Bishop's Stone (IC)

[JamesCray]

Robert didn't resist. He knew from long experience that struggling when someone's got ahold of you generally just aggravated the situation. Besides, he'd taken beatings before, another would hardly make a difference.
"If it'll make you feel better Aella, go right ahead and hit me! I guarantee it'll never be easier, I don't fight back when I'm the only one who'll get hurt, and I've been used to it since I was in grade school. What's my angle? The ones with an angle were the ones who brought me in on the whole secret. Angry kids who thought the Fair Folk were milking the fact they keep the enchantments up to keep humans from finding out, no offense Johnson and do check me on this. Then they fed me a doom and gloom story about Duke Orphenthal to keep me in line that may or may not be entirely true because despite being in the know I'm still not being given the full picture! You think I want to learn how to kill you? I can't bring myself to squish BUGS! Manipulate you? That was their idea but I'm not that guy! The only thing I've done differently is take off a few days of work and actually go out! You know, maybe I do have an angle, now that I think about it. My angle is knowing there's still something fantastic to the world, some mystery and excitement left, because before this the only reasons I left my apartment were to go to work or go meet up with some other geeks like me once a week and pretend to be a crime-fighting werewolf!" he ranted, loosing all the frustration of an embittered idealist, and not a word of it falsehood.

[Azlan]

"Fair enough sir, I shan't trouble you any longer then."  Lorelei stated quietly.

With a brief nod she withdrew from the bar in search of other locations to be of better use at.

[AmberCross]

The fellow got David another drink as they continued to talk about mundane things, however as David drank, he got less sober and as he got less sober he got less cautious about talking about avalon. Which is to say he started talking about it via metaphor, pretending to actually be talking about politics. Okay, so it was kind of close to election season, but not all of his statement could really be applied to real politics. Then again... he was slightly drunk, so who could tell for sure? Still, anyone listening who knew of avalon might notice that certain things like "And then people without the magic... whatsit... heritage get treated like second class citizens because they're less important somehow or people think they're all hoodlums and dangerous..." or when he said specifically to the minotaur, "Look, you can vote for whoever... it's your choice... don't blame you..." but with the slurred words and overall incomprehensibility, it would be far too easily dismissed as paranoia. After all, surely he was talking about economic class and not you know... real magic. Cause that would be silly.

David didn't drink anything past that, he could tell that he was over his limit even though he'd only had two. He muzzily suspected there was something extra in that second drink because the alternative would be admitting to himself that he really was that much of a lightweight. Barring any further incidents, he grabbed his coat and said his farewells, shaking off the worst effects of the drink as he left the bar.

[Inumo]

Four of Cups

After David speaks directly at the minotaur, who ignores the drunken babble, Johnson just chuckles, "You, my friend, seem quite well and drunk!" Handing David his coat, he continues, "Go, hie ye hence before you do harm to yourself. Better not be driving home!" Waving goodbye, he leans back against the bar, idly watching the sports game as David walks out and back into the city.
In his influenced state, there are more than a few stumbles as David walks along until at last he comes to rest a moment next to an alley. Around the corner, a faerie who appears to be in his forties leans against the brick facade and asks, "How the hell do any of the three help me?"

Ten of Pentacles

The children all look down at Lemick, silent, before collectively inching closer together. Periodically one or two will glance in the direction of the parents that are relaxing away from the whoops and delighted screams of the other kids who are still playing. Keeping their grip tight onto their tree branches, the air is filled with an awkward feeling paired with a sense of waiting.

The World

In time, Lorelei's wanderings take her to a small garden which, while normally public, has been closed off for the evening so a marriage could take place. A well-dressed man with elfin features rocks back and forth on his heels, looking up and down the street. Spotting Lorelei, he calls, "Excuse me, ma'am? Think you could help real quick? The groom's gone missing, said he was going for a walk before up and disappearing." Pointing towards a small set of trees further along the lane, he continues, "He went thataway. I'd go after him myself, but the wedding organizer's asked that I stay here in case something starts going wrong on this end. Think you can go find him, make sure he knows that his loving fiancee's waiting for him to get over his cold feet? Her words, not mine, trust me." The man doesn't look particularly hopeful that he'll get a "yes," but neither does he look pessimistic.

Nine of Pentacles

There's a tense moment that stretches into five, but at last Aella relaxes her grip on Robert. Her motion prompts a small commotion behind Robert between Johnson and the noodle vendor, but it seems to be resolved quickly. As Robert turns around, he finds Johnson quietly talking into what looks to be a small rock, saying, "Sorry, sir, we accidentally dropped our Callstone among some rocks and weren't sure if we'd picked up the right one. Have a nice night. Happy Solstice to you too." Setting the rock back onto the noodle vendor's stand, he gives the kitsune a meaningful look as Aella starts to speak.
"I'm sorry for reacting so... tersely," she apologizes. "Orphenthal has just enough facts and conviction to his words that it's difficult to tell if what he says is fact or fiction. Maybe between the three of us, we can fill you in on what's going on in Avalon?"
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Johnson chimes in. "Michael?"
"... Fine," he finally answers, uncrossing his arms to lean on his knees.
"Thank you," Johnson replies. "Now, what's going on... Well, as you've said, you've heard one perspective, but it seems rather limited. Most importantly, it's keeping its scope to the largest political issue going on in Avalon. The debate over humanity is ongoing, with Duke Orphenthal, Duke Niffleheim, and Puck taking major positions, but there's more to the situation than that. This is also why Puck is only really getting support among the less knowledgable; they don't think about the current war with Sanctuary, the repeated flip-flopping on economic policies, or the degradation of many public services, to name a few issues that Puck has no answers for. Duke Niffleheim is a status-quo person, planning on matching the old King's policies as closely as possible. However, the effectiveness of his policies are certainly up for question, especially his insistence on continuing our war. Meanwhile, Duke Orphenthal strongly advocates for peace at any cost, and says that one of the first steps to achieving that is to remove our need for secrecy by upping the enchantment on your society.
"I won't deny, a lot of the political power in Avalon is centered among the Fair Folk, and many use our origination of the enchantment as a major argument, though I don't think we use it to hold the other races over a barrel. Granted, that's my opinion as one of the Fair Folk, so it's likely more than a little biased, but I don't know of any recent events where the faerie nobility voted as one bloc against the mage nobility, the kitsune nobility, the Greek nobility, the totem nobility, and the Officials of the Commons. Usually it ends up being more of a mixed bag, where it ends up based on family policy lines and not racial lines.
"Back to Orphenthal, he's made it a campaign promise that he will end the war quickly, and will return the enchantment to its current state as soon as he can, but us Fair Folk have significantly longer lifespans than most other races, so sometimes 'quickly' can be upwards of fifteen years. Meanwhile, Niffleheim has declared that he won't end the war until Sanctuary surrenders and falls under the control of Avalon. He wants to follow the vision that the old King set forth of an Avalonian Empire that spans the entirety of North America. Meanwhile, when it comes to economic policies, Orphenthal is suggesting going back to the King before the latest King's policies of government funding, similar to the United States' democratic party. Meanwhile, Niffleheim wants to stick to a more privatized, investment-oriented economic policy akin to the republican party. Ultimately, the nobility will make the final choice and those of us outside of their families will simply go along with it and hope our Officials of the Commons vote with our interests in mind. Does that help clear things up?"

((Whee, exposition~))

[AmberCross]

As David stumbled along trying to clear his head, he happened to overhear someone apparently talking to himself. Were he completely sober and thinking clearly, he would probably realize that the number three refers very conveniently to the impending vote and that this person must be an avalonian trying to decide last minute what his vote should be. However, at the moment David was neither thinking clearly nor sober and so he looked at the fellow in confusion. "Did you say something to me?"

[JamesCray]

"It's okay, Aella, you were frightened, it's understandable." Robert said, putting a hand on the minotauress' shoulder to reassure her. He sighed when the full complexity of the situation was laid out for him.
"Yes and no, Johnson, yes and no. It helps clear things up in the sense that I have a much better understanding of the situation now than I did beforehand, but it certainly doesn't help clear up my opinion on the subject. I had a feeling this was more complex than it was being represented to me as, but I wasn't anticipating Orphenthal coming out sounding like the reasonable one. I don't know the background of the war, but endless conflict, aggressive expansionism, that only ends with attrition. I won't even go into economic policy, since I'm so far left I'm practically Swedish. If Puck's the non-starter he sounds like, I don't know what to think. Granted, the argument could be made that it's not my business in the first place, but I do not tolerate willful ignorance, particularly in myself."

[Inumo]

The Magician

The faerie looks over as David pipes up. Rolling onto one shoulder, he adjusts his Joneswark University letter jacket and says, "No, but maybe you can help me. Y'see, I'm in this... game. A really big one, that's really confusing at times. Now, in the game there's this built in political system where players can take power and change a bit of how the game's played, and right now there's three people going at it. One's this mysterious guy going around using an alias while he suggests getting really good tutorials made for the newbies so they can know what's going on, even if they themselves can't do any of it. Won't say a bean's brother about the rest of the game, though. Then there's this other guy, he wants to put the newbies into lockdown of a sort. Nothing they'd realize, but just out of harm's way while he handles an economic crisis and this long-standing war with another... we'll call it a server. He just wants things over, but things are dug so deep in it could take a long time to resolve from a newbie's perspective. Then there's a third bloke who wants to keep it where it is, where the newbies can sometimes join the upper echelon, but for the most part they still act as peasantry. At the same time he's hoping to fix the economy using some of the same things that got the game into the toilet in the first place, and he's determined to win the war unconditionally. Now, honestly I don't care about the newbies, I've got a stable job, and I don't really care about the war, but I still feel like I should at least pick one side to support. What do you think?"

The Fool

Johnson shrugged at Robert's remark before turning to lean against the noodle stall. "If it makes any difference," Michael grumbles, "nobody knows how much any of the three candidates are going to stick to their campaign promises. Avalon media's banned from reporting on local politics thanks to a King a few reigns back, and while the Fair Folk have long memories, they use it more for grudges than political issues that don't affect them. For all intents and purposes, each of the candidates are dark horses. Just a matter of which face do you trust more." Next to Robert, Aella nods slowly in agreement.

[Azlan]

"I suppose I could be of assistance, tell me his name and I'll see what this is all about then."  After receiving her answer, Lorelei will head toward the set of trees.

[justacritic]

"Well kids I don't blame you for being scared so I'm going to turn around and draw in the dirt. If you're still in the tree, I don't know what'll happen next. " Lemick turned around and scribbled in the dirt. 

[AmberCross]

The chill air was definitely clearing David's head, and after that explanation even he was able to pick up on what was going on. Problem was, he didn't really have much in the way of advice that would sway the fellow in a direction he cared about. Then again, he also realized he didn't really care about the outcome too much either so there was no reason not to.

"Sounds like it's an issue of the problem you know vs. the problem you don't. The guy already in power is definitely bad news. He may mean well, but he's not doing a very good job. Question is, will one of the others do better? If you personally don't care one way or the other, you should decide if you want to keep going the way things are or give someone new a chance at the wheel. If the former then your decision is made. If the latter... well I guess you could flip a coin or something. Then pay attention to how you feel about it. Having rate, random chance, or someone else make your choices for you is one of the fastest ways I've found to figure out how I truly feel about something. There are few things more annoying than having someone make your decisions for you."

[Inumo]

Ten of Cups

"Fair enough, I guess," the Fair Folk man replies to David as he digs out a coin. "Seriously, sometimes it feels like I just shouldn't get involved in this whole mess. I'm a simple man, all I want is to find a nice gal, settle down, raise a family, y'know. Idyllic life and all that." Flipping the coin into the air, he catches it and slaps it onto the back of his hand before looking at it. "Huh," he mumbles. "Well... but... huh. Interesting technique you've got there, bud. Thanks for the advice. Have a nice night!" With that, he walks off down the alley, disappearing through a Gate halfway down.
Meanwhile, from across the street comes Duke Orphenthal. When he spots David, he raises his hand and calls out, "Hello there! I remember you from the herbalist's. How's your evening been so far?"

The Empress

A few moments after Lemick turns away, the kids that were sitting up in the tree all start running around him, screaming. "Moooooooom!" seems to be particularly common as they all book it across the park towards their parents and the quasi-babysitter. When they arrive, Lemick can see them looking up at their parents and periodically pointing at him, frightened expressions on their faces. The parents, meanwhile, comfort their children with smiles and calm words, while flashing worried looks in Lemick's direction. After a bit, a father detaches from the group and walks over to Lemick. "What'd you do that got our kids so upset?" he asks with a concerned, yet unassuming expression.

Ten of Cups

((I don't know how you want to approach this, but if you want to do a conversational approach, go ahead and send me a PM and we'll do the conversation there instead of a post each week.))
As Lorelei approaches, she can easily see an apparently human man pacing back and forth among the trees. He looks to be in his early- to mid-twenties, his blonde buzz-cut crowning a worried face. His blue eyes stare at the ground as he walks back and forth in a tuxedo, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Aside from the quiet clicking of his dress shoes hitting the pavement, he's surprisingly silent. At last he stops and turns to face the street, first crossing his arms, then placing a hand to his chin, then wringing his hands, before clasping them together behind his back once more and resuming his pacing. Judging by the wrinkles at his elbows, he's performed the sequence quite a few times tonight.

[justacritic]

Lemick turned to the father with a calm face and spoke each time raising a finger with a reason. "One they were climbing a tree which was rather dangerous so someone had to get them down. Two this isn't like the old days where you can get a child out of a dangerous situation, people think you are up to no good. Three, kids rarely listen when you scold them or shout so the only other thing I could do was scare them by telling them exactly what could happen if they didn't get down. Four, eventually one child fell down but the rest were too scared of me to actually want to climb down, so I had to turn away so that they felt safe enough to go to you. I'm not that lucky actually so I am rather sorry that this was the only thing that I could think of doing. That child that fell down earlier, is he alright?"

[JamesCray]

Robert literally does a double facepalm, sighing and leaning on his elbows on the noodle stand counter. "Lack of freedom of the press, rampant disenfranchisement of a large portion of the population, politicians acting out of petty grudges rather than for the good of the people... I was expecting, at worst, a situation equivalent to the national political system, and this doesn't even have the pretensions of it. I was thoroughly misinformed. There's nothing I can do. I wasn't prepared for this." he rattled out to no-one in particular, the last sentence practically a whimper. Shortly after, he looks up to the kitsune stand proprietor.

"You know, when I was a kid I sort of latched on to Jean-Luc Picard as a replacement father-figure since my dad was gone, so my criteria for what constitutes a person have always been wider than most, and I've never been the type who could willfully hurt people. But then, I picked up the taste for kitsune-udon on an eight month study-abroad in Kyoto when I was in college. I went to the Fushimi Inari shrine on weekends, walked the paths. One day I followed an old trail because I thought I heard a voice. I slipped and fell down a ridge, woke up in the hospital with a tibial plateau fracture. They said I must've crawled back to the main path, but all I remember is blacking out from the pain when I hit, so I had always suspected I had help. I think it should be obvious why you and your kind in particular have nothing to fear from me."

[Azlan]

(ooc: conversation handled over PM with Inumo and assembled in one post with his consent.)

Lorelei moved cautiously, but with normal footfalls and posture as she had no desire to sneak up on the poor chap.

Clearing her throat to announce her presence, she spoke clearly and with much less refined mannerisms, "good evening sir, your mate back there asked me to pop over and ask ya over to yur wedding."

She paused for a moment and added, "I ken understand a bit of the jitters, but tell me, is there anything bothering ya?  Tis supposed to be a grand night."

The man looks up as Lorelei approaches. "My-- Oh, yes, Don, my best man. Anything bothering me? No, well, yes, I suppose so. I'm just not sure if I'm getting ahead of myself here with the marriage and everything. Second thoughts, and all that, you know. I've been able to brush it off, reassert, all that stuff before tonight, but it isn't working right now. Lord, is it not working. Do you think twenty-five is too young to get married? I don't know. I mean, it's barely a quarter of the way through life, but it's also when we're in our best form, at least supposedly. Then again, maybe getting married this young is what's leading to such a high divorce rate, or maybe that's just my fear trying to talk me out of the best decision of my life. I don't know. What do you think?"

Lorelei sighed slightly as she processed his words, "my gran da would have had a ol' gaelic proverb for this like, Bidh an t-ubhal as fheàrr air a'mheangan as àirde, or some such.  He was old an wise like that.  I am a year yet younger than you and single."

Pausing briefly she continued falling into her more proper speech, "however, I believe that if love is true and you are meant to be, then in your heart of hearts is the answer you seek.  Look deeply, past all the jitters and worries, and gaze deeply into what is there for it will show you what you must do."

"I take it you got your 'being mysterious at inappropriate times' from your grandfather as well," the groom snorts when he hears the mass of weird syllables. "And trust me; you don't think I've been doing since before we were engaged? I've been looking deep for a heck of a long time, and it just keeps going deeper." Taking a deep breath, he rolls his shoulders back and puts his arms to his sides. "Well, I've thought this was good before, might as well get this over with and put my thoughts to the test." He strides off back towards the garden with a purpose, leaving Lorelei behind beneath the trees.

Following him back to the garden and stopping just before reaching it as he meets up with his best man, she smiles and cheerfully announces, "good luck there.  My name is Evans, Lorelei Evans, I'm more of a medical student than counseling, but if you need any advice or help, look me up.  Now off with you."

Hoping for the best and having done all she could, Lore took her leave and set off in search of interesting events to intercede in.

[AmberCross]

Oh come on, was it really so much to ask for a normal night? Thankfully the other fellow had already wandered off as trying to explain what he 'a normal human' had been doing in a shop in Avalon. Still, of all the people to run into tonight, the duke himself was the one he least expected. He sighed, but kept his game face on. "You have a good memory." he remarked to the duke. "Most people would not recall a chance encounter with a stranger on the street from a week back. I at least had the advantage of already knowing who you were after all. My evening has been well enough, though I've been a bit too preoccupied with what happens tomorrow to properly enjoy myself. Hopefully you've been having a better time."

[Inumo]

((My apologies for not getting this done on time. Excuses could be made, but the point is it's getting done now.))

Three of Swords

"I... wouldn't be preoccupied about tomorrow," Duke Orphenthal sighs to David. "My wife left me this morning, and she was one of the major helpers with the plan. Since no one can do what she did without a lot of time to practice, tomorrow's due to be a normal day, just like any other." With another sigh, he finishes, "So, I guess I haven't had a better evening. I'm sorry, I must be ruining your evening. Have a pleasant Summer Festival!" He smiles like an old grandfather, then moves on along the sidewalk.

The Fool

The father nods as Lemick lists off his points. "Yeah, yeah, he's fine, don't worry about it," he answers when Lemick finishes. "I'm glad to hear your side of it all. The kids are all weirded out about you, but I'm sure they'll be fine soon enough. Next time, though, you might want to try more traditional methods, if only to keep them in a more normal state. Have a nice festival, yeah?" Giving Lemick a light tap on the shoulder, he walks off. To his right, Lemick can see a boy of perhaps ten start dancing in a clearly deliberate manner, despite the apparent wildness of his arms and legs. As he dances, a faint glow starts to shine from him.

The Magician

Don ushers the groom inside as Lorelei makes her comment. Turning his eyes to the heavens, he says, "Look, lady, I'm hoping you mean well, but that was unnecessary." Looking back at Lorelei, he continues, "Whatever you did to get him back, I'm glad you did it. But trust me when I say we ain't calling on you, alright?" Gesturing with his hands, Lorelei suddenly finds herself turned around and sturdily shoved away from the garden. "Now, off with you, savvy?"

Ten of Pentacles

The noodle vendor nods as Robert tells his story. "Of course," he responds. "Inari protects those who seek worldliness, and find it. It is the first step to success with Inari. I trust you."
"I think all of us here do, after tonight," Johnson adds. "And while the system looks like it won't change for a while yet, one never knows. Perhaps it will after this change in power. If nothing else, I'm sure I can get a petition together and see how many people want to be more politically active. Especially after all the stuff that's happened with our last King, I imagine there are quite a few who want our monarchy to be a bit more parliamentary, y'know?"

[Chairtastic]

Nanabi tried so very hard not to go rigid at the presence of the Kappa.  Such water spirits were potentially very dangerous; especially given the apparent workaround he had found for the water-pool on his head.  Nanabi carefully moved forward, solidly putting herself between the children and the Kappa, then returned the bow.  "Yes.  I had a pair of children in my day; roudy creatures, but always interesting."  Nanabi smiled, not as easily or as wide as the Kappa, obviously, but enough to be polite.  "I am regretfully retired; I do what I can to help the young people out, then get out of their way when I'm not needed anymore.  Nanabi Tibalt, and you are...?"

[Azlan]

Lorelei turns back around briefly, "perhaps, perhaps not, but it is not your call to make.  It is obvious that you have endeavored to honor your fore bearers and those that have taught you the ways, and it is with one gesture that you undo it all.  Vous savez certainement cela.  Bonne nuit."

The english lass exits the garden area without allowing a rebuttal from the rube and seeks something less rude to do.

[AmberCross]

Chris wasn't sure how to feel about that. All of that workup and in the end it didn't even matter. It actually felt... anticlimatic. Ah well, with a shrug, David set off once more, heading home due to the late hour.

[Inumo]

Page of Pentacles

David walks home without further event. Kevin's still out, but there's an unidentified woman sleeping on the couch, barefoot. She's snoring lightly with her hands folded beneath a brown beanie, trapping her dark, straight hair as it spills over the edge of the couch cushion. Underneath her denim jacket, she's wearing a maroon tank top with the physics of Angry Birds printed on it, while a pair of khaki cargo pants cover her legs. A note on the coffee table explains, "David - Meet Christina. She's a friend of mine, and needed a place to sleep for the night. Hope you don't mind. She's from the School of Engineering, and no we aren't sleeping together, so don't even ask about it. We're just decent friends. I'll be home around 1, considering you I guess you'll be home earlier. See you in the morning! - Kevin" Christina seems to have something coming out from under her jacket, but the light from the windows isn't showing what it is.

Four of Cups

As Lorelei walks along, she's accosted by a rather young man in a tan leather jacket over a dark green shirt and blue jeans. "Hey, lady," he calls as he cuts her off at the corner. "You up for a debate? Riddle me this: why should I care about your well-being? In the grand scheme of things, you don't got fame, fortune, or anything special about you. You ain't nobody. If you's nobody, then you don't matter. Am I right, or am I right?" He punctuates his points with various hand gestures as another man, this one in a dark blue suit, comes up from across the street.
"Yo, Johnny," he placates. "This is between you and me, you don't need to get no outsider involved here, 'specially not some human."
"Zip it, Roscoe. I wanna hear this lady's rebuff. She gives me a good answer, then maybe I'll consider your opinion, and if she don't, I don't. So what'll it be, huh, lady? Why care?"

Queen of Pentacles

The kappa laughs as Nanabi moves to place herself between him and the children. "Ah, you must be a recently turned werewolf with an education in Asian mythology, neh? Don't worry, us kappas have changed much since the days you've read about. My name's Kasegawa Huro. Wait, no, Huro Kasegawa. I fear I live in the Asian Quarter far too much, I've grown accustomed to the old custom of stating your surname first. How long ago did you find out you were a werewolf?"

[AmberCross]

David wondered idly if this Christina was another mage, or at the very least some sort of decoy to throw off his parents about wanting grandchildren. He still hadn't forgiven Kevin for being so closed minded, but then David still knew about Avalon and Kevin no longer knew that he did, so in a way the last laugh was his. When he saw that something was sticking out from under her jacket he almost wondered what it was, but then decided not to. If she was friends with his roommates than odds were she was avalonian somehow and recent experience showed that they only seemed to bother him if he bothered them for the most part. Not to mention, if she was avalonian and woke up which he was checking what it was, it would be just about impossible to explain without more trouble than he really cared about right now. For instance he could go back to the entrance and walk in again, turning on the light 'without noticing her there' to get a better look, but David was tired of the cloak and dagger stuff at least for today, so instead of some semi-elaborate plan he decided to just turn in for the night. The girl on the couch, his roommate, the election... he'd deal with it all tomorrow.

[justacritic]

The child was something interesting, Lemick thought. He quietly stood to one side watching the boy, dance perhaps? When the glow appeared though the man wished to question the child on his actions he held his tongue, waiting for the boy to finish.

[JamesCray]

"Thanks, Johnson. I like to think that the point if a government is to make life better for it's citizens, and as long as there's a will... Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. It's the only thing that ever has." Robert put a hand on Johnson's shoulder, a smile returning to his face as he paraphrased Margaret Mead via Jed Bartlet.
"It's funny, I got into this with people who were being all cloak and dagger, they put notes in my mail and if I want to get in touch with them I have to put a note in a dead drop." he said, reaching into his bag and withdrawing a handful of round-cornered midnight blue business cards inscribed with a stylized Graham escapement and text in periwinkle and white proclaiming him an 'Information Systems Consultant' and bearing a phone number and email address, and handed them out to the assembled group. "Personally, I've rarely seen paranoia do anything but hurt people, so I'm a little easier to get in touch with."

[Azlan]

ooc: the irony in asking me to answer this question, luckily there is a Lorelei filter in use.


Lorelei is momentarily taken aback by the forward assault and personal space violation and just manages to not execute her trained self defense reflexes on the young 'man'.  Taking a step back to give herself better maneuvering room, and to assess the threat levels, she backs her tactical mind down to address the street side philosophical debate.

"I'm not the best person to ask about such things, perhaps it is because I am in possession, no matter how transitory, of some of those things you mentioned.  I am studying to be a doctor so that I can help people, to heal, to make the pain go away.  Not vanity procedures for rich nobs, or Hollywood celebrities, but South Africa, Ethiopia, Sudan.  Perhaps it is a guilty conscience that drives it for those things I have for merely being born."

Lorelei pauses to narrow her eyes on the first accoster, "however it is not about fame, fortune, or even some grand scheme of a greater plan.  It is because I can, it is the right thing to do.  Much of the way I see things is based on values and virtues taught, pieced together, and learned from experience, but there is also a level that is fundamental that operates outside of such things.  We not all rowing a boat of fate with waves to guide us if we lose our way, nor are we architects of our own story in some cosmic story.  Those things you mentioned should never be a measure of the worth of a being, whether they be 'some human' or something else entirely.  All beings deserve equal measure at existence, and no life is worth any more or any less than another."

Lore's eyes shifted to the ground, "that being said, I never want the responsibility to have to decide who should live and who should not.  That is not, however, what you are asking me is it.  I matter because I am me, we all have equal measure of worth.  You should care, not because of some temporal worth I could provide you, but because all have equal stewardship of existence.  Though if you have some ability to decide this, then I stand to defend those that are innocent.  And if some sacrifice must be made, than I shall make it for those that cannot.  Because it is the right thing to do."   

[Inumo]

The Emperor

The next morning, David wakes to hear the sizzle of something cooking coming from the kitchen. There, Christina is humming an aimless tune as she fries some eggs, a plate of bacon already off to one side. Looking up, she jumps as she sees David, placing a hand to her heart as she catches her breath. "Ah, good morning," she says when her breath is back to normal. "I keep losing track of time when I'm cooking, I just get so absorbed, you know? Sometimes I wonder if I should have chosen Culinary Arts as my major, but then I remember how hectic a kitchen is." She shudders, then continues, "I, uh, rearranged your spices and cleaned up a bit. I hope you don't mind." A quiet alarm goes off on her phone, and she quickly moves to pull the eggs off the heat and onto a plate before turning to grab another pair of eggs. As she turns to do so, David can clearly see a cow's tail swishing around her ankles before she turns back to face David, eggs frying once more. "Anyways, I though I'd thank you and Kevin for letting me borrow the couch by making breakfast. Want some?"

Knight of Cups

The boy spins and jerks, glowing brighter and brighter as Lemick watches. A child wandering by calls to the boy, "You look stupid," breaking his concentration.
"No, you look stupid!" He yells back.
"No, you do!"
"No, you!"
"No, you!"
"No, you!"
The argument looks like it might be escalating dangerously.

Four of Cups

The man called Johnny snorts at Lorelei's counter. "Values and virtues, where they gonna get you, huh? All they do is make life harder on you. If I didn't have a jacket, and I took one from you, what says you had the right to the jacket in the first place? I'm clearly better suited to benefiting from your jacket than you are. And really, equal worth? You're saying a dime-a-dozen hollowed out pothead is worth as much as the President? C'mon, you're gonna have to gimme somethin' new if you want me to consider your position properly," he says, beckoning with his fingers. Jabbing a thumb towards the one called Roscoe, he finishes, "I've heard this all before from the hunk of meat over there."

Seven of Cups

"Yeah, well, here's to hoping it all turns out well, against all odds, eh?" Johnson replies to Robert, lifting the consultant's business card. "Oh, before I forget, I heard there was a great handmade furniture stall just around the corner... shall we, Michael?" With that, Johnson and Michael disappear into the crowd, while Aella departs with a simple "see ya" and the noodle vendor mentions that he's going on break. In moments, Robert is left at the empty stall four business cards shorter and four acquaintances greater. Off to one side, space has been cleared as a street juggler has started dancing with glowsticks on strings, while further down the street it sounds like a jazz combo is beginning to play. At the same time, the discussion has taken energy, and it's clear that more than a few people are already heading homewards.

[justacritic]

"No" Lemick said to the two children "the one here who is stupid is me."

[Azlan]

Lore blinked rapidly for a moment before sighing noticeably, "I am not sure how to go about this, but, um, you would need to possess some, moral characteristics, in order for us to have an intelligent conversation on this topic.  If you truly believe as you have spoken, then your mind functions differently than most others.  Those views reflect a sociopathic tendency, and my only recommendation would be for you to see a professional and talk out these thoughts.  If everyone thought this way, than we would have no order, no society, and no culture.  There is always going to be someone smarter or stronger, and those victimized and oppressed will eventually band together and topple the tiny minority that alone holds more might than any one of them.  You, nor I or your friend Roscoe have the right to assign value to any other person or life beyond our own."

Pinching the bridge of her nose to stave off the headache that was brewing, Lorelei continued, "might never makes right, and the ends do not justify the means.  It is all very cliche, but true.  We now select those in our society, as a whole, to make decisions in the best interest of the majority.  That hasn't always gone swimmingly unfortunately, but each one for themselves and might makes me right ways will not provide for a stable society.  Most change their mind on this view the minute someone stronger comes along and takes what they have.  We have an impasse though, because those set in their views are not going to change views based on words alone, I propose we agree to disagree."   

[AmberCross]

David looked from her to the bacon in mild surprise. He didn't really have an explanation or rational reason, but for some reason he had pegged her as the vegan type. When he saw her tail as she turned around, that really only reinforced his surprise and part of his mind idly wondered what she might be. Some sort of minotaur? Perhaps just a side effect of magic gone wrong? He didn't really wonder for long or very hard, he was more surprised that she was making breakfast than that she had a tail. A thought flitted through his head wondering what that said about him that he accepted such things as essentially normal by now as she offered him some of the results.

He paused a moment looking at the plate she held before shrugging. "Sure," he said in reply. "I don't normally eat breakfast type foods, but that's mostly cause I don't care enough to actually cook them myself." David grabbed a fork from a drawer, hesitated a moment and then grabbed two more as well as some extra plates and put them on the counter near the stove before clearing off a section of the table. He grabbed some bread, put them in the toaster and transferred two eggs to his plate with some of the bacon and sat down, getting up to fetch the toast when it was ready and putting two more slices in for the next person. He looked at Christina thoughtfully as she supervised the next batch of eggs. "So, are you Kevin's girlfriend or just his girl friend?" he asked her, wondering how she knew Kevin and why she was staying here tonight. Kevin may suffer from elitest tendencies about being a mage, but in purely mortal matters he was still a pretty decent person and a thougtful roommate. If it hadn't been sudden he would have warned David about it much earlier than leaving a note after the fact.

[Inumo]

Six of Swords

"Oh!" Christina exclaims at David's remark, blushing. "Oh, no, no, nothing like that. Kevin... helped me with one of my projects, I guess is the best way to put it. I was in a bit of a rough spot, you see. We've been friends since, though, you know?" Serving up a plate of breakfast food, she puts it into the oven before starting to make the last plate. "Honestly, if he did feel about me that way I wouldn't know what to do. He's a good friend but, well, not like that. 'Sides, last I heard he was-- wait, I should probably let Kevin tell you that himself." Her tail swishes back and forth as she looks apologetically at David. "Sorry, I've probably only made you more curious. Quick, what's Kevin done that's embarrassing lately? I need to have some counters ready for when he brings up my klutzy history to retaliate. Assuming you ask about it, of course."

Nine of Cups

"Who are you?" The boy asks Lemick, screwing up his face in disgust. Meanwhile, the other child tugs on his arm.
"Run!" the kid exclaims. "Joshua said he's bad!" A look of terror takes over the boy's face and both children run off as fast as they can.
"Well, aren't you quite the terror," an Arab woman in loose silk pants of a shimmering blue and a similarly-colored vest teases as she drops from a nearby tree. "The name's Ginnie. Looks like you might need some help with handling kids. I might be able to help you out with that... for a price." She draws a business card from a hidden pocket inside her vest. Handing it to Lemick, she finishes, "Call me if you're up for it."

Ace of Pentacles

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, lady, where did that come from?" Johnny responds to Lorelei, splaying his hands towards the woman in a pacifying gesture. "You've completely misunderstood my intention. You're assuming that I actually live by this philosophy, but you gotta understand, I do have morals. But from an entirely survival perspective, I'm arguing that humanity is logically Hobbesian. When there is no social structure to create morals, when it's either you survive and prepare for the days ahead or the guy or gal next to you does, you're gonna choose yourself over them, you got me? Geeze, Roscoe, you were right, talkin' to a human wasn't so good an idea. Let's bail."
"Ha!" Roscoe exclaims triumphantly before leading Johnny off. "C'mon, heard there was a good street act through this Gate..."

[Chairtastic]

Nanabi was truly offended that a -kappa- was questioning her knowledge of Japanese myth.  She had forgotten many things, true, but one did not forget a -kappa-.  But of course she didn't let that show.  Werewolves?  That she truly didn't understand; a western creature, she knew they were shapeshifters, tied to the moon, and nothing beyond that.  "I was born in the homeland, but it has been a long time since I visited, and my memory of the old stories has faded.  Some things stayed, however."  Nanabi's voice carried a trace of steel near the end.  "And..to be truthful, I do not recall.  I am... old, I forget things.  A nice man tried to explain everything to me, but I admit I didn't..quite understand all of it.  And I have been afraid to ask again; preferably with someone who speaks Japanese."  Years of work in the field of business went into that lie, partial it may be.  She had no idea what the stance on werewolves was within this mythic place, but a Kappa stood before her now; perhaps a perfectly nonviolent one, but one without the major weakness used to save humans from their grasp, and with a crowd of children near her.  A gamble, then.  She could well lose; but what would be would be.