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Klaire was sitting in the Arboretum, in a calm and quiet spot among the beautiful plants that grew here. A book was in one hand, and the other was on her knee, legs crossed in a meditation position. She took deep and even breaths while reading, calm, and enjoying the rich air.
Sometimes it might seem like Yael doesn't actually do much, because a lot of being one of the People of the Hour, when it comes right down to it, is wandering. She puts herself onto the tides of Fate like a frizzy-haired bit of flotsam and lets her feet wander. And so, accompanied by a beautiful red merle border collie who walks at her side without a leash, Yael wanders into the Arboretum, one hand in the pocket of her battered brown leather bomber jacket, the other holding a large metal coffee travel mug with half of its purple, green, rose and yellow floral design worn off.
The dog pauses to sniff at a plant, and Yael lingers for a moment, letting her.
It is entirely possible that the border collie smells Rook on Klaire, but either way, the Sleepwalker looks up with a small smile.
"They're beautiful. And very well behaved."
She shifts her thumb to keep her page in the book.
"Hey, thanks," Yael answers. Her alto voice is ... uniquely raspy, in that it sounds like a frog and a bag of gravel had a baby who grew up smoking three packs a day. "She's a working dog. My family's been breeding them for sixty years. Drummer, easy." The dog tips her head up towards Yael, and falls away from her side, slowly creeping towards Klaire. "That's Drummer. I'm Yael. Or Alea Iacta Est, if we're being formal. You're new, since I was home last, I think?"
The small smile continues.
"My service dog is at home today. Drummer is a wonderful name for a wonderful pup."
"Klaire, or Psyche if we are being formal. I am quite new to the Consilium, I have only been here since November. I take it you have been a part of the Consilium for a while then?" Then the name clicks. "I believe I saw a message recently that you returned, but I will be frank, I only skimmed it, so do not remember many of the details."
She smiles that easy smile of hers while Drummer creeps closer to Klaire in that stereotypical border collie creep. "Aww, thanks. Lev picked that one, or one of his friends did. Drummer's just about three." A lazy roll of her shoulders as she paces closer. "Sort of. I was actually a member of the, uh, of Shackamaxon Freehold for almost twenty years, and then I was very briefly kind of a member of the Consilium. I went out west, spent some time with the Children of the Tree in California, out in the Redwoods. And that's fine, you didn't know me, why would you remember?"
Klaire averts her gaze gently as one does with a dog, offering a hand for Drummer to sniff if he wants. She does look surprised about her being part of the Freehold.
"As a Lost or a...I forget their terms. Their Sleepwalkers?" A slight pause. "My partner is a member of the Freehold, so I know bits and pieces. She was Taken and Escaped last year."
A nod. "I suppose that is a good point. We have many people here from California it seems."
"Uh, yeah, it's Avowed or Fae-Touched." Yael scratches her cheek absently. "Lost can't Awaken. One of them can never become one of us. The, uh, the Gentry fuck 'em up too much. Their souls are -- " A little shake of her head, a wave of her hand. Drummer sniffs at Klaire's hand and then carefully licks one of her fingers before scooting off to one side where she can watch both of the people and make sure that they Stay Where They Belong. "Well, congratulations to her that she -- came back so fast?"
A little shrug, there. "I didn't know that, about, ah, California. That's pretty cool."
A frown at that.
"I see. I'm still furious whenever I learn about what He did to her. It was unfortunatly not so fast for her. A single night for us, decades for her, we didn't even know something was wrong until she dissapeared on us, and for myself, I couldn't find her when scrying."
A slow nod.
"Off the top of my head, Masters Aperature, Sirius, and Thespis are all from California. I know finding people with common roots can be nice."
She nods her head, looking off towards the tree. "I don't think anyone has 'fast' when it comes to the sort of torture that involves shredding people's souls on, ah, big nasty psychotropic thorn things. You ever been in the Hedge? It's a real fucking piece of work." A little shake of Yael's head, and she crouches, reaching a hand out. "Hey, at least you didn't end up having to deal with one of the fakes. Those things are rough." A small shake of her head, there.
"That's cool. I didn't really settle down in California, wouldn't call myself 'from' there. I'm an East Coast Jew, we're a little too neurotic for California." Drummer yawns real big, making a little soft sound at the end of the yawn. "But I should see if we know any of the same people. Mage geography is a little like Jewish geography that way." Yael scratches her cheek lazily. "So, uh. Sleepwalker, right?"
"I haven't been in the Hedge, but I have seen some from a gate. I almost ended up being tricked across and...I could tell that would not have ended well."
A slow nod.
"One of Ylva's friends is dealing with theirs, so I've heard. I do not envy them in the slightest."
Her eyes follow the yawn, a smile at the pupper.
"They all enjoy talking, so that shouldn't be hard. I am a Sleepwalker, yes. I'd guess what Path you are but I'm not entirely sure." (edited)
"I haven't been in the Hedge, but I have seen some from a gate. I almost ended up being tricked across and...I could tell that would not have ended well." A slow nod. "One of Ylva's friends is dealing with theirs, so I've heard. I do not envy them in the slightest." Her eyes follow the yawn, a smile at the pupper. "They all enjoy talking, so that shouldn't be hard. I am a Sleepwalker, yes. I'd guess what Path you are but I'm not entirely sure." (edited)
"I don't really recommend going in unless you have to," Yael replies, her hand coming to rest on the pup's ruff so she can lazily scratching. "A lot of Lost treat it like it's ... safe? But not even Hollows are safe. I think to them, it's reassuring, to a certain extent. The Mask, uh, it doesn't exist in the Hedge? So like. For a lot of them, who don't always know what they're seeing, or what's really real, when they come back, at least in the Hedge, they know that what they're seeing is what is really there. Fetches look like Fetches, you always see someone's 'true face,' at least as far as they think it's the true face."
She sits down next to the pup, and when she stretches out her legs, her knees pop and crack. "Go ahead, take a guess," she offers with a low, raspy laugh.
"I can understand how that would be reassuring to them. I've helped Ylva with the attacks to her Clarity in the past, so having something thats....consistent is certainly nice."
She considers, not looking confident in her answer. "Thyrsus?"
"Exactly. It makes it dangerous to them as well, though, because like... " Alea scratches the dog's ruff lazily. "... it's tempting, you know? Some of them end up wanting to be there all the time, and it's dangerous."
A raspy laugh, then. "What, because of the dogs? No, no, I grew up on a sheep farm. Well, mostly sheep. My family has maintained the farm that my Great-Aunt Leah and her ... well, her wife, really... owned ever since Zoey disappeared back in the early '60s. No, I'm not a Thyrsus." Her left hand dips into the pocket of her jacket and comes out with an old-fashioned silver half-dollar, which she lazily walks between her fingers like Jareth with a glass ball. A glance aside at Psyche with a sly half-smile - she raises her eyebrows briefly, tosses the coin up into the air, and then catches it when the shining disc tumbles end over end back down towards her palm.
"Indeed. I do appreciate the insight, but also do not want to pry into a group that is not my own, and tends to be quite secretive."
She smiles.
"That was indeed what I was thinking, but that must be nice, too have such a long standing family home. With that display, am I to assume Acanthus?"
"You're not prying. I'm offering you information which might end up being helpful, on account of I spent like 20 years as a part of that community. It's important to understand some of the pitfalls, so when you see 'em, you can say 'hey, Ylva, I... '"
And then she pauses. "Wait. Ylva Theodulus?" As if there are a lot of Ylvas wandering around Philly. "Ylva. Shit. Really?"
"Well ain't that a shit sandwich with a side of crap fries. Ylva got Taken. Shit."
She laughs that raspy laugh of hers, as if savoring recently discovered irony, and flips the coin up into the air again. "Third Degree Master Alea Iacta Est, Daredevil and Enchanter on the Path to Arcadia, Supernal Realm of Fate and Time, and abode of Fae, Scion of the Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn, Master of Fate, Time, and Prime, Adept of Mind and Life, Sister of the Children of the Tree of the free peoples of the Unnamed Nations."
The silver coin lands back in her palm. "Yeah. Acanthus."
"Thank you."
She paused as the woman realizes.
"Indeed. We've been partners for nearly 6 years. She was Taken last year and Returned 12 hours later from our perspectives. At first we just thought she had fallen off the wagon again. It wasn't until I read her mind that I knew differently."
She is clearly taking notes on the title, and responds in kind.
"Sleepwalker Psyche, Acolyte of the Silver Ladder, Deputy Sentinel to Master Kaminari."
A nod, before responding.
"There are quite a lot of Masters here. I don't think I have met many that are in 3 different Arcanum. And it sounds like you are close to two more as well. Are you planning on Mastering those before learning others?"
"Thank you." She paused as the woman realizes. "Indeed. We've been partners for nearly 6 years. She was Taken last year and Returned 12 hours later from our perspectives. At first we just thought she had fallen off the wagon again. It wasn't until I read her mind that I knew differently." She is clearly taking notes on the title, and responds in kind. "Sleepwalker Psyche, Acolyte of the Silver Ladder, Deputy Sentinel to Master Kaminari." A nod, before responding. "There are quite a lot of Masters here. I don't think I have met many that are in 3 different Arcanum. And it sounds like you are close to two more as well. Are you planning on Mastering those before learning others?"
"Yeah, yeah. That's why we never -- her... wagon status. Um. I had a lot of responsibilities. The farm, Lev. All that. I didn't really -- " then Yael's voice just sort of trails off and she clears her throat, going quiet for a minute and petting the pup's ruff, her fingers reaching into the voluminous fluff and scratching at her skin.
"I saw that. Congratulations or my sympathies, whichever is more appropriate."
She rolls her shoulders. "I actually, uh, there isn't anything I don't know at least a little of. I try to be well-rounded, it makes it easier to respond to situations as they occur." A beat. "You can read minds? What's that like? Do you get images, sensations, or like, a scroll of text?"
"I understand. I'd also rather not get into whatever relationship you had. Knowing her I can guess, and I'd much rather not."
A pause to weigh which is more appropriate.
"There have been ups and downs. I was closer to Bones than Kaminari...but ultimately I'm more interested in dealing with the theat of the Mark IIs...so if this is where I can help, then this is where I can help."
She nods.
"My apologies for assuming. I can't...well, as a Sleepwalker there are just some things I don't grasp yet. I'm making an effort, but if your title is anything to go by, you are quite an impressive mage."
She pauses again to figure out how to describe it.
"Often, it is like hearing the surface words or ideas on someone's mind. If you have ever had a moment of 'oh no I said that out loud?' Its kind of like that. Digging deeper, it's less words and more...ideas, or how that person perceives things. After all, I'm reading their mind, not forcing it to be understood from my own perspectives. You can't look at a book and expect it to be like a movie, dynamic and colorful instead of detail oriented."
Then she remembers shes talking to a Mage. "Or...at least I can't."
"What? Oh. No, no, I mean, no." Yael's head draws back a little, and she laughs that raspy, croaky little laugh of hers, shaking her head. "We didn't have -- no. There was no... anything. Just one of those ... " And then there's an elaborate little head tilt, where Yael's face scrunches up as if considering, and then she shakes her head no, then she pauses as if considering once more, but then shakes her head again, as if she's memetically considering the kombucha she just tried. "Lev was in high school. I had to look after him. I couldn't ... " And then a wave of one hand.
"Nah, it's okay. I just don't announce everything. I get why people have to do the metaphorical dick-measuring, but I don't feel like I need to say 'and also, I learned a little bit about Death from a dude in Las Vegas.' It's enough to paint the broad strokes."
A wry little smile from Alea then. "It actually really depends for me on how the person themself thinks. I can't get pictures from an aphantasic mind any more than I could get salt water from a lake in Kansas."
"I'm not passing judgement, I assure you. I just also know my girlfriend." She mirrors the wave of the hand.
"I understand why. If Awakening is ever on the table for me, I might honestly just list my top one or two unless necessary. It takes too long for normal conversation. And then I just know I'll mess up at some point. An 'oh wait...actually I'm also a disciple of that now, I forgot.' And then the flow is ruined."
A joke? From Klaire? Is she alright?
"Indeed. It is quite interesting to see how different people's minds are. It makes you aware of the many differences between how our brains are wired."
"Right, I'm just saying. There's not a there there and there never was." She continues to pet the dog, who finally starts to relax. Mostly. Kinda. Anyway, she lays down and puts her head on Yael's lap.
She laughs that raspy, rusty laugh when Klaire makes what might pass for a joke, her hazel eyes glittering. "Exactly. And at the pace people around here learn things, boy, you could get confused quick!"
A shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah. I think if people understood how differently their brains work, we might give each other just a little bit more grace."
She smiles at the dog, letting that topic drop.
"I'm honestly not following how people improve their own skills at present, just congradulating when they announce to me that they have. I've been discovering some new things I am capable of as of late, so have been putting slightly more thought into that."
She nods.
"Agreed. I definetly wish that were the case. Maybe pushing towards that understanding will help people at large, I'm just not sure how to do that myself."
"Oh yeah? What have you been working on?" Yael's smile is easy and comfortable, and her fingers lazily thread through Daisy's fur.
"Mmm. You know, a lot of the time, I find just telling people about the way you see the world contributes to that, you know?"
"Telekinesis. I learned it in...December? I believe? I've slowly been getting better at it. At some point I'm going to go looking for Magpie for some help to get over this block I'm having."
"Magpie?" Yael asks, leaning back on one hand.
"A mage. Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever learned his Path or Order. His Legacy let him use telepathy and telekenisis without Supernal Magic. How, I'm not really sure, but it was something I could understand. He let me watch the inner workings of his mind as he did telekenisis, and I accidentally picked it up from there."
"Oh, right on, right on." Alea flashes Psyche one of her sidelong smiles, and pushes her frizzy hair out of her face. "Listen, uh, I've gotta go pick up some groceries and take them out to the farm, so I should probably take off. It was really good talking to you. And like... " She gets to her feet, and her knees pop and click like she's in her mid thirties or something. "If you have any questions about, like, uh, Lost society, that you don't wanna ask Ylva or anything? Feel free to give me a call." The Acanthus roots around in her pockets for a receipt and a pen, which naturally she just happens to have, and scribbles her phone number down on it, passing it over to Psyche.
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