mainly are views of the doors and security pads for the entrances into the apartment complex and long-ways views of the common corridors. These are enhanced by the system personally created by Pixel which has certain values of friend-or-foe recognition, triggered alerts, and initiating of defenses. She does have the ability to create Wards, as well as keying them to block certain things. How much she reveals about the full extent of her defenses is up to her.

Autumn may be learning English-as-a-second-language (or third? fourth?), but that in no wise means she isn't sharp. She easily learns the layout of the apartment complex and the security system, and through Geyser's interpretation asks some intelligent questions about any blind spots, and the limits of how far away from the apartment that can be viewed. A practical test of the security system comes when the pizza delivery comes. You can see him park in a no-parking zone on the curb, and come up to the security door and call. He gets buzzed in, finds his way, knocks, and delivers the food without incident. Likewise you track his progress back out to his car, barely pulling out before a cop car drives by, avoiding a parking ticket by the skin of his teeth.

Geyser puts on tea while they wait. The day catches up to him while he stands in the kitchen watching it heat up, and he starts to sway, so he makes himself busy with fetching whatever his new friends need as directed, and translating for Autumn, adding a "thank you" in Cantonese for her help. When the pizza comes, he sits down on his mat with a slice a cup of green tea with something sweet stirred in.

"Nice place," he says between bites. He's starting to nod off. The food and drink are the only thing keeping him from falling over on the mat.

"Ah, thanks," says Pixel. She searches for something to say than, realizing Geyser is about to fall asleep where he sits, decides there's really no need to say anything. "I think we're all about to fall asleep on our feet, so why don't we turn in after we've finished eating. Autumn, you can wake me up if you need anything."

The part of Dexter's face that wasn't obscured by his arm wrinkled visibly in disgust when Pixel divulged the reason behind the lack of aspirin in her apartment. The phrase "too much information" sprang to mind, but the Orphan had enough common sense to avoid verbalizing his honest opinion on that unsavory bit of insight so casually shared by the Adept. "Tylenol's fine too," was the tactful response he decided to go with after reaching for a pillow to rest his head on while waiting for the medicine and tea from Pixel and Geyser respectively.

Whereas the others indulged in the pizza ordered by Pixel, Dexter was perfectly content with nursing the reinvigorating cup of green tea graciously provided to him by the young Akashic. Over a surprisingly short span of time it seemed that the combination of tylenol and tea had brought about a miraculous shift in the Orphan's demeanor from tired and irritable to attentive and cordial, though he still didn't actively engage all that much in conversation beyond what was relevant to his interests and matters of importance.

Muskrat wrote:"I think we're all about to fall asleep on our feet, so why don't we turn in after we've finished eating. Autumn, you can wake me up if you need anything."

"Speak for yourself," retorted Dexter who by now was sitting upright on the couch with a near-empty cup of tea balanced precariously over his folded leg and sporting a wry smirk. "I've still got plenty of juice left in me." More solemnly he added while carefully pulling out his Tarot deck, "Besides, I still need to put up my own wards."