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Phyx Faraday:
As evening approached in Philly, business at Al’s 24hr had slowed, traffic in and out of the city reducing as night fell. Still the rest stop and garage had its lights on, staff keeping things clean or seeing to various tasks around the place. Only those of keen eye and a certain knowledge would recognize the way they all carried themselves; used to, and prepared for, violence.
It was a bright, cheery atmosphere though, the convenience store well lit and clean, and the garage warm and cozy. It was there as usual that Phyx waited to meet friends and prospective clients before moving on, and as usual there was a complicated apparatus on one workbench carefully percolating coffee.
Dressed in a pair of jeans, sturdy work boots kept clean, and a button down t-shirt advertising the rest stop, Phyx relaxed by the coffee machine, idly watching the finished product drip into a large beaker with a handle on the side. Having scheduled a time to meet and speak to Aurelio again, he was relaxed and at ease as he waited. For Aurelio and other company. He did not look quite so at rest as he watched the coffee.
Jane Murphy:
Jane was in the garage, eating her way through some nachos from the convenience store and peering into a textbook. She was dressed in what looked to be red-colored designer leather motorcycle gear; jacket, pants, boots, gloves, all matched and looking stylish. Her yellow-blond hair was tied back in a ponytail; her finger went down the pages line-by-line at an impressive pace, following her eyes as she read.
Aurelio Menegi:
The rumble of a well-maintained motorcycle hit the mechanic's ears as Aurelio approached the garage, the silver and chrome Ducati a fitting choice for the black-clad Torrent. He rolled up smoothly and found a place to park, giving Phyx and Jane a nod as he made his way inside. "Bueno sera."
Phyx Faraday:
As the bike pulled up Phyx looked up, giving a nod as he spotted Aurelio coming in. He offered a bright and cheery wave, standing to offer a hand and to get a better look at the Changeling’s ride. “Nice bike. That’s a beauty there. Good to see you again.” He grinned, looking back to Jane. “Have the two of you met yet? This is one of my colleagues, Soteria.”
Canary Quill:
Canary, for her part, despite her enhanced senses is fairly oblivious of the Lost's arrival, given that most of her is parked under a vehicle, presumably belonging to a customer, some interesting clanking noises indicating that she's hard at work tuning it up.
Jane Murphy:
Soteria waves to Aurelio and greets him in Italian with a smile, continuing, "Nice to meet you." She checks out the bike and nods to Phyx, "Guessing we can skip the 'friend of yours?'" She asks sarcastically with an elbow nudge.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Thank you. It is an older bike but it rides well." Aurelio smiled a touch, perking up as Jane spoke in his native tongue. "Good to meet you as well," he replied in kind as he offered a hand to shake, one she would find cooler than normal to the touch with the nicks and cuts of bladework clear to see for those with the eye for such things. Canary earned a cursory glance but he kept his attention on Phyx, chuckling quietly at the light ribbing.
Phyx Faraday:
“Oof. Right, sorry. And a friend of mine. As is Canary, who’s currently under the car there. And yeah, Aurelio is a friend I met at Maddy’s. So passed the vetting process. Want any coffee?” He gestured to the percolating coffee apparatus. “It’s a safe place in here, though safer a bit further in.” He gestured to the bike. “Need a tune up? I do good work but Canary has me beat when it comes to the automotive world.”
Canary Quill:
Canary hears her name over the din of her work and slides out from under the car, hair messed up and hands and face darkened by patches of dirt and grease. She grabs a rag and starts wiping off her hands. "Heya." She waves, clearly demonstrating why she wasn't going in for a handshake.
Jane Murphy:
Soteria came in for the handshake, though her gloved hands take no note of his nicks and cuts or coldness, and she let Phyx ask the questions for now while she resumed her reading. The textbook was on surgical medicine, the pictures inside were.. rough.
Aurelio Menegi:
"I keep it maintained, but not opposed to a professional taking a look." Aurelio switched back to English at Phyx's questions, nodding at the offer for coffee. "I will take some, yes. Also very curious to see your workshop."
The Torrent's handshake was firm but not overly so, with Canary getting a nod as she approached. "Aurelio, good to meet you."
Phyx Faraday:
Phyx grinned as Canary came out from under the car, giving his fellow mechanic a nod. “We’re gonna head down if you want to take a break and join us.”
Phyx did take note of the curious coolness of Aurelio’s hand, his own calloused from work but clean and tidy. “We can definitely manage a professional look. But tell me… how do you feel about rocket boosters? Add a real touch of verve and elan I find.”
As the offer of coffee was taken up, Phyx went to pour himself a mug, and get one for Aurelio as well. “Anyone else want one before we head down? French pressed and everything.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And then we can go to the workshop yeah. Came to see it at a good time, it’s really grown into something amazing.” He passed the Torrent his coffee and gestured to a glass front mini-fridge where there was milk, half and half and cream, various sweetness and non-diary creamers available as well.
“Not that there isn’t coffee downstairs. But this coffee went through a beakers and flask, and that makes it extra tasty. I can’t do this downstairs, too easy to mistake it for something else.”
He looked to Jane, and the book and back again. “Want to join us as well? Take minute?”
Jane Murphy:
She shrugged, "Might as well. Still mostly ahead of things." Jane closed the book and nodded, "I got Mountain Dew Code Red, so I'm good." She raised her fountain drink and grabbed a bite of nachos to finish it off.
Canary Quill:
Canary finishes cleaning off her hands and shrugs. “I’m about done with this thing so sure I can take a break.” She takes a mug of coffee and sips it contentedly.
Aurelio Menegi:
"That...could be interesting. Not sure how much it would be used, though." He chuckled, taking the offered cup of coffee and keeping it unaltered. He did look over the set-up, though, nodding with approval. "I added some equipment for metalworking in my own space recently, has come in handy for a recent commission."
Phyx Faraday:
"That's the way to be. Mostly ahead of this. Get too far ahead though and ya gotta wait for the rest of time to catch up. Takes aaaaaages." Phyx grinned. "Ah yes. Mountain Dew Code Red. The elixir of life." Still chuckling, he thoroughly adulterated his own mug of coffee with a great deal of cream and lots of sugar.
Smiling at Canary, he gave her a thumbs up as he strolled towards the large, squat furnace in one side of the garage, taking a sip himself. He grinned again at Aurelio. "I'm not actually sure either, save for the sudden need to blast across the night sky over Philly, cackling and raining down hard candy. Or maybe something else, I'm sure there's something. And nice! I'd love to get a look at your set up sometime. If you ever have a specific need, I'd say come down here if it'll help. As an aside, do you have any issues with claustrophobia or being underground? Just checking."
Jane Murphy:
Jane grabs her drink and gets ready to head down with the others.
Canary Quill:
Canary chuckles at the discussion of rocket boosters and continues to sip her black coffee as the group waits to descend.
Aurelio Menegi:
"It is not...easily accessible to most, unfortunately. I would otherwise show you, though." He gave an apologetic look, shaking his head at the question. "Should be fine, as long as there is light."
Phyx Faraday:
"Plenty of it." Phyx raised a brow curiously at that, then nodded. "Well, I guess I'm no one to say I don't understand having a harder to get to spot." He went to the wall and pressed his hand against it, part of it sliding away to reveal a set of doors that opened onto a circular elevator, which did indeed have light, and warmth, and music playing. "Step right this way then, and down we go."
Waiting for all four of them to enter, the space was still fairly comfortable and large enough not to seem claustrophobic. Once everyone was in, the doors shut and the carriage began gliding quietly downwards, jazz playing lightly through the speakers. When the doors opened again, it was on a sight his fellow Lost Boys were used to, but would be new to Aurelio.
The 'bottom' floor they walked out onto was lined with rows of workbenches, scientific and computer bays, and areas for armor and weapon smithing, gun repair and design, and a variety of other options, while corridors further down led off to Automotive and Infirmary. One section of wall was devoted apparently to shelves and chests and rows of odds and ends, talismans, amulets, daggers, and various books simply labeled "Occult" overhead.
In the back was where Phyx led them all though, where a lounge area sat next to a kitchenette, a plinth for taking measurements, and a section with tools nearby for that purpose. He looked back to Aurelio and grinned, gesturing around. "Welcome to Ars Armory. If you want something made, or need help making it, dollars to donuts we can do it. And now thanks to Soteria, we can keep people alive too." He thumbed towards the sign for the Infirmary.
Jane Murphy:
"I also work with another clinic in a different part of town, so I'm able to help even more people in the city with the right facilities to help recovery; whether they get additional 'extra-medical' assistance or not." She nodded, "Very proud of it."
Canary Quill:
"And as Phyx here has already mentioned, I'm the mech whiz. There's not an engine on this planet I can't make purr."
Aurelio Menegi:
"It is a space that only those like myself can reach easily, and even then it can be dangerous for us, more so for others." He offered as an explanation, settling in on the back wall of the elevator as the quartet piled inside. When the doors opened again his eyebrows shot upwards, a notable look of surprise for the normally-stoic Torrent. He took his time looking things over as they were escorted to the lounge area, marveling at the equipment displayed. "Very impressive..."
"Good to hear." He nodded to Jane with a small smile. "A friend of mine owns a clinic of her own and I have started assisting her there as well. Some of the weavings I know can speed healing along."
"I can do my own repairs on that front," he added to Canary, "but my focus lies in glass and wood primarily, although I dabble in other things."
Phyx Faraday:
Phyx beamed at Jane, giving her a nod. "And damn well should be. Our facilities rival any major metropolitan hospital, that's for sure. Seems like there's lots of folks around who might not be able to easily go to one and not get hassled, or might need a bit of extra care, like you said. And Canary's not kidding. I've taken a back seat on the automotive stuff, I'm just trying to catch up to her in the meantime." He chuckled at that, nodding at the explanation from Aurelio.
"I can dig it. I only know so much about the great, wider world of weird out there, but that's a fairly reasonable explanation I'd say. Sounds pretty fascinating, I won't lie." At the Changeling's comment he grinned, tipping an imaginary hat. "Well thank you. When I decided to set up shop in the area, I wanted to make sure that whatever needed to get done, could get done. This place is full of surprises. Hell, you know the big pomegranate?" He gestured up with one finger. "That's a giant sand battery. It can store gigawatts of power in the sand inside of it as heat. Can't run out of power down here either."
"I remember you saying. You do glass stuff. I forget if I asked if you'd ever worked with quartz, but if you're of a mind, I at least do have a need of, and have the budget for, someone who knows how to work glass."
Jane Murphy:
She nods in agreement with Phyx and looks to Aurelio, "Who's your friend? I might know them. I've gotten to know a good number of people." She sticks with the group as the tour guide explains the mad science.
Canary Quill:
Canary additionally nods at the Changeling's remarks. "Wood and glass, I can respect that. Everyone has their own art."
Aurelio Menegi:
"There is quite a lot to learn, even when you think you know much. You work with the strega yourself, yes?" He paused briefly, realizing the native word might not be familiar to the Sleepwalker. "Magic users, I mean."
"I have before, yes. Little more difficult to work with, but doable. What do you have in mind to be made with it?" He nodded, glancing up to the battery in question with a quirked eyebrow. "I see...very interesting."
"Her name is Petra." He held a hand at the level to match the diminutive Courser's height as a reference. "About yeah high, dark hair I believe. Also owns an RV that she uses as a mobile clinic."
"Indeed." He nodded to Canary. "I am always willing to learn from others in their crafts, as we can offer much to each other that way."
Phyx Faraday:
"There's always more yeah. Figure I'll stop learning when I'm did. Kind of hard to at this point. I got a lot of info in my head 24/7, gotten kind of used to it." Phyx chuckled at that, nodding at the question in return. "Helmet visors mostly. Some generally fiddly stuff, but it's not something that can really be machined, have to do it by hand. I can cheat, but I only have so much knowledge."
His brow furrowed slightly. "Name's familiar I think, but I don't believe I've met her. Sounds like a good egg though. Wouldn't be much trouble to help kit her out if she needs it. I'm a pretty big fan of medicine and getting people health care."
Jane Murphy:
"I don't think I have met her, but now I'll be keeping an ear out; seems like good people to know." She nods, "I work with magic users, myself. I'm not a magic user, though, but I'm capable of some pretty impressive stuff." She chuckles and shakes her head.
Canary Quill:
"I'm still fuzzy on exactly what's magic and what's not. I get different answers depending on who I ask." Canary takes another large swig of coffee.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Ah...that I can do. Would just need the specifications and the material."
"I can have her reach out to you if you like, or vice versa." He offered to Jane, nodding as she explained her current alliances. "I have heard of some of their abilities and they are...concerning in ways, but those here seem to put them to good use. We all have our gifts, some better at things than others."
Phyx Faraday:
"Oh yeah. Right. Yeah I know a fair few magic users at this point." Phyx donked his head at having forgotten to respond. "It's all really amazing. Though the flagrant violation of thermodynamics still boggles my mind a bit. Probably always will. You said you do weavings? Like of magic?" He looked both curious and fascinated.
Grinning at Jane, Phyx gave a nod. "I can say the same as well. Definitely I don't know that anything I do technically counts as 'magic', but I fake it ok." He winked and took a sip of his coffee, then nodded to Canary. "I have the same issue. Never quite sure how the taxonomy really works." He shrugged, then gave Aurelio a broad smile. "Excellent. I can definitely get you both, no problem." Phyx shot the changeling a thumbs up. "And that we are. Plenty of stuff I can't do, but plenty of stuff I can. And yeah please do. If at any point she needs a hand, that's what we're here for."
Jane Murphy:
Jane looks to Canary, "Yeah, I think the best way I can summarize what I've learned is that the kinds of stuff I can do with my 'special skills' is to what a Life mage can do kind of like the difference between a technician and an engineer. There's stuff we can do, and even get creative with it, but they seem to get how things work on a deeper and broader level."
Canary Quill:
"I meant more that like, the Changelings have their magic and the Vampires have their magic too, but they all seem so different. But we're not here for academic discussion on the nature of magic."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Si. They are part of promises made with ideas and concepts that we have access to, able to do different things through the lens of those oaths. She who taught me upon my return called them weavings as she was a lace-maker by trade, and I do the same in her honor. For myself I can perfect tools, call upon weapons, heal others or grant them rest, and other things."
"Not my usual strength, no." He nodded to Canary with a small smirk, taking a sip of his coffee. "It is fascinating in its own way, though."
Phyx Faraday:
"But I would love an academic discussion on the nature of magic. I've got a slide projector and notecards and everything..." Phyx pouted, but in a ludicrously melodramatic fashion. "I get the same sense from the Mages yeah. I got no clue about the vampires though. That's all in the weeds for me still." He shrugged there.
As Aurelio explained, Phyx nodded, listening to the explanation intently. "That certainly makes sense. And probably weaving might not be the worst metaphor, from how I understand magic can influence reality." A brow went up. "Perfect tools you say? Curious. Most interesting. I can't call upon weapons per say, but I carry enough that it might not matter." He grinned there.
Jane Murphy:
"I like a good discussion over it, but yeah, not everyone's thing." She nodded. "Calling upon weapons sounds cool. I have to stash all mine, can be a bit annoying." Jane looks to Phyx and chuckles, "That's why I prefer hand-to-hand, no weapon to keep track of."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Mmhmm. Makes them easier to use, granting a better outcome in what you are crafting. The blessing can be applied to people as well, adding skill to their own." Aurelio nodded, glancing around and then up at the sand battery before looking back to the trio. "I can show you one of the weapons if you like. Would take a bit of charge from the battery, but not much."
Phyx Faraday:
To that Phyx tipped his head. "Entirely fair. And it would be nice if I had some sort of access to Hammerspace, that's for sure. But also, that's why a lot of my stuff collapses down. Makes it easy to carry." He grinned and stuck his tongue out, clearly joshing.
At the offer from Aurelio the Lost Boy's brows rose and he nodded. "I mean, I can't argue with improving my tools for better outcomes. Sounds fantastic. And yeah I'd love to see that. And I doubt the battery will notice much. Though how do you mean exactly?"
Jane Murphy:
Jane was also intrigued by this and one of her own eyebrows raised to signal her own curiosity.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Not much, just a handful." And indeed, Aurelio reached up towards the battery, focusing on the current within and teasing a measure of it out to coil around his hand. With a few smooth motions he pulled and stretched it into a pair of gauntlets, phantom nodes at the wrists and knuckles keeping the arcs in place.
Phyx Faraday:
Phyx watched, fascinated, as Aurelio did his thing. The trail of electricity coiling around his hand and somehow contained clearly impressed the engineer, as did the shaping of it further. He stared a bit, tilting his head to look and consider. "Wow damn that is really something. So do you need a source of electricity to do that? I actually use gauntlet weapons myself a fair bit, and they don't do that, but they are pretty heavily charged..." He grinned. "I love it. That's a hell of a trick. I appreciate the share. I can something similar, but not exactly. Sort of."
Jane Murphy:
Jane whistled and nodded, impressed, "Damn, how about that. That's.. yeah, not even sure how to conceptualize that exactly." Her eyes study them, "Are they warm, or is it like wearing nothing?"
Aurelio Menegi:
"Si, or another element: torch, bucket of water, things like that." He nodded, letting the pair look over the gauntlets as they hummed in preparation to be unleashed. "I fight more by grappling myself, so I use these more often than actual blades. Both can be called on, though."
"A little warm, but not uncomfortable. It will not harm me while it is in use."
Phyx Faraday:
"That is pretty darn keen. Trying to maintain that level of stable structure in combat is definitely a bit of a strain on my resources, but not too bad. That though." He gestured to the electrical gauntlets. "Is a pretty keen trick. This is like the 'weaving' you were talking about? Same idea? Different thing?"
Jane Murphy:
Soteria nods and looks between the two of them as they talk, with definite interest in Aurelio's explanations.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Same thing. This is a certain weaving, tied to oaths of strength and nature's fury embodied by the Sword. Other martial effects fall under it as well."
Phyx Faraday:
Phyx nodded slowly. "That sounds like useful taxonomy to understand. I will keep that in mind." He smiled at that. 'And I appreciate you showing us. That's super cool. I can see why the term weaving fits."
Jane Murphy:
"I don't quite understand," She tilts her head and shrugs. "But I gotta agree: it's really cool."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Very welcome." He flexed his hands and released the Contract, letting the electricity dissipate back into the air. "Much of our power comes from promises and oaths, some which were made by those who took us and we inherited in kind. Others we forged ourselves, and the ties that we share in sworn words give us strength."
Phyx Faraday:
Phyx thought on that for a moment, finishing his coffee and staring absently into the mug for a moment. Eventually he looked up at Aurelio and Jane and shrugged. "I sort of understand some of it? I've been given a loose overview of the... general situation of the Lost, so I kind of follow? I suspect that without being in the middle of it it's probably hard to grasp in full. But I appreciate the explanation. So like these oaths and promises and stuff, connect you to largely ideas and concepts or forces? Like Sword is nature's fury and stuff. So in a way you get that power from those natural things? Like that?"
Jane Murphy:
Aurelio's explanation got further nods and an expression that conveyed a degree of expanded understanding. Phyx's questions seem to mirror the direction she was going to head, so she simply looks to Aurelio with continued interest.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Mostly, yes." He nodded, taking a sip of his own coffee before continuing. "I heard it said once that at our core we are stories, shaped by outside hands but given the chance to steal back the pen and write our own futures. I always liked that view of it."
Jane Murphy:
"Does sound like a good view. One I can kinda relate to, considering what I got out of." She looked to Phyx.
Phyx Faraday:
"Certainly sounds like something I wouldn't mind being able to do myself. Not a lot of chance for the characters in the story to choose their own path." He shared Jane's look and nodded in return. "Yeah given that you're the Lost and we're the Lost Boys, maybe we share that sort of thing. Not in the same way, but like... kissin' cousins or something."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Agreed. Getting away from those that control us is always worth celebrating."
Jane Murphy:
She looks between the two of them, "In any case, I should probably leave you two to talk shop some more, I should probably get back and hit the books some more. Gotta stay on top of it all, yeah?" She nods to Aurelio, "Was good meeting you, and been good talking to you."
Phyx Faraday:
Phyx smiled and gave Jane a pat on the shoulder, nodding. "Oh for sure. It's getting a little late, and there's only so much rest for the wicked." He chuckled at that. "Take care of yourself, and get along safe." He offered a salute to Jane as she headed off, looking back to the Lost. "I might be closing up in a bit myself. Another day of trying to figure out whacky mad science tomorrow, and all that. I'm glad you came by though. I hope you found it most elucidating and enjoyable."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Same to you. Have a good evening." Aurelio nodded to Jane as she readied to depart, then looked to Phyx. "Very welcome, and I did. You are very good company."
Phyx Faraday:
Phyx beamed. "Well thanks kindly, I'm right obliged. I at least try to be entertaining, if not exactly productive." He chuckled at that. "But I can certainly say the same for yourself. And I'm looking forward to working together on various stuff. I have a few things in the pipeline further down the road, dunno if they might be your bag or not, but when they ripen I'll be sure to drop you a line. Sort of a group project I'm working on, trying to bring some extra oomph to things." He shrugged. "We'll see what the future brings."
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