Max's attention was drawn closer to what Ace and Tibbs were discussing with the mention of 'sub-rosa'. He knew this meant secret which was directly connected to the Order of the Rosicrucians.  Max had studied the vast history of this order via the Free Masons Library in DC.

This ritual interested Max greatly. It seemed to be some form of energy transference, which was purely speculation on his part. He bowed his head and listened intently to the conversation and waited for questions to take form in his head.

Was this similar to the ritual that healed Max's hands and gave Tibbs and him a spiritual connection?

"This conversation might be better suited to another time Ace," Orlando looked over at Dave.

Max couldn't help but stare at Dave and the god like, beautiful string energy that dwelt within him. It was something to behold, to be in awe of and he was.

"Dave do you know what mission Poseidon has planed for your near future?" Max wondered if Poseidon's appearance was one of circumstance or planed? Did the god of the sea foresee this event coming?

The picture was just enough to bump the memory into place for Aeviternus to recall seeing Sharokina at the event.  Suddenly he could see the rest; Donovan, Elsi, Al'akunihm, Zhen, Kotaan, Adelinea, Corrado, Hakan, John and Constance committing the grueling ritual.  An incredibly wizened old man sat at the head of the 12 point circle who had the look of one who moves inexplicably well considering his advanced years while the Smith's sat apart from the circle at a distance, their eyes finding it difficult to remove themselves from the child in the center of the compass...

Orlando's wise suggestion pulled him from the reverie and, nodding his agreement, turned his attention back to the matters at hand in time to get the necessary items out of what Dave was saying.

The question prompted another nod and Ace added; "Sometimes full conformance never happens.  Some souls are stronger than others and each has its unique traits, you might describe them as having 'personalities' in a way.  It's not a bad thing when this occurs, only more challenging.  And as with all adversity, conditioning creates strength."

With nothing much to add, Kirby was content to simply soak it all in. He was starting to put pieces of the puzzle together, slowly but surely.

The conversation had taken many minutes and soon the group found themselves at the LA harbor. Dave had killed the surfing tital wave and brought the boat in slowly with slowlly churning current. He had his cell phone in his hand making a couple of calls...

As Xuan hands each of you a coin role a perception check.  It is a standard perception check. If you make the check read below.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
The Susan B Anthony coins are made of solid gold,  not regular mint.

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 12:58, Mon 16 Sept 2013.

"Thank you, Dave. For everything. Xie xie."

Whether Dave wanted it or not, Xuan favored him with another traditional Chinese salute, but then finished off with a Western style handshake. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was saying goodbye to family somehow.

"I'd like to introduce you to my father some day. I think he would very much enjoy meeting you."

Xuan glanced at the card in his hand and considered it to be among the least insane concept he'd had to deal with in the last hour.

To talk, just add water. Of course that's what you do. A grin spread across his face despite himself.

"That's good advice for you as well, Dave.  You'll get used to being a part of each other."  Aeviternus meant it as a friendly offering, pleased with the human in Xuan finally showing over the predator and attributing the appearance to this stranger's gifts and pleasantries.

"I thank you as well, your help has been invaluable."

Max's heart was delighted for John and Aeviternus. They had both gained snippets of insight from Dave. He had a bit of insight himself which he was grateful.

Holding out his hand he smiled at Dave. "Dave, thank you so much for our timely rescue and for your graciousness. You've granted my mind much to ponder and my soul room to roam. Keep the wind at your back and light in your eyes."

Max thought it's not every day you meet a legendary being of divine power who's had a plethora of experiences.

"That was Dave Chappelle????!!!" Orlando was still awe-struck. Some people really were lucky.

As the crew disembarked off the boat on the dock, they quickly enter the stretched Hummer and headed to the personal airport.  Nobody was seen at the dock, except for the drivers. It was a little unusual, but the group was thankful for the quick departure. There were two men working for the limo company, who helped to load all of the valuable belongings.



     On a helicopter far away...I repeat, we have a total loss of the ship, you won't believe what happened, we have 10 casualties, I repeat, we have a critical situation," radioed the pilot in the helicopter.
      "Where are the targets? Did they flee the scene...."a voice asked.
     "The crew left headed towards LA Harbor...on a wave..." answered the pilot.
     A man got up from the radio control and got back in a car...leaving the dead body of a poor Coast Guard in the car, he boarded his own helicopter heading south.

No stranger to paying for transport, especially since the advent of steering wheels, Aeviternus placed his gold coin in the outstretched hand of the dubious appearing gentleman on his way past as he headed to board the air vessel.  As he walked behind the man he turned back to cast a questioning glance at the odd speaker, shot his eyes over to the group with the same inquiry, then pressed on to the stairs with his heavy pack.

Orlando put the coin in his hand and followed Aeviternus to the plane,"That is odd, don't you think, not that anything has been normal as of late, but still."

Kirby helped load the gear in the back, ensuring he paid his "fare", before boarding.

Xuan caught Aeviternus' silent query and shrugged in reply. When Orlando made the comment about 'normal', he had to agree. Nothing was 'normal' anymore. Or maybe 'normal' was always subjective. Ultimately, he trusted Dave and therefore chose not to humor his suspicious nature with this strange man. This...ferryman.

A gold coin for passage? And a one way ticket to Hell most likely.

Well, he was on now. Maybe he could get some sleep on the way.

Once they were on the plane and finding seats, Aeviternus mused at Orlando's question.  "Were it not for cloning gangsters, alien telepaths, deep sea titans and comedic gods I wouldn't hesitate to agree with the oddity of a robotic speaking man who demands a gold coin for passage."  It started out as a serious sounding proposal.

However it ended in a chuckle.  "But, seriously."

     The group sat down as the jet raced down the run way, pressure forcing the men deep into the back of their seat. Everyone quickly realized this was not normal, gravitational forces affected each man beyond the normal take off. Each man found it earily quiet, the cabin was starkly quiet, the sound of the engines had faded to nothing, each passenger tried to look at one another but their heads were cemented to the seat. Open mouths could be seen, but no sound came from them. The thought of "blacking out" dawned on each man's thoughts...


The plane has taken off so incredibly fast that G-forces have racked the group, and it is darn near impossible to move your body, AND it is hard to breath AND quickly hard to think.  The plane should have leveled off by now, but it hasn't. The feeling of puking is quickly starting to creep up in the throat of all on board.

Make a roll for the following (if you wish):
Resilience-To not puke
Brawn (-20%)-To move if you need or want to
Persistence- If you plan on trying to communicate or use a power

-Everyone-Please make one Resilience Check Labeled for Black Out-Failure on this check and

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
you pass out.

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 04:41, Mon 30 Sept 2013.

Before departing Kirby acknowledged the pilot’s question about their destination. He choose not to inquire how the pilot knew their destination, very little surprised Kirby anymore. He settled in for takeoff.

…

As a pilot Kirby was used to a certain amount of turbulence, but this was something altogether different. So different that Kirby's stomach immediately started doing somersaults the second his head was thrown into the seat back. Just as quickly his eyes and throat began to water, his palms began to sweat. He pushed forward with all his might, right arm straining against the weight of the plane while his left arm held on for dear life. Just as his mouth began to open Kirby grasped they air-sickness bag he had been diving for. He proceeded to deposit his most recent meal, and some other tasty bits, into the bag with surprising speed and vigor.

Once done he held the half-full bag at the ready in case it should be needed again. He let the momentum of the plane push him into the seat and watched, hoping the sickness was done.

Max was quite during the boarding process, making sure all were transitioning well.  It was his duty to make sure all his team members were of their right mind and soul. This he knew from terrible real life experience, one he wished he could forget.

 There were many moments during the most recent battle, Max had no contact with team members. Would the man known as 'slick' have had enough time to capture and clone one of them? Max couldn't take that chance. It was his responsibility to know the truth. His own vision foretold 'slick' being right behind them and the lack of action could trend down a dark path, but action was taken. During this process great revelations were discovered and allies to their efforts met. In this Max found some relief.

Max focuses his mind on the team...

15:47, Today: Max Jackson rolled 83 using 1d100. Resilience not pass out (TN-40) .


Max dreams the flight away...

      Holy Fucking Balls, is what Orlando mouthed, but none could hear him.  He was scared out of his mind, not particularly liking to fly in the first place he basically shit his pants, or would have had he not passed out first.

Never having had the opportunity, Xuan often wondered what it would be like to go on one of the rides at a theme park. It struck him that perhaps this may be similar, though he couldn't know for sure.

The pressure forcing him back into his seat presented a challenge, and Xuan wasn't fond of feeling helpless, of which he'd already had to endure significant amounts recently, so he pressed against it and found there was no budging. The pressure was too much. Not to be beaten, he went to shift his Chi and found that he couldn't focus. Unreachable. The pressure on his head made it too hard, made him sleepy, but he wouldn't let it consume him.

In the water, one found that often there was no point to fighting the flow. Perhaps this was not terribly different in that if the wave was too strong, you ride it out or fail miserably trying to go against it, finding yourself in the same place as you would be if you just went with it. Normally, he would have known this, submitted to it as part of The Way. But the recent events had shaken many beliefs, only reinforcing the need for The Way.

So he chose to relax. Ignoring the faint sound of vomiting, Xuan thought of theme parks and thrill rides. If it was anything like this, he'd need to take time out to attend one in the future. Xuan allowed another  rare smile.

This is why I'm no fan of technology.

This is why I love technology!

Being a soul and consciousness that could dismount a body as though exiting a vehicle had its benefits when said body was under massive duress, but adding to that was knowing pain and discomfort far longer than others.  Aeviternus took the pressure in stride, though without pleasure, while he turned his thoughts inward and made no attempt to fight the gravity's omnipotent effect.  Avery was a thrill seeker and this was an adventure within a journey, so the dichotomy arose once more though it would likely go unnoticed for the silence.