Aaron's library is NOT available
{{ | date=09/14/2018 | time=14:00 EST | cast=
| place_name=Alma's office in the Hall of Science | place_desc= | log=Friday, Sep 14, 2018
TEXT: Alma to Aaron: are you at home? I want to hit hte library to check something about the murders
TEXT: Aaron to Alma: Is the rumor I heard correct? Did you follow through on the intention you expressed to me?
TEXT: Alma to Aaron: yes
TEXT: Aaron to Alma: My library is unavailable. But, I will meet with you. Somewhere in the city?
TEXT: Alma to Aaron: how about my office?
About 30 minutes later, there's a knock on Alma's office door, and then it swings open as Aaron just barges in. He was invited, so it's totally not rude. He's dressed like he just got out of a board meeting--which, let's be real, when isn't he?--in his tailored suit, expensive shoes, and sparkly cuff-links. He shuts the door behind him and takes a moment to actually see what's inside it, in particular, where's Alma. "So what's this about murders?"
Alma's at her desk working on some lucite and brick contraption for a feeding station. She strips another screw as Aaron enters. "Dammit!" She looks up to see Aaron. "Oh hey. Well, have you seen the two articles in the paper about some dead bodies found outside of any jurisdiction?"
Aaron gives her a look, _the_ look really, of disbelief. "You read the _paper_?" He shakes his head, and crosses the office to sit down in one of the chairs across the desk from Alma. "So, they found some dead bodies. What, out in Measure 2? How'd that even make the news?"
"It's the Detroit Free Press, they cover more. And, I mean, sometimes I read the physical paper. Sometimes online." She gives a 'whatever' flourish with her hand. "The disturbing thing is that the murders look ritualistic. Kai pulled me and Wednesday in to discuss it. I looked through Wednesday's library some. I'd also like to check a Hermetic library because there is a possibility, a probalistic possibility," she narrows her eyes at that, "that a hermetic is involved. There is a possibility that it's related to Transcending. So. If your library is not available to me, is this something you would look in to for me? I can text the urls to you. I'm going to be doing some field work on this."
Aaron seems unimpressed about the Detroit Free Press, but he listens to Alma anyway. "Okay, so you think that somebody from my Order may be involved with these murders, and that it may relate, somehow, to the mess down at Hart Plaza?" He quirks up his eyebrow and shakes his head. "I'm going to need a bit more to go on. Can you explain _why_ you think these things?"
Alma presses her lips together. "Part of this is based on a report from Maya that I have secondhand through Wednesday. I haven't followed up on that yet. If you want, I can keep you in that loop. The other thing I've learned is that there are aat least three Hermetic houses that have specialities in the dead, or souls of the dead. I was hoping to review Hermetic source maerial to see if any of them describe a ritual that involves killing and scalping a circle out of someone." She looks disgusted suddenly. "Or scalping, then killing. Anyway, also, just having access to any library would be useful. I've looked through Wednesdays. I would go through any library, not just a Hermetic's."
"And who told you these things about the Order?" Aaron seems even less impressed now, and rather focused on understanding the inputs to Alma's thought processes rather than the conclusions she's drawn.
Alma evaluates Aaron.
Aaron sits there, patiently awaiting a reply.
Alma examines Aaron, considering his trustworthyness. "One of my teachers."
Aaron looks at Alma, and then draws a conclusion. "I would be very wary of how much you listen to Zachary Penn, Miss Hunter. Most reasonable Magi understand him to most likely be a Nephandus. He's already influenced you to abandon your Tradition, what's next?" With that he stands up.
Alma is incensed because she is angry that Zach gets credit for choices that she makes. WTF you asshole. She left her tradition on her own and everybody better goddam believe her.
But then, her brain is rebooting because she can't exactly remember (previously) being taught by someone in her tradition anything about the Hermetic's attitude towards souls of the dead. They said something??? Multiple teachers, right?
Alma's brain pffffts. How inconvenient when talking to an absolute asshole.
<<DICE>> Alma rolls willpower, difficulty 6
<<DICE>> 1 success (2 2 2 5 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Alma rolls manipulation + subterfuge, difficulty 6
<<DICE>> FAIL (1 5 5, Specialty: No, Willpower: Yes)
[POOL] Alma spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success
<<DICE>> Aaron rolls perception+empathy, difficulty 6
<<DICE>> FAIL (1 1 3 4 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<OOC>> Aaron says, ">.> Defender wins? :P"
"I did have other teachers." Alma frowns. "I learn things from Zach. forging. aikido. He's smart, but he didn't push me to leave my tradition. No one pushed me. I'm sharp enough on my own to follow where my will guides me. You might as well say that you influenced me to leave my tradition. I've also spent time with you."
Aaron makes a face, it's that same look of disbelief from before, and shakes his head. "You're too naieve for all this, Miss Hunter," he says. "You won't notice the nudges toward Decension until it's too late. He's bad news, and I wouldn't trust anything he's got to say." There's a pause. "As to researching the secret rituals of a House of the Order, why on _earth_ do you think I'd share that information with you?"
Alma ignores Aaron's accessment of her naivite. "You were willing to share Hermetic secrets before," she points out. "If you are willing to do some small amunt of work to prevent more deaths, discuss your analysis with Wednesday. He's also investigating these ritual murders. He's a leader of the chantry. You and I need not interact at all."
"I know who he is, Miss Hunter. I was at the meeting," Aaron says with a roll of his eyes. "My library is unlikely to have anything like what you're looking for. That's not the nature of most of my volumes. I was perfectly comfortable letting you root around for some basic stuff related to Ars Spirituum. But, and this is very important, that was before. You're no longer a member in good standing of one of the Nine Mystick Traditions because you decided to _quit_. Moreover, you associate quite frequently with a person reasonably suspected to be a Nephandus. Your choices have consequences, Miss Hunter." On that note, he turns and heads for the door. }}
