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Whether they had needed a lift or gotten there on their own accord, Jeremiah graciously led Nevy into the Soulwardens' sanctum, his own spirits up and smile pleasant. Everything was ready to see what the medium thought about the first step of the Path, and the Warlock couldn't deny that he was a little bit excited about it.
Nevy showed up with a grocery bag in tow. "As promised!" They say. "I have a couple things, here. Mind if I use the oven for a bit?"
"Fine by me." He replied with a nod, making an 'after you' motion towards the kitchen before following them there. "Got everything set up in one of the work rooms upstairs."
Nevy nods. "It'll be about an hour for this stuff to bake, so we'll have time to do the Sight while it cooks." They step inside, then pause in the doorway, turning to grin. "Now, we don't want to spoil your surprise, do we?"
"Fair enough." He chuckled, stepping in far enough to grab two bottles of water from the fridge before skedadling once again and waiting outside the doorway. While he could cheat and take a peek that would indeed spoil the surprise, and what was the fun in that?
There's a little rustling of bags, crinkling of foil, and a bit of rattling, then Nevy comes back out. "There we go," they say, scrubbing at their hands with a paper towel. "So! You're the guide here. Now what?"
"Follow me." Jeremiah motioned for Nevy to do just that, leading the way to one of the rooms on the second floor that, for the moment, was set up as a rather comfortable meditation space: mats to sit on, soft background music already playing through a speaker in the corner, and an array of candles not yet lit, because fire safety is a thing than even the Awakened have to keep in mind. "Grab a seat and I'll get these set up."
Nevy does so, grunting slightly as they take a criss-cross-applesauce seat on one of the mats.
They look around and nod, keeping quiet for a moment in case he needs to focus
As Nevy got settled Jeremiah did a quick pass around the candles, brightening the room with a warm soothing glow that one couldn't really get from electric lights. Once that was done he took a seat across from them, smiling a touch. "You ever done any kind of guided meditation sort of thing before?"
Nevy nods. "A little. I'm nobody's idea of a guru, but I've done stuff like this once or twice."
"Good stuff. I never really got into it until I started my Jedi training, as it were, since a lot of what I learned early on focused on the mind and the rituals for the longer castings took a while...like a couple hours a shot." He set a bottle of water down beside each of them in case it was needed before lighting one more long candle between the two of them, letting the light act as a focus for what was to come. "You ready?"
They smile. "I have no clue. Let's go."
"Let's." He smiled in return, settling into a comfortable position before letting that lovely voice of his do its work as they began. The guidance offered wasn't your typical 'center your chakras' sort of stuff, although it did hit on some of the same notes in places - clearing the mind, focusing on the light of the candle in front of them and picturing that flame as the light that one carried against the darkness of the world. Everyone bore such a light, it was said, and every such mote yearned to scour away at what kept it hidden from the world at large.
Some time passed as the two sat, his even tone keeping at a steady place throughout, until he felt the attainment's workings settle into place. When Nevy next looked towards him there was a bright corona of light about him, pale ivory in color with little flickers here and there that wanted to be something solid but would need more focus to easily discern. "So..." he said with a small smile, looking quite pleased indeed. "What do you think?"
Nevy does their best to do as he guides - though they make a bit of a face at the 'light in the darkness' talk. Still, eventually they get into the swing of things. When the corona appears, they blink. "You... have an aura." They turn their head slowly to look around the room to see if anything else does, before looking back to Jeremiah.
Nothing else did at that moment, and Jeremiah nodded at the comment when Nevy's gaze turned back towards him. "Mmhmm. Everyone does, just about, and with it you can usually get a pretty good read on how connected to the Supernal someone is. Another configuration of it allows you to discern other sorts of supernaturals as well, which can be handy."
'Configuration?" They focus on the aura, trying to figure out what they can figure out from it.
"There are certain types of workings that we can do that become innate with the proper initiation into what we call a legacy, reshaping that part of us that makes us willworkers and allowing us to channel those spells through us in a set way. They help to avoid some of the downsides we'd have to deal with otherwise, but they're also not as flexible as a normal spell. Not sure if you've seen Fox shapeshift, but that's one of her legacy's attainments; if they did that same working as a normal spell and someone who wasn't aware of the unknown saw it it could bite them in the ass hard. This is one of mine, as part of the legacy I joined, which lasts longer than the usual version does but doesn't have that same capability to look at non-Supernal folks and go 'hey, what are you?'"
Nevy nods. They look at their own hand to see if they see any kind of aura there, too - then they pause and chuckle. "Sitting in a room filled with candles and staring at my own hand. My parents always told me this might happen if I got wrapped up with the wrong crowd."
"You and me both." Jeremiah replied with a chuckle, taking a moment to call up his own iteration of the spell to get a proper look at Nevy himself. Interestingly enough they did see an aura about themselves, not quite as vibrant but still present nonetheless.
They peer at their own dim aura, then at Jeremiah's. "So. This tells me how magey something is."
"Mmhmm. And if you focus on it you can get a better look at what flavor of magey they are, for example, or how closely they're tied to their particular Realm."
Nevy nods, then chuckles. "I'm guessing I'd need a bit more experience to tell pistachio mage from rocky road."
"It does take a little practice, yeah, especially when you factor in the other types of strange and unusual. You may get a look at a vampire, say, but you need to know what to compare it to." He nodded with a smirk, then made a brief motion towards himself. "Feel free to take a closer look if you'd like, and I can help decipher what you see if need be."
Nevy nods. "So everyone sees things the same way?"
"Not usually, no. It filters through a few different lenses, with the Path they awakened to being a big one, and for some folks it's not even seeing it but using other senses. You're seeing it how I do at the moment, though."
Nevy nods. "Does the color mean anything? You're glowing kind of... aged bone."
"Good question, honestly. Haven't figured out yet why it isn't a solid white." He allowed himself a smirk. "When you dig deeper it can change depending on what you're looking for."
"So what you're seeing actually changes? Like you were... flipping through layers in Photoshop?" They seem surprised
"Kind of, yeah. It comes through as different shapes in the light that represent the information you're looking for."
Nevermore nods. "Okay. So... what am I seeing. There's... shapes in there." They squint a bit. "But I can't really make them out."
"Those are those shapes we were talking about, just under the surface as it were. If you focus on a particular facet, like getting a read on the Realm I Awoke to, for example, those would become more clear."
Nevy nods. "Okay. So... I just need to think about, like... What Kind Of Mage Are You, and...?"
"And it'll show itself in the aura, yep."
Nevy is, indeed, focusing on that and trying to see how things change.
As they did so images rose into view, some cast in iron and others pitch black: complex mazes with shifting paths, images of seals used to bind demonic forces flickering and shifting like swiftly paging through a book, chains constantly being forged, broken and reforged once again.
They blink. "Woah. Trippy." They lean back slightly. "So... that seems like the Masta... um... Mastigos, right?
Jeremiah nodded with a small smile. "Got it in one."
They start to make their usual elaborate bow, wheeze a bit, and stand up to do so properly. "I am almost entirely perfect, after all."
"A pinnacle so many wish to reach." His smile widened as he nodded, offering a small seated bow in return.
The scent of tomato, italian spices, and cheese is wafting through the house. It's not quite the smell of those things burning... Yet. Nevy sniffs a couple times, then looks to the door. "I think it's about ready." They look to Jeremiah. "Will the Sight fade if we go to another room?"
Jeremiah perked up at the smell as it wafted upstairs, giving a little nod. "That smells amazing. And no, it'll be active for a bit yet. I'll get the candles handled and meet you downstairs."
Nevy nods, grins, and heads down into the kitchen. Rattle. Clatter. Clang
A minute or so later Jeremiah made his way into the kitchen, looking about curiously for whatever concoction Nevy had brought by...
Nevy's got a little foil dish, about 10 inches in diameter by 2 inches deep. They're using a couple spatulas to carefully fish a thick disk of food out of it onto a cutting board. It's got what looks like a golden brown crust beneath and up the sides, and the top is coated in thick red tomato sauce. Nevy grins. "Ever had Chicago style?"
"I have not, actually..." He replied with a smile, sliding by to grab plates to dish said pizza onto while Nevy wrangled it onto the cutting board. "That looks fantastic."
Nevy grins. "Lou Malnati's sells frozen pies. It's not the same as fresh from the restaurant, but at least it doesn't have American cheese on it like some of the pizzas I've seen around here." They roll their eyes, search the knife block for a properly serrated blade, and start dissecting the pizza.
"American cheese on a pizza...yeah no." Jeremiah shook his head firmly as he scooted over to the fridge. "Want anything in particular to drink? Got water, soda, couple different types of juice..."
It goes like this, while Nevy cuts the pizza into six slices slabs and serves it up: The crust is more crunchy, less crispy-chewy than most pizza, and is a quarter to a half inch thick. On top of that is a thick layer of properly gooey mozzarella cheese and a literal patty of italian sausage. All of this is covered with thick sauce that's been caramelized by the roasting in the oven into almost more of a paste than a sauce. No wonder this wonderful monstrosity had to bake for a full hour.
Nevy smiles. "Soda - Coke, if you've got it!" They set out a couple steaming slabs of Chicago-style deep dish pizza. "Mind snagging a couple knives and forks? This stuff calls for it." They take the opportunity to look around the place, seeing if anything else in the area is particularly Magey.
Depending on your views of oozy swaths of carbs, fats, salt, and sugar, the pizza might be tempting enough to resonate with Pandemonium, heavenly enough to resonate with the Aether... or deadly enough to resonate with Stygia. Or all of the above.
No magically-enhanced kitchenware, it seemed; all of Hearth's heavenly baking came from straight mundane skill.
"Can do, on both counts." Both beverages and fighting tools were gathered in short order, although the Warlock paused to marvel at the culinary magnificance before him. "I might have to squeeze a bike ride in before I pick up Aaron later to burn some of that off..."
Nevy laughs. "This isn't something you work off, my friend. Once you eat of the Chicago Style pie, forevermore is it part of you." They accept their canteen and implements of war with a grin. "Thank you."
"Noted, and quite welcome." He chuckled, claiming a spot at the kitchen table to properly enjoy the bounty before them. "Thanks again for coming by, by the way. 's been a bit since we've gotten to hang out."
Nevy nods. "It's good to." They glance around again, then shrug. "How's things been going with you?"
"Pretty well overall. Keeping busy at the cafe, talked with someone about picking up a new arcanum. Know I mentioned the stuff with Polly going well already." Cue a small and somewhat sheepish smile from the Warlock before he covered it with a sip of his soda. "We're also going to be hosting Aaron for a bit while he works on smoothing out some issues with folks making a mess in his neighborhood. Offered to help out there as well, both with the mess and since he's wanting to set up a block party kind of deal to bring the spirits back up in the neighborhood and I know a good number who'd be willing to take part on the music front."
Nevy nods. "He seems like a good man. Do you need help with any of it?"
"Not that I know of off-hand, but if something comes up I'll let you know. How are things going on your end?"
"Actually kind of quiet. I'm trying to think of ways to be more, uh... you know. Productive." They give a lopsided smile. "I can't work retail forever, right?"
"Quiet's good sometimes." He nodded, smiling in return. "Indeed...you've got way too much going for you. Have you done that run through Eastern State yet?"
They shake their head. "I've been having scheduling conflicts with the sponsor. I still think it'll happen, but it's going to take a bit."
"Ah...good luck. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with."
Nevy nods. "Me, too." They grin. "So. what do you think about this little taste of chi-town?"
"Really liking it, I have to say." He nodded with a smirk, taking another bite before continuing. "What was the name of the place you got it from again?"
"Lou Malnati's. Some grocery stores have them in the freezer section - that's where I got this one.".
"Good stuff. Will keep an eye out for it." He thought a moment before looking Nevy over. "To rewind a bit, is there anything in particular that you're wanting to do on the 'productive' front?"
Nevy shrugs thoughtfully. "I've been making friends with the local ghosts. I haven't been able to make huge progress helping any move on, but I've been trying. And... I feel like there's things I can do to help the, uh... differently-normal people around." They roll their eyes. "I mean. I may be a mere mortal, but you know I'm not helpless."
"Good luck there." He nodded quietly, giving them a look at the 'mere mortal' line although the sarcasm was clearly understood. "You are not, not in the slightest. What kind of things do you have in mind?"
"Well. For one thing, I can talk to ghosts. I'm friends with some of them. They trust me enough to tell me things sometimes. And... I think I'm a little less intimidating than a Mighty Wizard, or a Terrible Vampire, or a lot of the other folks around."
"Probably, yeah." Another small nod. "We can be a little...heavy-handed at times."
Nevy waggles a hand. "Juuuuuust a little." They shrug. "I can be a little silly sometimes, but I know ghosts. I like ghosts. And a lot of the time, they like me, too."
"Good." He smiled at that. "You're good people, glad they can see that too."
They shrug. "People can tell when you like them. It makes them want to like you too. And... I do think ghosts are people - more than some people give them credit for."
"True enough." He nodded quietly. "I don't have many dealings with them myself, admittedly, but I can believe it."
Nevy smiles. "Would you like to meet one, sometime?" They glance at the door to where they'd meditated. "It just seems fair."
"Totally." He smiled in return. "Always up for experiencing something new, and in good company besides."
Nevy chuckles. "Great! I'll have to see if any are up to it, but I should be able to find someone."
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