"Eh, I meannn..."  Andronicus seems uncertain, "They say you're supposed to just know, the moment you meet them.  Maybe because you fight real well with them or you're really attracted to them or they complement your flaws with their strengths.  Or maybe you both really really hate each other more than you should but it's all good because it makes you better."

The Minor God of Toaster Ovens and Virtual Reality scratches a red gem on his little green pointy head.  "I gotta apologize.  If she isn't she isn't, I mean, no big.  The old stuff doesn't matter anymore, no matter what all the other gods tell you.  I mean I may be a bit of a hypocrite cuz I asked you about that and I asked you to do things the right way but that's kind of my bread, you know?  But too many people are so focused on the way things should be than what they are.  So if you don't find a Lunar mate or whatever who cares."

Then he looks at Lucifer, three spindly arms coming out of the machine and folding in front of him.

"Question for you though.  I mean you're Lucifer, right?  Do you even have a peer?  Isn't pretty much every interaction you've got going to be put through that worldview?  That's gotta wear."

"Well I must admit, it's been... Extraordinarily hard keeping to that facade with her. And she does match a lot of those signs. She's had my back on the battlefield quite efficiently, and she seems to have... Well, for lack of a better term, a healthier work-life balance."

The little god might say it's no big deal, but there was plenty of food for thought in this area he'd half-consciously tried to avoid. And would try to continue to, at least for the next few hours. It'd be hard enough to terrorize the rookies without dealing with atypical feelings of attraction to one of them. Or his aberrant nature.

"There are the other Pre-Exodites, but... It's a small and rarely available peerage. You've given me plenty to think about, Andronicus III. Thank you."

"Everyone does their job, but sometimes we need to do more, so you're very very welcome if I've helped in any way."  The god sketches him a little bow and ducks back into the machine, perhaps with a tinge of embarrassment.  Words of humble praise from the preeminent Solar may be worth more than their weight in quintessence.

Which leaves the Solar alone in the room.  But he can hear talking out in the hallway- a high male voice, laughing at some kind of joke.  Finely-tuned Exalted senses also can feel the tinge of Fire essence in the air.

Daniel gives a little bow in return to the retreating god; no reason not to be polite to someone without a reason to. Besides, in the ever-shifting scenery of the Refuge, a little nudge like his might end up making big waves.

He focuses on the new sensory information for a moment. That would likely be Adam. He takes a last quick look around to see Kumiho was all set before exiting to the hallway. Why hide, at this point?

The Lunar is all set and, with the pod humming, sitting in some virtual-reality lobby.  Probably twiddling her thumbs, waiting.

It's not just Adam.  The higher-toned voice is actually Mountain.  The tall, grey-skinned man meets Lucifer's eyes.  Lucifer can see the light of his Exaltation behind them, animating the man with an intensity that doesn't quite fit his appearance.  He should be slow, ponderous.  Instead he almost seems to vibrate in place.  "Hello, can I help you?"

Adam, the Fire Aspect, stands next to him, having apparently told the joke.  The red-clad dragon-blooded swears under his breath, "Fuck, Mountain, you don't know who this guy is?  Pleased to meet you, Lucifer."

Well, that’s rather unusual. Not being recognized feels almost refreshing for a change.

”Greetings Adam, Mountain. The pleasure’s mutual.”

He offers a hand to each Exodite in turn, ready to respond in kind should Mountain’s grip match his stature. He was about the only Celestial Exalt aboard the Refuge he hadn’t met personally yet, and he admittedly had rather high expectations for the only Dawn among the Living. Particularly with the parallels some had been drawing between him and the Mountain.

”Looking forward to the training? I’ve been consulted in its design.”

Adam's handshake is firm, warm, and charismatic.  Lucifer's shaken a lot of hands in his time and he has Adam pegged instantly.  The man's a politician, through and through, even if he doesn't know it yet.  This is someone who knows people and knows them within an instant or two of meeting them.

Mountain, on the other hand, is so simple it's almost comical.  Because yes.  The handshake is crushing, though of the 'I do every handshake like this' variety instead of the 'Let me establish dominance' kind that are far too common.

"You have?"  Mountain's eyes spark further, "Oho!  Then I really am looking forward to this instead of the usual.  A change of pace is excellent for the bones!"

"Ah, great."  Adam looks at him, blinking slowly, "Will there be time for a quick chat before something that'll put us through the wringer, or should we be suiting up immediately?"

Daniel's gotten rather good at measuring a man at first glance himself. Not faultlessly, of course, but his gut was rarely outright wrong. Both of the rookies had potential, which was good to see but more important to realize. He squeezes the hand of both Exodites with a grip commensurate to theirs, his demeanour open and curious to know them despite the ever-present thrum of power in the air around him.

"Kumiho is already waiting in the lobby, but I don't suppose a moment's chat should hurt. Something on your mind?"

"Yeah, I've been hearing things through the grapevine, mostly about a very distant cousin of mine.  Gunnar Hagen,"  Adam tells him, "Might I add a very very distant cousin?  And said very, very distant cousin is trying to keep very, very distant from you.  Word throughout the gens is that he wants to try to bury the hatchet, and I think it should be pretty thoroughly buried, just right up the fundament."

"The what?"  Mountain asks.

"I'm saying he can shove that sort of thing up his own ass," Adam tells Mountain, "Anyway, Lucifer, he knows you're looking for him and he's been canvassing the old families looking for protection.  Meaning he's looking for some powerful allies, specifically ones that aren't OK with you."

”Really now?”

There’s a little spark in Daniel’s eyes at the mention of the name as he turns his full attention to Adam.

”To be honest Gunnar isn’t a big deal to me on a personal level, but there is a message that needs to be sent. I doubt many houses would make someone like him their hill to die on.”

He crosses his arms, gauging Adam’s feelings on the matter.

”Would you help me catch him? Perhaps pull some strings to invite him over or at least know where he’s gonna be?”

It might be a big ask, what with the mess of Dragon-Blooded politics, but on the other hand it also seemed a very straightforward matter to him.

"The old families have been playing it conservative, so he's been looking for even more interesting and powerful allies."  Adam tells him, "I won't play the politics game with you and be all subtle.  I think Gunnar Hagen is making overtures to your #1 fan, Brahe, and once he makes contact with him I sincerely doubt you're going to get your hands on the man anytime soon.  It's possible Brahe doesn't take him in, of course.  He's been trying to... endear himself.  Last time I tracked him down he was running a workshop on losing weight and getting fit."

"Weight issues?  Here?" Mountain looks fairly shocked, "I'm pretty sure there are people starving in the Underdecks."

"There are fat people in the Underdecks too.  Some of the food we've got isn't exactly very healthy and not everyone has a real job, lots of people just sit around."  He looks to Lucifer, "I got his business card.  Would you like one?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:39, Mon 16 Sept 2019.

"Of course he is. Nothing pulls people together better than my enmity, it seems."

He takes the business card with an understated sneer. If it was actually from Brahe it, along with the hair, might help in establishing a connection to him to pay back his little prank earlier.

"No doubt Brahe's polishing off his shield, considering he's trying to install an admiralty board with half the members in his pocket in charge. All to get exonerated and rise up in the ladder."

He shakes his head.

"Unless the poor little misunderstood slaver's already been taken in by his senior, though, my question stands. Can you try calling him in? Your house has some clout, no? We can have a clash today to lend some weight for it."

As he speaks he measures Adam carefully. Was he actually being earnest or playing his own game?

(( Wu Wei to read intentions: 34+15+10 = 59
Discover Influence (Adam, having once been disgraced himself, is personally disgusted and drawn to rooting out actual bad eggs within the DB community): 29+15+10 = 54
Float 0-0 ))
This message was last edited by the player at 19:09, Tue 17 Sept 2019.

((Inflamed from Minor to Major.

He is being painfully earnest.))

The card is eggshell, subtly colored, tastefully thick.  By the Gods, it even has a watermark.

LOSE WEIGHT - WEIGHTWATCHERS ANONYMOUS - A NEW AND BETTER YOU
Paris Brahe - Chosen
Scotchtown - City Hall - Room 6C
Tuesdays - Thursdays - Sundays by Appointment

"I wish I could snap my fingers and have the man hog-tied in front of you right now.  Problem is- he's not from our house, and he's taking the stance that anyone who contacts him is working for you."  Adam says, "I can definitely still try.  My family denies me out of principle, so hell, I could always try to befriend him to protect him from you and they'll practically throw him to you in a gift basket."

"I don't need him tied up or thrown to me. Just within my sight and the rest will happen like Fate."

He shakes his head.

"Trying to fake a friend of him might work supposing Brahe's not involved yet. There's no end of bad things to say about him, but one thing he's a master of is bullshit. If you smell the faintest hint of his involvement, pull out or you're in for a whirlwind of shit. I would appreciate any effort you make, though."

A shrug.

"Either way that's something we can get back to when there isn't a bored Lunar waiting for you."

"She could stand to be a bit more bored.  It's a valuable skill,"  Adam says to him, "But fair point.  I'll do what I can and send you the occasional status update.  And if you could do me a favor in return?"  He asks, a slight grin on his face, "I'd like to visit the reactor sometime."

"I think he is crazy,"  The Mountain says to Lucifer, "No reason for you to allow that."

"It's the only place I haven't been besides Core's place."

”It’s probably not a good idea. If you end up providing a critical clue I’ll consider it, though. But only once, accompanied by me.”

He scratches the back of his head, assuming the matter settled for now and turning more toward Mountain.

”I hear you’re a man of faith, Mountain. I would hear of your creed.”

"That's fair, I don't need to go anywhere alone-"  Adam starts to answer before Lucifer speaks to the Mountain.  "Oh gods."

Mountain's creed, such as it is, would not be particularly alien to the ancient Egyptians under Akhenaten.  One part Sol Invictus worship, one part pure pagan, it bears little resemblance to the Christian-Sol syncretism that forms the crux of Lucifer's faith.  Mountain speaks of the sacrifice of bulls, the breaking of sacrificial horns, and the eventual forging of an armor of gold; his faith is one of belief and trust instead of personal morals.  Men are bettered through ritual and prayer.  In the end it's a very simple thing made very complicated, fitting for an Exalt who started with a simple mind suddenly thrust into a much more advanced one.

Adam's eyes glaze over.

Daniel listens intently, nodding and asking clarifying questions where appropriate and shifting focus onward if the telling threatens to get too meandering. Certainly not something he was ever guilty of.

Mountain's creed was certainly... removed from his own. A polar opposite in many ways, even, with focus on external deeds of faith and concrete interpretations. Still, as he'd come to learn over a gruelling decade, difference did not necessarily mean fallacy, so he withholds judgment until he could learn more of this brand of worship and the people practicing it. At least the intent was pure, although one thing nagged at him in the corner of his mind ever louder.

"And how do you view the death of Sol and his desecration into Sol Nihilus?"

There was another, perhaps even louder, voice asking whether Mountain had actually seen Sol, but that was a question that risked being asked the same.

"A very good question!" He says, eyes unsure for a moment, "A temple can be reconsecrated but the dead can't be returned.  We can fight the ghost but love the enslaved individual.  We worship instead not only his memory but his lieutenants.  We've never found out what happened to the Bull-God Ahlat, or how the Golden Lord died.  It's possible a part of him exists, undesecrated, capable of reconsecration.

Daniel nods, frowning.

"I've thought along similar tracks, although doubt remains how much of a claim the desecrated ghost still holds to the true Sol. Similarly with Ahlat and the Golden Lord - with their whereabouts unknown, their worship may actually be funneling power directly to the enemy. This is why I espouse a more pragmatist approach centered on practicing virtue of the self and the worship of forces nearer and smaller, to honor the virtues and divine hierarchy Sol presided over rather than focus on the individual deity."

He scratches his chin thoughtfully.

"Still, we are both reaching in the dark with faith rather than fact. It is impossible to say which, if either, has the right of it just yet. Thank you for sharing your gospel."

"If you would ever like to make sacrifices please let me know,"  Mountain bows to him, "If you don't wish to sacrifice a cow- some people protest!- we have vegan alternatives."

Adam stifles a laugh.  Mountain turns to look at the Dragon-Blooded,

"Don't snicker.  The cows we sacrifice are nearing the end of their life.  And some people protest against killing any animal with their own hands, so we make alternatives of soy that they mold of their own two hands, ritually sacrificing their time and food to the memory of the Sun."

"Vegan Sacrifices.  Man.  Only on the Last Refuge."  Adam shakes his head anyway.

"I'm quite confident in my way of worship."

Despite Daniel's earlier statement of reaching in the dark, there is a slight but clear indication in his voice that Mountain was toeing the line suggesting his own sacraments to the Pre-Exodite Zenith. His annoyance is enough for him to disregard most of what follows, although he finds he must ask one more thing.

"You do eat the sacrifices after, right?"

"... What?  Of course we do,"  Mountain says, "That'd be a waste.  A horrible waste.  And it's part of the ritual.  The animal was about to die, and had no more days left to it.  From its death, we provide another day of life from the worship.  The loss of minutes becomes the gain of days and so we thumb our nose at entropy!"

Daniel nods his approval. No harm done in that case.

 ”Well then, I don’t think I should keep you longer. It was a pleasure meeting you both, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again sooner or later. Work hard but not foolishly, and don’t hesitate to call me if you need something important. I’m a busy man but trying to unlearn my lone wolf ways.”

"It was good to meet you too," Mountain bows to him.

Adam just nods and gives him a little salute, a tacit 'see you later' sort of nod.  They head to their own rooms, no doubt to plug in to the VR.

"So I think that's all of them,"  Fossil says as he walks into the hall, folding his arms.  He lowers his voice, "Program's spinning up.  Any thoughts or changes to our workflow here?"