IC Thread: Ch. 1 - The Quiet Place

Meeting the executive branch didn't rattle John much - he was used to it, given his corporate background. What was worrying though that it was a meeting between mage higher-ups from warring factions and nobody could tell him why he made the cut. His mentors were as perplexed as he was - with Bitsie frowning, annoyed at her own lack of knowledge; Professor shrugging aloofly, his lack of interest in the political matters on full display; while Yamamoto, the most openly concerned member of the bunch, strongly advised him to be careful and watch his back with the Technocrats. The wild rumors that his housemate and confidant Todd was spouting didn't help to calm John's nerves much either.

They would kidnap you and make a clone from your DNA, send it back to your Chantry as a spy. So while you're getting butt-probed by robots in some corporate dungeon downtown, the clone is sleeping with your wife and hanging out with your cabal. Don't even get me started on the lizardmen. Yeah, yep, that's also them. You see, they first extract.. John sighed, listening to his friend and de-facto landlord going on and on about the evils of Technocracy, as he was ironing his pants for tomorrow's big meeting. His own knowledge of the group was pretty scarce, as he in large part followed Lindsey example and was focusing most of his time at the Chantry studying. In trying to prepare for the event, John questioned all three of his mentors on the etiquette of such a gathering, but the responses were somewhat varying. In the end, he decided to fall back on his mundane know-how and simply wear his work suit.

---

The one place of respite from all this worrying was in his dreams. It took a bit longer than usual to let go and surrender his mind to the soft and turbulent waves of oneiro-oceans.

The "citizens" of his dream realm had a strange knack for knowing when John was stressed, depressed or otherwise needed some emotional support and talking to. This time was no different. In a matter of minutes the whole gang was occupying the small makeshift kitchen, making tea and snapping cookies. The whole dream council convened, his advisors began.. advising.

There is a lot to learn from these Masters. Perhaps if you ingratiate yourself in their inner circle.. - begins Red.

What? No way! This is such an obvious set-up! They're just going to use you as a scapegoat! What you need to do is to stay invisible. Don't talk to anyone, blend in with the rest. Damn, hide in the bathroom if you have to! You heard what Todd said. These Technocrats people are probably behind the Illuminati and the Devil's Eye.

Not that Devil's Eye nonsense again! Always with your conspiracies!

Well, maybe they just recognized how hard John was working and decided to promote him? - Tish chimes in innocently.

Yeah, right! Promote him to a butt-probe receiving SCAPEGOAT, more like. You gotta open your eyes people! I mean, why else would the leaders of the two biggest groups of mages want JOHN at their annual fancy-schmancy symposium? No offense John. - Joel, the council's foremost conspiracy "expert", stated, as he turned to John and shrugged.

After a bit more deliberation and a whole pack of consumed cookies, no clear consensus was reached, apart from "go and see, be on the lookout for any danger".

---

There is one more thing.. - Red's tone turned serious, and the rest of the council went quiet. - We heard the knocking again.

A strange occurrence began to appear a few weeks back. The dream folk reported someone (or something) knocking on the front door of the Demesne. John himself was yet to experience the phenomenon, but a thought of something finding and lurking behind the walls of his innermost sanctum was terrifying. Did IT find him?

Ignore it. And NEVER open the door. Or interact with it. Do not ask who it is or look into the windows. In fact, let's put up some curtains. Doctor Yamamoto was very clear about the dangers of this place and that the locals can be quite hostile to those they consider intruders. Okay?

We understand. I'll keep an eye out, don't worry John. Somewhat reassured by Red's words, John sighed heavily and chomped on another cookie.

Now about that formula we discussed..

John wondered at times if the difference in character of people inhabiting this place was due to some unconscious influence of his. Where the Malcolm he knew in life was an eccentric, rambunctious fellow, this Red was a more subdued man, acting often as a father figure, advisor and another mentor. The two of them often talked and work-shopped various rituals and discussed general structures of the hermetic practices and the foundational laws by which they function.

---

The dreamers dispersed after some more tea time small talk, each going about their own business - the idea that John found both fascinating and strangely reassuring. John and Red spend the rest of the night talking, until it was time to wake up.

Done with his morning routine, John donned his trusty suit, a solid salaryman look, and got into his car.

Just be careful, alright? I know the meeting's on our turf, but still. Never know what these assholes are planning. With his last bit of advice done, Todd tapped the car a few times and went back inside.

---

It took some time to get to the King William's Historic District due to accident related congestion. The good habit of arriving early has paid off again, John thought to himself, as the car was standing by the tall gates of the Villa Finale, waiting to be processed for entry.

Once inside, a helpful servant leads John and two other men, with whom he is unfamiliar, through the antic looking hallway, decorated with watercolor paintings of surrealistic landscapes. Nodding at the others, the young disciple waits until he is spoken to, choosing to stay to quiet for now, carefully observing the two leaders present.

---

Terrific, just terrific.
There are times when being noticed is good, and times when it’s bad, and when a bunch of high-ups you’ve never heard of suddenly want you at one of their high-profile events, they’re either secret fans of yours after all (ha ha!) or there’s trouble brewing. Man finds himself in that position, like Elastigirl said, either he’s in trouble, or he’s going to be.
Dominic locked the car and shouldered his keytar, the reassuring weight of the instrument settled across his back on the strap. He turned on his heel and stalked across the crunching gravel towards the house. He’d figured there was little point in trying to conform to any expectations of dress or appearance; whoever wanted him here either knew who he was already, or simply didn’t care. Either way, not much point in sucking up. Besides, most Etherites seemed to think that being overly fashionable demonstrated shallowness and a lack of Scientific rigour, both cardinal offences.
So; black boots (albeit shined). Slim trousers. Tailored leather jacket. Shades. An outfit suitable for a gig (of almost any sort).
Not that he hadn’t been thinking about this; his thoughts just hadn’t been focused on his own appearance.
Try as he might, Dominic couldn’t think of anything he’d done that seemed likely to attract this kind of attention; that suggested it was unlikely that he was here to be Called To Account for something. No, more likely someone thought they’d Found A Use for him.
Right or wrong, he wasn’t looking forward to finding out.

John will politely ask for a glass of water, smiling gently towards the staffer. Taking a sip to wet the slightly perched throat, he'll listen attentively to the Archmage's spiel, keeping an eye contact with the guests from other faction, but being careful not to stare. There is another peculiar fellow at the meeting, the one who arrived with a strange musical instrument on his back. Restraining his curiosity, John simply smiled at the sight, without saying anything. There was a lot of eccentrics among the Awakened and prying into their personal practices was usually not a good idea.

Dorgraff, John, bani Order of Hermes. A short, to the point introduction. The Order wasn't his "house" per se, but going into detail about his involvement with a particular group within it seems irrelevant to the conversation at hand, especially with Technocracy members present.

John will make mental note of each person in the room, trying to remember their names and affiliations. Archmage and the Techoncrats representative would be on top of the list, followed by the other two men and anyone else who is going to appear later.

Dominic, feeling slightly nervous and more than a little out of place, and not wanting more coffee, politely requests iced tea, thanking whoever delivers it. He listens to the meeting preamble with some interest; on a certain level, this meeting is most important as part of a sequence he hasn’t previously paid much attention to, not expecting it to directly impact him. However, the preamble and associated ritual is like the header file on an old piece of code; it can tell you all sorts of things about where this procedure came from, who’s been involved with it, and what it’s expected to do. Assuming political elements are involved, expectations around the table are not necessarily aligned, so he also watches for any reactions to particular phrases. Or maybe everyone else knows the agenda, and just the mooks like him weren’t kept in the loop…
"Dominic James, bani Etherites" he announces. He doesn't really expect any reaction from the Technos across the table; the split is ancient history, and he’s quite sure they already know who he is. If they care.

John glances at the two gentlemen beside him, to see if either of them will speak out. Seeing some hesitation, he will reluctantly begin.

Umm.. Well, firstly, allow me to thank you for inviting us and granting us this opportunity. I am sure all of us present here realize the importance of inter-faction cooperation.

Memories of the corporate life rise to the surface, reminding of a usual way these cross-department projects go - awry. Each side pulls on the blanket, trying to get the credit for the whole thing, resulting in delays, easily fixable errors (which weren't due to abysmal lack of communication), and lost profits.

May I ask why the three of us were chosen for this assignment? Is it simple availability or are there certain.. talents and proclivities that fit this particular task?

Hopefully it wasn't because of what happened during the Awakening.. Was this some sort of test? Or did the three of them simply stepped into the middle of some faction pissing match? Or worse - something personal between the higher-ups? If they really do want us to investigate, perhaps they will be willing to share some information?

Can you tell us more about these.. disappearances? Anything that you already have gleaned will surely prove useful and guarantee that we are not going to be wasting your time chasing leads that you have already investigated.

So they want us to go to some rundown homeless camp and poke around - John thought.

Finding the source of any active or leftover magics in the area shouldn't be too hard - that was kind of John's thing - but working the locals.. The rough and tough folk were not exactly his crowd. Hopefully one of the other "recruits" had enough charm and street savvy to deal with that part of the assignment. Just go in, quickly locate the problem spot and report back in. John glances at his teammates.

Don't get dragged into the Otherworlds again and don't get stabbed with a rusty knife by homeless person. Easy, yes. Just stay calm and it's going to be fine.

Yes, I understand. Is there anything else we should know? - John responds, trying to sound calm, cool and confident, while jotting down the important details in a small notepad he produced from his pocket.

---

Dominic shifts in his seat, struggling unsuccessfully to keep several wry smirks from his face. "It’s practically a grim joke for me to be called an employee, semantic conventions aside. Employees get pay and benefits. As for the task, I wonder what other resources we have to call upon. Because, as I’m sure you are aware, I am by training and experience a specialist in a rather limited field which does not particularly suit me to street work. Now, I, and if I’m not mistaken, another," he inclines his head towards the young Hermetic, "similarly unsuited to such an environment, have been tasked. I can imagine my Etherite - seniors’ - amusement at throwing my name forward, but I can’t imagine them thinking me well prepared for this. And last of my immediate thoughts, the quantum signature was precisely quantified but not otherwise characterised? That seems - well, I can’t think of a better word than "sloppy" for that."

John will wait to see if the big wigs have anything else to add or if one of his new companions has any other insights or questions. If the higher ups are done with assigning the assignment and his comrades are also finished, he will nod and say, to cover for any uncomfortable silence:

If that is all, then we shall depart. Assuming my companions here are free, we should get started immediately, in which case you can expect our preliminary report tomorrow. We thank you again for this opportunity and will try to not disappoint. Now, shall we, gentlemen?

After getting up from the table and giving the bosses another polite nod, John will allow himself, along with the Etheretrite and the Syndicate agent, to get escorted out.

Once out, he will reach out a hand for handshake, observing both men in turn.

John. Nice to meet you. So should we take a drive to see what's all the fuss is about or..?

There was a certain familiarity with the Society of Ether - both Professor Lindsey and Doctor Yamamoto, two out of three John's mentors, practiced a paradigm favoring a more scientific approach, thus allowing for a semi-frequent collaborations with the Enlightened Scientists. Both described them as an "inspired, but often weird or outright kooky bunch". The large keyboard on the Eteretrite's back did not inspire confidence.

The Syndicate, on the other hand, was a mystery to John. All he knew about them is that they are part of the Technocracy, one of their "traditions" and that they deal primarily in the financial sector. Neither seemed like they would be particularly comfortable in the pallid squalor of city's shanty towns and "bad" neighborhoods.

Dominic shakes the offered hand with a wry, if reluctant, half smile. "Dominic, fellow reality deviant. Pleased to meet you, wish the circumstances were less drafty. I mean it, we’ve been drafted. Anyway, kind of glad to have a Hermetic along; from what I’ve heard of your history, your whole trad is made up by stitching together disparate groups into a coherent whole. That seems like a useful model for our current situation. So, I reckon we each need to know a bit about one another. I’m a student, acoustic engineering and music. My Science runs to a handful of related areas."

The Order is quite a patchwork of groups and ideas, yeah. But, uh, acoustic engineering? That's pretty unique. I don't think I've met another willworker who worked through sound. Guess that explains the, uhh.. - John gestures at the keytar - the instrument.

I used to be in corporate myself, finance, before my, umm, Awakening.. happened. If I had to pick an area I'm good at, I'd probably say detection. Varied repertoire, but I have a particularly good nose for any Otherworlds related phenomena - spots where the Gauntlet or Shroud are thin, any denizens lurking nearby, stuff like that. I assume that is why they brought me on. I also have hands-on experience with the Dream Zone and adjacent realms. So you can leave locating the anomaly to me, should be able to pinpoint anything out of the ordinary, I think. The mundane locals I'm not so sure about..

"So, this matter was initially left to mundane authorities. I’m guessing they didn’t do very much, but whatever they have could save us some time and trouble; a list of missing persons, any reports of unusual phenomena, especially anything providing a lead to locations worth checking out. It’s well known that the Technocracy substantially own the mundane authorities, so if there are channels through which we can obtain that information it’d be a start."
Dominic looks at John. "My Scientific sensing is limited to pattern Spheres, and Correspondence. It’s a generalisation, but my tools can achieve either quick or quiet, but not both."

That is a good idea. I was just thinking we drive around the area, see if we can spot or sense something, but going in prepared does sound safer. So.. how should we do it? Find out what the cops know, I mean. I guess we can ask the Technocrats directly, but I get the feeling that want us to deal with situation ourselves. John thinks for a moment.

We could check social media, see if there are any posts about weird occurrences or missing people in the area. Oh..! Maybe one of our fellow Traditionalists can help, take a peek at the police files? One of the Virtual Adepts? I don't know any though..

"My turn to say ‘good idea’ now; searching the net and social media is something that I can do mundanely. Outright hacking not so much; and hacking law enforcement is for experts. I was hoping we could gain some information from authorised channels, or at least theoretically legitimate access to authorised channels."

Well, I don't really know anyone in law enforcement.. I've got a sense that the bosses has already provided us with what they think we should know. We can stop by the police station, see if we can learn anything there, but asking around might invite unwanted interest in us.. How about we drive around the neighborhood in question, see if we can spot anything? One of us can drive, the other can check the social media platforms to narrow down the search and the third can observe the surrounding?

The police will have tried to link the disappeared people, where they could; evidently they failed. I can think of a few avenues, if we can get access to their records. A few of the disappeared had lives that were somewhat documented; any association they had with particular locations might help. However I am also thinking of extending that search to the people who reported them missing, because in most cases, someone must have done so; but who? Cops take such things down, but unless the reporter is somehow suspicious themselves - unlikely; why would anyone with something to hide bring the matter to the attention of the police? - the police may tend to ignore them unless a case gains priority. Those reporters may have had connections to particular places; a few of them might even be found for interview.
Driving around and searching for Resonance or other weirdness is worth a try, especially if we have the appropriate spheres. I suspect that Mind, Prime or Dimensional Science might be of particular utility value in this approach and sadly those are fields I’ve yet to study.
I can certainly try and set up an automated search for relevant social media posts indicative of either disappearances or weird happenings in this area.
There have been no bodies found; if they had been, the case would be homicide, if cold, and not merely missing persons. Those bodies went somewhere. It would not surprise me if they all went to the same place, and that place - or the access to it - is the focus of the Resonance."

I mean, we know the general area of the disturbance - that is where that Resonance have been detected by out Technocratic.. colleagues. I think our time would be better spent investigating the location that we were tasked with investigating, instead of doing a deep dive on the victims of whatever is going on there. Start with the big thing, work our way down to the details, if they become relevant. - Looking at their Technocrat companion for conformation, John continues.

I can cover the majority of the.. Spheres, as far detection, location and sensory input is concerned including the.. uhh.. "Dimensional Science". The only one potentially relevant to this assignment that I've yet to learn is the study of Time. Other than that we're good.

An automated soc. media search does sound great. I'm sure the local Facebook groups and the like should have some info. I think we also should not jump to conclusions about the nature of the Resonance. While "disappeared somewhere" definitely sounds better than, say, "disappeared into something", like a stomach or basement of.. someone or something, we probably shouldn't assume anything at this point.

"Maybe you’re right; if the resonance is strong enough, then we can find the location that way, and more quickly too. I can start setting up the search; now, should we also consider what to do when we find the location? We were invited to plan as best we could, and we don’t exactly have the marines for backup."

Oh, I'm not planning on engaging anything dangerous today, and neither should you. They asked us to locate the source of the disturbance and discern its nature, not deal with it. This is a recon mission, as I understood it. I don't know about you but I'm not equipped or willing to engage with anything hostile, especially not.. Otherworlders. - John shudders. - Dealing with spirits is extremely dangerous, too dangerous. After taking a deep breath, the hermetic will continue in a slightly more composed manner.

I think we might be overthinking this. Chances are, we are just here for appearances. Someone screwed up - maybe it was one of ours, maybe a Technocrat, maybe a tourist. Someone screwed up and lost control of their magic, of whatever it is they were doing, and they left a mess for us to clean up. That's the Resonance they detected. To avoid a political incident, they send us - a mixed team - to take a look and make a report that will be filed away in the bottom drawer to keep up the appearances and preserve the status quo. It's your typical "internal investigation". Despite their talk of our "readiness" for field work, these people know our capabilities and limitations intimately, because they were the ones who taught us. I highly doubt they would send us on a mission if they didn't think we could handle it.

We know the location - Harmony Hills neighborhood, near the airport. They have said that the disappearances are incidental, not deliberate, which means that they likely crossed out the dangerous scenarios from the board. I think we should just drive up and see it for ourselves. My guess? We're either dealing with an Orphan, recently Awakened in the worst case scenario, or a leftover Paradox stain. Considering the Technocrats labeled the place an "Irrational Zone", I wouldn't be surprised if it is used by some as a convenient place for their.. practices and tests. I imagine quite a few of these vanishings can be explained by conventional means, if only the cops bothered to look. John looks at his companions, anxiously, hoping that his speech convinced them not to do anything too dangerous and to simply get on with it. If the Technocrats were wrong and there was someone or something in the Hills, well.. No, best not think about that. Just a drive and a quick look around, that's all. No one is dying today. It will all be okay.

John patiently awaits as the Etheretrite works his magic on the phone.

Anything interesting on there?

Shifting his gaze to the Technocrat - So, uhh, any insight on this? - he inquires. Perhaps the man has something to add, some detail or piece of information.

In the mean time, John decides to text Todd, his roommate and acolyte at the Chantry. Maybe he has heard something, being a more outgoing type and keeping the finger on the pulse of San Antonio's night life, instead of preferring seclusion and quiet of Chantry's library.

---

Dominic looks up from the keytar to meet John’s gaze. "I’ll say," he mutters. "The most promising information is being concealed by magick, and I can’t get past it."

Magic..? But who.. Oh! It's probably the Technocrats, isn't it? They're the ones who found this anomaly, so they probably just encrypted some of the more "out there" info, "protecting the population" and all that. Or maybe that is how they communicate.

I only know two group who deal with this sort of virtual stuff and I doubt it's our Adepts.

John takes a few steps toward Dominic. Do you need any help? This is not exactly my area of expertise, but I can, uhh, hold the phone while you do thing with the keys? - he says, gesturing at the keytar.

"We might ask our allies if they know anything about an information blackout - they said they knew nothing else, but I could see this being so much standard procedure that they wouldn’t think twice about it."
"One other possibility; I have no skill in Prime, but if you do, and I could point you to the ward I sensed, might you be able to learn anything from it?"

John awkwardly scratches his cheek, looking a bit down.

I am familiar with the basic working of the Primal Energies, but.. uhh.. I wouldn't quite know how to apply any of that to the computer encryptions. There are some young hermetics who practice that sort of merging of ideas, but I've been following more traditional line of studies. Most of my.. abilities.. are limited to my own personal perceptions. So unless there is some traditional work interwoven with that encryption, like an ancient spell or word of power hidden in the code, I'm not sure how I can assist..

Letting out a disappointed sigh, he will point at the gates.

Shall we go take a look at that place? I can drive while you work on that encryption-ward.

As they head out, Dominic seems rather distracted. "Something about this doesn’t fully add up," muses Dominic. "The data has been removed from its original location, but the archive is being protected, not erased. I don’t know about you, but since they’re apparently aware of the archive, what it makes me think is that either whoever is protecting the information cannot delete it, or they are unwilling to do so. Since it seems very unlikely that they could not delete the archive copy, I assume that for some reason they do not want to delete it. I wonder what that should be telling us. Any thoughts?"
"I wonder if there’s another way to approach this problem…I mean, I’ve tried finding the data, and I know roughly where it is, I just can’t get at it. Re-trying the same thing seems unlikely to work, but if I can find another way…?"

Mhm.. Well, I don't know, can't really think of.. John suddenly stops.

Hey, uhh, this information or archive.. It's on a website, correct? Or like a server or something? How about a change of approach? I've had an idea, though I'm not sure if it's actually.. makes sense? Smiling, John takes a second to think before continuing.

Websites have owners, right? People who register them? What if we try contacting them? Maybe we'll have better luck with a person than numbers.

Actually, I've been thinking about this a while ago.. Do.. websites have souls? Sounds ridiculous, I know. But what I mean is, are there spirits of particular sites? Perhaps contacting them might be better? Even if we do not find out what is hidden behind the encryption, we might find out why it is hidden.

I know that there are "virtual" Realms in Otherworlds, but I'm at a loss of how they actually came to be or operate. I've had a discussion with a Virtual Adept visiting the chantry once and most of what she said went over my head. But assuming these places follow the same sort of operational dynamics of the other Realms.. There should be spiritual reflections of most "internet" things there, including the sites and apps, right? Or .. - trying to come up with a word, John does a prolonged "ummm" - "entities", you might call them? I'm not too familiar with how the Society views those things exactly.

---

"I’ve heard of shamans who claimed that anything not completely inert - and they had a very limited definition of what that included- had a spirit that could be conversed with, or bound. There are supposedly techno-shamans who extend that idea to technology, but I’ve no idea how it works. To me it’s technology, not sentience. True AI might be another story, I suppose, but apart from that it sounds bat-shit, but, from what I heard, it worked for them. I’ve heard of internet realms, and formatted web, but it sounded above my level; I’m not that into VR rigs and such…

John nods.

Yeah, maybe if we had an Adept with us.. Well, something to look into later, I suppose. Letting out a small sigh, John will continue walking towards the cars.

Shall we?

---

"Leaving a car here might cause us problems, so I reckon we should leave here as we came. However, we could leave one car elsewhere and go on in the other; that way only one of us has to drive. I’m willing to drive, if you would rather see if your abilities have better luck than mine?"

Yeah, sure. I know this one good parking lot downtown, not too far from the Chantry proper. How about we drive there, I'll drop my car and we'll go in yours? Then we can drive around that block they want us to investigate, you behind the wheel, while I'll cook some of my magic in the back, see if I can spot any hotspots there.

John quickly checks his phone to see if there is any reply from Todd, frowning when there is none. The guy is always on his phone! Hopefully he's just busy, maybe running some errand for Bitsie.

---

Dominic is intently punching keys on his phone. "One more thing I can try…"

After the car switch, John will situate himself in the back, getting some of his things from his own car. Once they start getting closer to the designated area, he will begin crafting his magics.

Swallowing nervously, he takes account of his instruments. You just need to calm down. You can do this. - he thinks to himself.

Setting his leather-bound grimoire/journal on his knees, flips it to the right page, filled with multiple formulae and a written poem of sorts, a chant filled with words of power and command. Some words are crossed over, other re-added, in an attempt to alter, improve and tailor the spell to John's sensibilities and needs. He takes out his grandfather's old pocket knife, and starts the chant, as he lightly scratches his skin with the knife - not to the point of drawing blood, but to leave a visible, physical mark. First, it's the forehead, where he scratches a third eyes. Then begins an intricate carving on his hands, palms and wrists - a line of script around the wrist, a labyrinthine sigil on the back of the hand and finally another eye etched onto the palm, all the while quietly reciting the spell:


as above - so below - all things are one

ARARITA, the TRUTH - the light shines through (nod), to illuminate the darkness

I reach across - all things are one

(Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultem Lapidem)

LUX - the TRUTH is shown, illuminated, visible..!


Once the carvings on both hands are done, John will flick the lighter on, bathing the palms in the heat of the flame, warming both and waiting for the feeling to kick in, intently staring, focusing his will on the flame.

---

---

I can feel it alright. The energy. - says John as he is looking around. It's nearby. Let's park in the lot, take a look around. Hopefully the rumors about it being a murder spot are exaggerated.

Let's keep the car running just in case. There is an active spell close, I think. Can't quite tell what it is though. Or if whoever cast it is still around. There are people near, so if worse comes to worst, we just dash back to the car and bail. Hopefully the sleepers walking around would prevent anyone potentially hostile from doing their own workings. Unless they are of the kind who are not affected.. John shuddered. He has heard about the Marauders - the insane mages bending reality in strange, unforeseen ways, shrugging the Paradox away, and hoped he never would have to encounter such a madman.

We just gotta be careful. Keep our eye open. As the parking lot drew closer, John put the journal in his backpack, knife and lighter in his pockets. Sifting through the cigarette pack, he picks the cigarette with the right symbols and words scratched on it, and tucks it behind his ear for ease of access.

Dominic manages to keep most of his attention on the road, but his eyebrows climb noticeably at the parts of John’s working he glimpses. However he’s wise enough not to say or do anything to interrupt.
Once John announces his results, he feels safe speaking. "Well done, you learned more than I did, so it makes sense to follow your lead. I’ll gladly keep her running while we’re in the car; but I’m not leaving the car running like that in a place like this, it’d be gone when we got back.
Now, how close d’you want us parked?"

Let's go for a spot somewhere in the middle and go by feel from there.

As the car pulls into its spot, John will check out the people with the luggage. While they are unlikely to be involved, it doesn't hurt to check. Do they look like regular folk, tourist perhaps, or is there anything suspicious about the bunch?

---

The glances, looks and pointing were unnerving. John instinctively took a step back and froze. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to stop, to collect himself. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath in - and a deep breath out, opening his eyes anew to the scene.

Ever since his Awakening, the obsessive, somewhat paranoid thoughts of everything around somehow being related to magic or being magical, appeared in his mind from time to time. It was easy to slide into this mindset - that that accident you saw on the news was the work of a mage; that shiver you felt in the parking lot was from a spirit and not a cold gust of wind; that stranger looking at you across the street is watching you specifically, tracking your every move and not just being a nosy gawker. The fact that Traditions seemed to be besieged on all fronts - by the Technocracy, infernal Nephandi and the Sleepers themselves - didn't really help alleviate these fears. But reality of the matter was often (if not always) much simpler - the travelers with the luggage are simply being cautious, paying attention to their surroundings and anyone out of ordinary; the homeless are keeping an eye out for strangers - huddled together for safety from the world that rejects them, they have only each other to rely on and must be on constant lookout for strangers; the man swearing in car is probably pissed off at Dominic's driving, irritated by some perceived "slowness".

Armed with this newly crafted shield of common sense, John takes in the parking lot, sneaking a peek at Dominic. He was never comfortable with leading, but it seems he has to step up now, as he is the only one who can lead them to whatever disturbance is happening in the area. Just gotta stay calm. - he thinks, reinforcing his will and steeling his nerves.

Alright, let's take a look around the lot first. If there was a spell cast on the land itself, it might be noticeable. Keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual. Even if the spell was cast from somewhere around here, there might be some physical evidence left, if the Resonance is strong enough.

With that, John will begin his inspection of the parking lot. Using his acquired supernatural sensitivity as a guide and the cast spell as a detector, he will survey his surroundings - kneeling down to gently run his palm across the asphalt; touching the car itself; the grass poking through the cracks; any litter, such as empty bottles and cigarette butts. If the spell was cast here, perhaps the Resonance of the Working has imprinted on the things nearby.

John will also try to make sense of the nature of the Resonance, if he feels it near or comes across anything imprinted - is it a harmful effect? Anything dangerous? What forces/Spheres did the mage/s called upon for this spell?

Additionally, he will keep an eye out for any strange physical phenomenon in the area that can clue them in as to the nature of the spell - things like grass growing in one direction or leaves floating in the air without falling.

---

Dominic carefully locks the car, looking around. He’s a lab rat and an academic by training, and being sent out like this makes him nervous. From the looks of him, John feels it too. I suppose they were right, we aren’t well prepared for this. I hope they’re watching and laughing… well, they might end up laughing on the other side of their faces. I’ve played gigs in some places, and this is only a damned car park!
If the travellers are mundanes, they might just think we’re a couple of strangers, and not want to get too close to us. It’s the three who fled into cover that worry him; that suggests something to hide from the world, and knowing or believing that the shantytown is a place of relative safety, and hence likely familiar.
Dominic mutters "If we’re lucky, those three are just wary of anyone they don’t know. If we’re unlucky, they were casing cars as they parked; an unattended car is easy pickings. If we’re really unlucky, they’re waiting for us…
Dominic keeps an eye on where the three went.

Uh, yeah, well.. Let's just focus on the task at hand, shall we? The faster we figure out what's going on here, the faster we can leave. I'm sure these guys are as uneasy around us as we are around them. With an uncomfortable laugh, John goes back to scanning the lot, trying to determine if there is anything here that can tell them about the Resonance they encountered.

---

Dominic peers into the shadows, but his concentration is mostly elsewhere… his right hand is reaching behind his hip, to the bass keys on the keytar still slung over his shoulder. The actual sound generated is all but inaudible; infrasound, at frequencies below normal hearing, with a longer wavelength. That makes it easier to judge the position he’s aiming for… connecting spatially separate locations an exact number of wavelengths apart. Using Correspondence 2 he can actually connect two of those points, enough to move several of his nanobots through a microscopic wormhole. There are many more elegant solutions, he knows, but they require more work and Forces…

Hey, do you smell that? The gasoline? John looks around, trying to determine where the smell could be originating from, before turning to Dominic. Spotting the Etheretrite fiddling with his "tool", he asks:

Are you.. doing something? The active spell reveals clearly that Dominic is doing something, but it is hard to say what or how does his craft even works. Does he have to play the thing to cast his spells? - he thinks to himself.

Ugh. What is up with that smell..? Annoyed at the sudden burst of olfactory nastiness, John keeps glancing around, trying to figure out where it came from or why.

Dominic mutters to John, "Yes, I’m trying to use low-frequency sound to define a point near those people, from which I can emanate high-frequency sound to pick up information about them and their immediate material surroundings. The high-frequency pulses are pre-programmed, but the aiming point I still have to define manually…"

So like an echolocation or something? - asks John, following Dominic's gaze as he squints, trying to discern anything on the other side of the road amongst the homeless' shacks and urban detritus.

"Partly, yes; but I can also extend my own senses conventionally… a weakness in this instance, because the human mind latches onto familiar patterns, like conversation, so I can hear two of them arguing about a dog while the third mentioned going to Oblate - Drive? - which sounds marginally more significant; but listening to them meant I failed to focus on Life or Matter sensing; partly my fault for not specifying more specific parameters. As I said, the active sensing was preprogrammed but in this case that largely confirmed what I can see. Perhaps we should tail them without being noticed, if we can?"