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Sat, April 12. Night. Pit stop at the corax glade.
After I loaded up a ridiculous amount of tass and occult books into the Suburban, I drove straight to the corax glade Val had showed me, harvested a unit of tass, re-established the sigil for the glade, and headed out again. I did this all from the car via correspondence as there was absolutely no way in hell I was leaving my vehicle unattended with one or two or more corax in the area. (I did see one of them, remotely, while I did what I did. He was just sleeping up in a tree. I didn't bother him. In and out like a ghost.) I was back on the road slightly after midnight. I did a few doubling-back moves to make sure I wasn't being followed--just in case. Corax: they're nosy critters with almost no respect for privacy.
Sun, April 13. Are we there yet?
The drive to Pavel's was hellish. I did it non-stop (which was possible thanks to the engine still running at a ridiculous level of efficiency and thus no need to even stop for gas). Twenty-two ass-aching hours behind the wheel, and I pissed in a bottle like a truck driver. (The sports drink bottles, with their wider mouths, are far more accommodating for taking a leak in the car while driving.) Thank god adult diapers were not required, but honestly, with this much valuable stuff in the car, I'd have gone full NASCAR driver if I had to. Mind magick helped to keep me awake and focused as I started getting tired or suffering from road hypnosis on the really boring stretches. When I got to Pavel's place, I ate a bag of chips, drank a couple bottles of water, and camped in the car. I had to sleep across the front bench seat as the back was just too full. Cramped. Uncomfortable. But warm and dry. I've had worse, but I certainly didn't get much in the way of sleep or quality of sleep.
Mon, April 14. Unloading wares and sleeping.
Pavel came to the mouth of the cave that morning and beckoned me to come into his sanctum. Talk about good fortune, not having to wait for days! (I wonder if he could feel the "disturbance inthe force" from the metric buttload of stuff I'd parked on his doorstep?) I first brought him the handful books he wanted in exchange for the one he thought would benefit me with my research on Correspondence. We traded. Done deal. Then I asked him if he'd be up to trading for some other items. He seemed interested. Very interested.
I brought in load after load after load of books, then a freakin' mountain of straight-up and exotic tass. I think Pavel was actually taken aback at how much there was. He might have reassessed his opinion of this particular Orphan, if I dare say so myself. He told me he'd need time to look things over, that he was currently preoccupied with preparing for a time-sensitive ritual that coming night (he'd been commissioned by a chantry of mages to reate a talisman), and that in the meantime I could sleep in his cave (an honor he's never bestowed upon me before), and then later accompany him into the umbra that night to assist in the ritual. (Having a little knowledge across a lot of spheres instead of specializing does make me useful as a ritual assistant.) As much as I wanted to watch the final stages of a talisman's creation, I was exhausted and sore and I didn't want to be in even worse shape that night--just in case there was trouble. I grabbed some Zs.
I woke up that evening, some 10 hours later, feeling completely refreshed--and discovering that Pavel had at some point also opted to take a nap prior to the full "blood moon" lunar eclipse. He snores. Loud. His wind-up alarm clock (who uses those anymore?) went off after sunset, I fixed him breakfast-for-dinner from my camping supplies (coffee, fresh fruit, and granola--he griped about the lack of meat but seemed to relish getting fresh fruit for a change instead of canned goods) while he finalized things and I kept the coffee coming. (I like the little campfire espresso thing I bought for this trip, and Pavel became a big fan of those. Mages and strong coffee seem to go hand in hand.)
Tuesday, April 15. Helping to make a talisman under a blood moon lunar eclipse.
We crossed over into the spirit world through a juncture in Pavel's cave where he'd permanently thinned the gauntlet between worlds to a thin membrane. Even I was able to pass through it, given half a minute, with my rudimentary command of Spirit magic. Pavel said--by using one spot time and time again for him and others to cross through, combined with magic used to pry the gauntlet apart and hold it there--he had "worn a path" between the two worlds. Nice. I might be able to do something similar in the future. Fueled with quintessence. And temporary. And single-use.
Maybe not. :/
Just thinking the logistics through reminded me--yet again--how Pavel is way beyond my current abilities with Spirit and Prime magicks. And Life, too. I cut myself off a nice, big slice of humble pie.
The talisman-to-be that Pavel took with him? A 1970s era desktop autoclave. He was enchanting it with an advanced Prime effect that slowly destroys anything--ANYTHING--put into it. It seems that there's a Sons of Ether chantry out there that wants to dispose of some truly toxic/radioactive substances without polluting the environment. That's... responsible of them? Made me wonder what the heck they were working on. Pavel joked that it was so they could destroy their tax records. (Thank god I finished mine over a month ago.)
Pavel instructed me on how to assist with the ritual--basically "just follow my lead." If a threat arrived, Pavel's HUGE earth elemental was the first line of defense. Anything that got past that massive thing was my responsibility: I'd drop out of the ritual and blast/detain the attacker with Forces while Pavel worked on the delicate stuff required to complete the custom-ordered talisman. While the ritual was underway, a few minor gafflings seemed to take interest in the ongoings. The spirits seemed to be more curious than anything else. A chimera gaffling in the vicinity took particular interest. Once we finished up, Pavel saw the chimera gaffling watching me instead of him, and he joked that it liked me. Work complete, we sat together in the umbra and just enjoyed the final stages of the umbral blood moon. It was spectacularly beautiful.
I wonder what attributes the garou attach to this kind of thing? Silvertip had seemed to think the moon chose whether to have the eclipse happen or not, which I found to be ridiculous. But then I thought about how, ages ago, that might have been a commonly held belief and a mage with sufficient power could probably have caused eclipses fairly easily.
Once the eclipse was done, we crossed back to the realm and both of us turned in. We woke up late the next evening. (Pavel seems to be on a mostly nocturnal cycle, so I adapted.) He went to work sifting through all the stuff I'd brought. The vial of dried BSD semen? He actually looked at that a bit after I told him what it was and that I wasn't sure if that ought to be destroyed or not. He suggested we put it in the autoclave to verify that it functioned. Poof. It does. In fact, Pavel said it worked better than he had expected it to: He congratulated me on my contribution to the work he did last night. (All I did was help "push" after he determined the direction and got the ball rolling, but not every mage can do that--nor do that as well as I can. I would not be surprised if I get summoned to assist Pavel in future large-scale magics.
After a brief lecture on Pavel's theories for making charms and talismans, we moved on to the wares I had brought with me. I explaining what all the "exotic" tass effects were, and then Pavel excused me to go work on my magick in the umbra while he went through all the books I'd brought--assessing their worth to him and those he knew.
Wed, April 16--It's elemental, my dear Watson.
Pavel's cave is a node--with his sanctum (which has all the flavor of a old, cobbled-together high school biology/chemistry lab that collided with an antiquated veterinarian's office) within it--that's roughly as powerful as the Harbor Park glade. I spent the night interacting with Pavel's earth elemental, communicating via a mental link. Fascinating. I thought it might be interested in my use of Forces, so I gave it a little show with a focus on kinetics. That chimera gaffling from the other night was still hanging around the area and seemed interested in my use of Forces--a sphere Pavel doesn't know (or claims he doesn't know). Pavel joined me to watch me work magick and talk about other mages he'd known who used Forces and how he'd bound the earth elemental to his service.
We then crossed back to the realm, maybe an hour before dawn, to discuss the books and tass I'd brought. We talked about their contents, quality, and potential applications until around noon. We couldn't come up with an "I'll trade you X for Y" agreement with what Pavel had on hand, so he suggested contacting other mages to see if they had things that could be traded--with him acting as an intermediary. I went to the car to fetch my mini Magic 8-ball. Pavel watched as I did an Entropy/Time effect to determine if we'd arrive at a mutually agreeable trade for everything I'd brought and what Pavel could acquire: "IT IS DECIDEDLY SO." (Damn you, 8-ball! Why can't you be that straightforward about Mouse?) I gave him the go-ahead to start trading my stuff because, according to the 8-ball, whatever I wanted would find its way to me through Pavel. Pavel dispatched a number of spirits to communicate with his various contacts. He organized a Saturday swap meet. For wizards. I'd never even heard of such a thing! Although, in hindsight, it kind of makes sense.
when Pavel turned in (after I cooked dinner for us both). He got up at 9pm and we went to the umbra and talked turkey well beyond midnight.
Thurs, April 17--I think he likes you.
We spent a lot of the night in the umbra, working magic cooperatively on this and that. Sometimes just for shits and giggles (hold my vodka and watch this!), sometimes to show Pavel some Mind magick (I think he might be trying to learn more there because he kept asking probing technical questions about how I did things), and sometimes for some small projects Pavel was working on.
Pavel eventually asked what I was hoping to get out of the upcoming swap meet, and... I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted. Books? A talisman or two? A small node? (That got a laugh--followed by him claiming he'd consider it if I gave him that garou "dissertation" I had. No deal.) Eventually, Pavel said he'd thought of something to trade to me in partial exchange for what I'd brought: the chimera gaffling that had been hanging around us--and mostly me--the past few nights.
According to Pavel, the little chimera spirit had been loitering in the area for several months, likely attracted to both the node and magic use (like a moth to a flame), but Pavel had no use for such a small spirit (aside from use as a messenger), and it had seemed more interested in me than Pavel. (Probably because I actually paid attention to it whereas Pavel didn't, and.... I don't know. There's something I find intriguing about Chimera spirits ever since I touched a larger one's mind, got knocked out, found myself having a Seeking, and awoke with a great understanding of both magic and the Mind sphere.) Pavel offered, as a pre-meet trade, to bind it to me so I'd have a spirit helper, as I seemed to enjoy spending time in the umbra. (Pavel seemed approving of that.) Although tempting, I turned the offer down because it just felt wrong. Like slavery. Pavel--very patiently--explained that there's a range of bindings, then suggested I just spend more time in the umbra with the spirit to see if it felt like a good fit and if the spirit would be okay with a binding. I got the impression Pavel thought I was being a little ridiculous/naive about binding a spirit, especially such a minor one. I probably am as I've never actually seen it done before, but.... I want to go with my gut on something like this.
I spent the rest of the night conversing, mentally, with the chimera spirit. It calls itself 'Kargamis' (what a terrible name) and seems to find magick fascinating--especially Forces (which Pavel doesn't know) and Mind (which Pavel knows but not quite as much as I do). Kargamis unfortunately doesn't exactly strike me as being particularly brilliant. Still, it certainly knows more about spirits and the spirit world than I do, so it would actually be helpful--and an extra pair of eyes--for whenever I venture into the umbra.
Friday, April 18--Dear god, it's making puppy eyes at me.
Anotherday night in the umbra with Pavel, his earth elemental, and Kargamis. I helped Pavel patrol his territory and ensure there would not be any trouble the next day when other mages would begin to arrive for the swap meet. (He seems okay ranging outside of his cave within the umbra, but not so much in the realm. I wonder why that is?) We ran into a trio of grotesque-looking spirits. Pavel turned the biggest one against the second-biggest one. While they were fighting one another, I arced lightning into the third and dispatched it before it had a chance to get to us--where it'd have then had to have gone through Pavel's earth elemental. And then arced lightning into both the remaining spirits, simultaneously, to finish them both off. Pavel seemed impressed, while I was impressed with his command over spirits.
While we finished our patrol of Pavel's turf--and a little beyond since he had additional firepower with him--we talked about Kargamis, spirit familiars, and mages. As a result of this discussion, I'm a little more comfortable with the idea of a binding now, particularly if the spirit is willing. When Pavel talks to Kargamis he acts almost like the little Chimera spirit is the equivalent to the friendly neighborhood stray dog. I don't think he thinks too highly of this Chimera spirit that's been hanging around in adoration over the last year. He's used it before as a messenger, but that's about it. I kind of feel sorry for the guy. Kargamis is so eager, but so ignored.
Kind of like how I used to be.
Speaking of ignored, I played a bit of phone tag with Emma over the past day or two. I surprised myself by suggesting the possibility of her moving in. In hindsight, I'm not sure it'd work. She can't be there (or I can't be there) when the moon is fuller. Also? She's got her mom and her kid, and she can only see them for about half of each month. And here I've basically asked her, hey, do you want to cut deeper into the limited time you can spend with your mom and your daughter? .... Am I supposed to move in with her family?
Why does everything have to be so damn complicated?
I miss her.
I hope I didn't freak her out.
Saturday, April 19--Welcome to the Wizards-Only Flea Market and Swap Meet!
The next day, people began showing up by various means--and all of them knew Pavel. Pavel wasted zero time at all in moving product. A LOT of tass exchanged hands over the day, a lot of charms were swapped, and a LOT of talking was done.
Finally, I found a mage (one of Pavel's former apprentices) who had something that interested me: a shapeshifting talisman that Pavel had made about 25 years ago--and later given to him. (It's ironic that it's come back home and being transfered to another of Pavel's--somewhat unofficial--apprentices.) The ring's story? When Pavel had first moved out to this cave, a cougar tried to eat him one night. He'd killed it and made a talisman out of a ring and one of the cougar's claws. By powering it with a unit of quintessence, the mage wearing the ring could transform into a mountain lion via the claw's "memory". It can be used up to twice a month, but beyond that, it might break from the strain. Transformations to and from are very painful, but can be mitigated with the use of rudimentary Mind or moderately sophisticated Life magicks. SOLD. We shook on it. Pavel arranged a counterpayment. (It was nice to see that Pavel wheeled and dealed with his former apprentices, too. I didn't feel like he was just taking me to the cleaners--he takes /everyone/ to the cleaners!
The meet-up lasted from around 10am to 5pm, and there was a lot of socializing as well as trading. I rubbed shoulders with some well-respected, powerful mages. Most were polite. Some--in learning I was an Orphan--shunned or ignored me. But others didn't. A couple people had even heard of me, Pavel said good things about me (especially in terms of being useful for ritual magic), and there was at least passing talk of me potentially assisting in some ritual-based things with a couple cabals and one chantry. I shared my contact information with a number of people-and several share theirs with me. I feel like I'm starting to make a bit of a name for myself--and not a bad one, either.
After the swap meet was over and the last of my wares had been sold/auctioned off (save for the seven dried bramblefruits, which Pavel kept for his personal use--apparently his "profit" off the dealings), I drove out to town to eat dinner with one of the cabals. The restaurant was not very good, but the company and conversation made up for it. After they left, I went to a different restaurant and bought a pricey to-go meal, which I took back to Pavel as he just doesn't seem to get out much and I thought he might appreciate some restaurant food. He did. I spent a couple hours wearing the ring and attuning myself to it so I could get a "feel" for how it'd worked in the past. I have to admit I was sorely, sorely tempted to just use it right there on the spot, but I didn't. I think I'd rather save it so I could use it while on my own property--make a full day of it.
Or perhaps I could ask Salem about using the Walker's territory that no one seems to actually visit? I called him up. He's checking it out tonight for any strange scents. Maybe he'll head out with me later?
When dusk turned to twilight, Pavel and I went to the umbra again and met up with Kargamis. The little chimera agreed to a binding, and Pavel worked his magick. It's.... a weird, tingling sensation. Like there's something just under my skin. Not like the burning sensation in my hands when I start getting the urge to wield Forces magic. Otherwise? I don't really feel any different. Pavel explained that I'd need to feed the spirit to maintain the bond between us. One unit of quintessence per week. And if I fed it more and consistently, over a period of time, it might grow and become more powerful.
Afterwards, Pavel informed me our business had concluded and I needed to leave. He had things to do and umbral places to go. (I'd be tired of a houseguest I wasn't sleeping with after a week or so, too.) He wished me luck and thanked me for coming to him to trade and barter. He told me I wasn't too shabby of a mage--for an Orphan--and that if I had a lick of talent with the Life sphere, he might try to recruit me for the Verbena. (That makes the Hollow Ones, the Verbena, the Order of Hermes, and the Euthanatos who've expressed interest in recruiting me over the years.)
I told Pavel it was a pleasure doing business with him, I was DEEPLY impressed by his knowledge and abilities, and that I'd contact him in the future if I ever needed to sell or trade something. I also told him to keep an ear open in case he hears any rumors about lost garou fetishes (which most mages can't use anyway), as I might know someone who might trade more of the bramblefruit he seemed to like so much.
I packed up the Suburban--it took 10 minutes. With just two occult books, a new talisman, and an unmanifested spirit familiar, it was a hell of a lot lighter and less crowded in there than when I came down. But I'm okay with that. I feel like, maybe, I've turned a corner and might soon have a new perspective coming into view.
I am soooooo getting a nice hotel room at the halfway point on the way home. And room service. And a HOT bath.
After I loaded up a ridiculous amount of tass and occult books into the Suburban, I drove straight to the corax glade Val had showed me, harvested a unit of tass, re-established the sigil for the glade, and headed out again. I did this all from the car via correspondence as there was absolutely no way in hell I was leaving my vehicle unattended with one or two or more corax in the area. (I did see one of them, remotely, while I did what I did. He was just sleeping up in a tree. I didn't bother him. In and out like a ghost.) I was back on the road slightly after midnight. I did a few doubling-back moves to make sure I wasn't being followed--just in case. Corax: they're nosy critters with almost no respect for privacy.
Sun, April 13. Are we there yet?
The drive to Pavel's was hellish. I did it non-stop (which was possible thanks to the engine still running at a ridiculous level of efficiency and thus no need to even stop for gas). Twenty-two ass-aching hours behind the wheel, and I pissed in a bottle like a truck driver. (The sports drink bottles, with their wider mouths, are far more accommodating for taking a leak in the car while driving.) Thank god adult diapers were not required, but honestly, with this much valuable stuff in the car, I'd have gone full NASCAR driver if I had to. Mind magick helped to keep me awake and focused as I started getting tired or suffering from road hypnosis on the really boring stretches. When I got to Pavel's place, I ate a bag of chips, drank a couple bottles of water, and camped in the car. I had to sleep across the front bench seat as the back was just too full. Cramped. Uncomfortable. But warm and dry. I've had worse, but I certainly didn't get much in the way of sleep or quality of sleep.
Mon, April 14. Unloading wares and sleeping.
Pavel came to the mouth of the cave that morning and beckoned me to come into his sanctum. Talk about good fortune, not having to wait for days! (I wonder if he could feel the "disturbance inthe force" from the metric buttload of stuff I'd parked on his doorstep?) I first brought him the handful books he wanted in exchange for the one he thought would benefit me with my research on Correspondence. We traded. Done deal. Then I asked him if he'd be up to trading for some other items. He seemed interested. Very interested.
I brought in load after load after load of books, then a freakin' mountain of straight-up and exotic tass. I think Pavel was actually taken aback at how much there was. He might have reassessed his opinion of this particular Orphan, if I dare say so myself. He told me he'd need time to look things over, that he was currently preoccupied with preparing for a time-sensitive ritual that coming night (he'd been commissioned by a chantry of mages to reate a talisman), and that in the meantime I could sleep in his cave (an honor he's never bestowed upon me before), and then later accompany him into the umbra that night to assist in the ritual. (Having a little knowledge across a lot of spheres instead of specializing does make me useful as a ritual assistant.) As much as I wanted to watch the final stages of a talisman's creation, I was exhausted and sore and I didn't want to be in even worse shape that night--just in case there was trouble. I grabbed some Zs.
I woke up that evening, some 10 hours later, feeling completely refreshed--and discovering that Pavel had at some point also opted to take a nap prior to the full "blood moon" lunar eclipse. He snores. Loud. His wind-up alarm clock (who uses those anymore?) went off after sunset, I fixed him breakfast-for-dinner from my camping supplies (coffee, fresh fruit, and granola--he griped about the lack of meat but seemed to relish getting fresh fruit for a change instead of canned goods) while he finalized things and I kept the coffee coming. (I like the little campfire espresso thing I bought for this trip, and Pavel became a big fan of those. Mages and strong coffee seem to go hand in hand.)
Tuesday, April 15. Helping to make a talisman under a blood moon lunar eclipse.
We crossed over into the spirit world through a juncture in Pavel's cave where he'd permanently thinned the gauntlet between worlds to a thin membrane. Even I was able to pass through it, given half a minute, with my rudimentary command of Spirit magic. Pavel said--by using one spot time and time again for him and others to cross through, combined with magic used to pry the gauntlet apart and hold it there--he had "worn a path" between the two worlds. Nice. I might be able to do something similar in the future. Fueled with quintessence. And temporary. And single-use.
Maybe not. :/
Just thinking the logistics through reminded me--yet again--how Pavel is way beyond my current abilities with Spirit and Prime magicks. And Life, too. I cut myself off a nice, big slice of humble pie.
The talisman-to-be that Pavel took with him? A 1970s era desktop autoclave. He was enchanting it with an advanced Prime effect that slowly destroys anything--ANYTHING--put into it. It seems that there's a Sons of Ether chantry out there that wants to dispose of some truly toxic/radioactive substances without polluting the environment. That's... responsible of them? Made me wonder what the heck they were working on. Pavel joked that it was so they could destroy their tax records. (Thank god I finished mine over a month ago.)
Pavel instructed me on how to assist with the ritual--basically "just follow my lead." If a threat arrived, Pavel's HUGE earth elemental was the first line of defense. Anything that got past that massive thing was my responsibility: I'd drop out of the ritual and blast/detain the attacker with Forces while Pavel worked on the delicate stuff required to complete the custom-ordered talisman. While the ritual was underway, a few minor gafflings seemed to take interest in the ongoings. The spirits seemed to be more curious than anything else. A chimera gaffling in the vicinity took particular interest. Once we finished up, Pavel saw the chimera gaffling watching me instead of him, and he joked that it liked me. Work complete, we sat together in the umbra and just enjoyed the final stages of the umbral blood moon. It was spectacularly beautiful.
I wonder what attributes the garou attach to this kind of thing? Silvertip had seemed to think the moon chose whether to have the eclipse happen or not, which I found to be ridiculous. But then I thought about how, ages ago, that might have been a commonly held belief and a mage with sufficient power could probably have caused eclipses fairly easily.
Once the eclipse was done, we crossed back to the realm and both of us turned in. We woke up late the next evening. (Pavel seems to be on a mostly nocturnal cycle, so I adapted.) He went to work sifting through all the stuff I'd brought. The vial of dried BSD semen? He actually looked at that a bit after I told him what it was and that I wasn't sure if that ought to be destroyed or not. He suggested we put it in the autoclave to verify that it functioned. Poof. It does. In fact, Pavel said it worked better than he had expected it to: He congratulated me on my contribution to the work he did last night. (All I did was help "push" after he determined the direction and got the ball rolling, but not every mage can do that--nor do that as well as I can. I would not be surprised if I get summoned to assist Pavel in future large-scale magics.
After a brief lecture on Pavel's theories for making charms and talismans, we moved on to the wares I had brought with me. I explaining what all the "exotic" tass effects were, and then Pavel excused me to go work on my magick in the umbra while he went through all the books I'd brought--assessing their worth to him and those he knew.
Wed, April 16--It's elemental, my dear Watson.
Pavel's cave is a node--with his sanctum (which has all the flavor of a old, cobbled-together high school biology/chemistry lab that collided with an antiquated veterinarian's office) within it--that's roughly as powerful as the Harbor Park glade. I spent the night interacting with Pavel's earth elemental, communicating via a mental link. Fascinating. I thought it might be interested in my use of Forces, so I gave it a little show with a focus on kinetics. That chimera gaffling from the other night was still hanging around the area and seemed interested in my use of Forces--a sphere Pavel doesn't know (or claims he doesn't know). Pavel joined me to watch me work magick and talk about other mages he'd known who used Forces and how he'd bound the earth elemental to his service.
We then crossed back to the realm, maybe an hour before dawn, to discuss the books and tass I'd brought. We talked about their contents, quality, and potential applications until around noon. We couldn't come up with an "I'll trade you X for Y" agreement with what Pavel had on hand, so he suggested contacting other mages to see if they had things that could be traded--with him acting as an intermediary. I went to the car to fetch my mini Magic 8-ball. Pavel watched as I did an Entropy/Time effect to determine if we'd arrive at a mutually agreeable trade for everything I'd brought and what Pavel could acquire: "IT IS DECIDEDLY SO." (Damn you, 8-ball! Why can't you be that straightforward about Mouse?) I gave him the go-ahead to start trading my stuff because, according to the 8-ball, whatever I wanted would find its way to me through Pavel. Pavel dispatched a number of spirits to communicate with his various contacts. He organized a Saturday swap meet. For wizards. I'd never even heard of such a thing! Although, in hindsight, it kind of makes sense.
when Pavel turned in (after I cooked dinner for us both). He got up at 9pm and we went to the umbra and talked turkey well beyond midnight.
Thurs, April 17--I think he likes you.
We spent a lot of the night in the umbra, working magic cooperatively on this and that. Sometimes just for shits and giggles (hold my vodka and watch this!), sometimes to show Pavel some Mind magick (I think he might be trying to learn more there because he kept asking probing technical questions about how I did things), and sometimes for some small projects Pavel was working on.
Pavel eventually asked what I was hoping to get out of the upcoming swap meet, and... I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted. Books? A talisman or two? A small node? (That got a laugh--followed by him claiming he'd consider it if I gave him that garou "dissertation" I had. No deal.) Eventually, Pavel said he'd thought of something to trade to me in partial exchange for what I'd brought: the chimera gaffling that had been hanging around us--and mostly me--the past few nights.
According to Pavel, the little chimera spirit had been loitering in the area for several months, likely attracted to both the node and magic use (like a moth to a flame), but Pavel had no use for such a small spirit (aside from use as a messenger), and it had seemed more interested in me than Pavel. (Probably because I actually paid attention to it whereas Pavel didn't, and.... I don't know. There's something I find intriguing about Chimera spirits ever since I touched a larger one's mind, got knocked out, found myself having a Seeking, and awoke with a great understanding of both magic and the Mind sphere.) Pavel offered, as a pre-meet trade, to bind it to me so I'd have a spirit helper, as I seemed to enjoy spending time in the umbra. (Pavel seemed approving of that.) Although tempting, I turned the offer down because it just felt wrong. Like slavery. Pavel--very patiently--explained that there's a range of bindings, then suggested I just spend more time in the umbra with the spirit to see if it felt like a good fit and if the spirit would be okay with a binding. I got the impression Pavel thought I was being a little ridiculous/naive about binding a spirit, especially such a minor one. I probably am as I've never actually seen it done before, but.... I want to go with my gut on something like this.
I spent the rest of the night conversing, mentally, with the chimera spirit. It calls itself 'Kargamis' (what a terrible name) and seems to find magick fascinating--especially Forces (which Pavel doesn't know) and Mind (which Pavel knows but not quite as much as I do). Kargamis unfortunately doesn't exactly strike me as being particularly brilliant. Still, it certainly knows more about spirits and the spirit world than I do, so it would actually be helpful--and an extra pair of eyes--for whenever I venture into the umbra.
Friday, April 18--Dear god, it's making puppy eyes at me.
Another
While we finished our patrol of Pavel's turf--and a little beyond since he had additional firepower with him--we talked about Kargamis, spirit familiars, and mages. As a result of this discussion, I'm a little more comfortable with the idea of a binding now, particularly if the spirit is willing. When Pavel talks to Kargamis he acts almost like the little Chimera spirit is the equivalent to the friendly neighborhood stray dog. I don't think he thinks too highly of this Chimera spirit that's been hanging around in adoration over the last year. He's used it before as a messenger, but that's about it. I kind of feel sorry for the guy. Kargamis is so eager, but so ignored.
Kind of like how I used to be.
Speaking of ignored, I played a bit of phone tag with Emma over the past day or two. I surprised myself by suggesting the possibility of her moving in. In hindsight, I'm not sure it'd work. She can't be there (or I can't be there) when the moon is fuller. Also? She's got her mom and her kid, and she can only see them for about half of each month. And here I've basically asked her, hey, do you want to cut deeper into the limited time you can spend with your mom and your daughter? .... Am I supposed to move in with her family?
Why does everything have to be so damn complicated?
I miss her.
I hope I didn't freak her out.
Saturday, April 19--Welcome to the Wizards-Only Flea Market and Swap Meet!
The next day, people began showing up by various means--and all of them knew Pavel. Pavel wasted zero time at all in moving product. A LOT of tass exchanged hands over the day, a lot of charms were swapped, and a LOT of talking was done.
Finally, I found a mage (one of Pavel's former apprentices) who had something that interested me: a shapeshifting talisman that Pavel had made about 25 years ago--and later given to him. (It's ironic that it's come back home and being transfered to another of Pavel's--somewhat unofficial--apprentices.) The ring's story? When Pavel had first moved out to this cave, a cougar tried to eat him one night. He'd killed it and made a talisman out of a ring and one of the cougar's claws. By powering it with a unit of quintessence, the mage wearing the ring could transform into a mountain lion via the claw's "memory". It can be used up to twice a month, but beyond that, it might break from the strain. Transformations to and from are very painful, but can be mitigated with the use of rudimentary Mind or moderately sophisticated Life magicks. SOLD. We shook on it. Pavel arranged a counterpayment. (It was nice to see that Pavel wheeled and dealed with his former apprentices, too. I didn't feel like he was just taking me to the cleaners--he takes /everyone/ to the cleaners!
The meet-up lasted from around 10am to 5pm, and there was a lot of socializing as well as trading. I rubbed shoulders with some well-respected, powerful mages. Most were polite. Some--in learning I was an Orphan--shunned or ignored me. But others didn't. A couple people had even heard of me, Pavel said good things about me (especially in terms of being useful for ritual magic), and there was at least passing talk of me potentially assisting in some ritual-based things with a couple cabals and one chantry. I shared my contact information with a number of people-and several share theirs with me. I feel like I'm starting to make a bit of a name for myself--and not a bad one, either.
After the swap meet was over and the last of my wares had been sold/auctioned off (save for the seven dried bramblefruits, which Pavel kept for his personal use--apparently his "profit" off the dealings), I drove out to town to eat dinner with one of the cabals. The restaurant was not very good, but the company and conversation made up for it. After they left, I went to a different restaurant and bought a pricey to-go meal, which I took back to Pavel as he just doesn't seem to get out much and I thought he might appreciate some restaurant food. He did. I spent a couple hours wearing the ring and attuning myself to it so I could get a "feel" for how it'd worked in the past. I have to admit I was sorely, sorely tempted to just use it right there on the spot, but I didn't. I think I'd rather save it so I could use it while on my own property--make a full day of it.
Or perhaps I could ask Salem about using the Walker's territory that no one seems to actually visit? I called him up. He's checking it out tonight for any strange scents. Maybe he'll head out with me later?
When dusk turned to twilight, Pavel and I went to the umbra again and met up with Kargamis. The little chimera agreed to a binding, and Pavel worked his magick. It's.... a weird, tingling sensation. Like there's something just under my skin. Not like the burning sensation in my hands when I start getting the urge to wield Forces magic. Otherwise? I don't really feel any different. Pavel explained that I'd need to feed the spirit to maintain the bond between us. One unit of quintessence per week. And if I fed it more and consistently, over a period of time, it might grow and become more powerful.
Afterwards, Pavel informed me our business had concluded and I needed to leave. He had things to do and umbral places to go. (I'd be tired of a houseguest I wasn't sleeping with after a week or so, too.) He wished me luck and thanked me for coming to him to trade and barter. He told me I wasn't too shabby of a mage--for an Orphan--and that if I had a lick of talent with the Life sphere, he might try to recruit me for the Verbena. (That makes the Hollow Ones, the Verbena, the Order of Hermes, and the Euthanatos who've expressed interest in recruiting me over the years.)
I told Pavel it was a pleasure doing business with him, I was DEEPLY impressed by his knowledge and abilities, and that I'd contact him in the future if I ever needed to sell or trade something. I also told him to keep an ear open in case he hears any rumors about lost garou fetishes (which most mages can't use anyway), as I might know someone who might trade more of the bramblefruit he seemed to like so much.
I packed up the Suburban--it took 10 minutes. With just two occult books, a new talisman, and an unmanifested spirit familiar, it was a hell of a lot lighter and less crowded in there than when I came down. But I'm okay with that. I feel like, maybe, I've turned a corner and might soon have a new perspective coming into view.
I am soooooo getting a nice hotel room at the halfway point on the way home. And room service. And a HOT bath.
