Mage: The Awakening PbP - Nemesis

[Tokiwong]

"I should be alright, I've survived worse," Harlequin lied, not wanting to worry his hosts, "Cymbeline, you wouldn't happen to have a towel there would you? I don't want to get too much blood on things, probably be bad for business, eh?"

“I know some basic first aid,” she starts applying what she knows cleaning and bandaging Harlequin, “I can’t believe you took on that psycho… he wanted to kill you… how did you make it… I passed out and then he was gone.”

She smiles, “You saved my life… I owe you my life, my hero.”

 

[Festy_Dog]

Hero? Cymbeline saved Harlequin, but explaining how that came about could wait until she was aware of the basics involved with being one of the Awakened. Until then Harlequin wasn't about to complain about having pretty girls worry over him. He smiled, Cymbeline was an incredibly attractive young woman, but the title of hero probably wasn't terribly suitable for him. He was too manipulative and underhanded to consider himself a hero. He'd never had to put himself in harm's way before, well, not without an easy way out. The combination of a stunning girl and a sense of duty compelled him to get himself cut up, but it seemed to have payed off in the end.

"Cymbeline, I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right time. The guy gave up when Thessaly and associates arrived. Must have thought the odds were against him at that point," that and Cymbeline hurled the guy into a car after blasting him with magic frost, "I'm never be able to turn my back on a damsel in distress."

At this point he couldn't exactly say he was just doing his job, although he would have gone out of his way to help Cymbeline anyway. It was the eyes, he could never resist dark eyes. The question at this point was where Cymbeline had drawn that mystery power from. Harlequin had thought after the spell that she was a Mage, but clearly he was wrong. Had the use of magic (powerful magic for that matter) forced an Awakening? But then how could she have accessed the Supernal if she was a Sleeper?

Harlequin's lack of understanding grated at him, magic was still new to him and there was so much to learn. Learning was made somewhat difficult when relations were becoming increasingly tense between him and his mentor. Personal matters aside, Thessaly knew Cymbeline better than Harlequin did, perhaps she would have an insight.

 

[Tokiwong]

Cymbeline smiles shyly, “Well you coming along saved my life…” she finishes bandaging his stomach, “I don’t know what happened… but I just feel different… I guess almost dying would be life changing.”

“But that dream,” she turns to Thessaly, “It seemed so vivid… so real.”

 

[Shayuri]

"Yeah," Thessaly agrees. "We, uh, should probably talk about that. Morrigan might be better at it, but...well, if you went to one of the watchtowers, and wrote your name on it, then I don't know what else to say but that you're Awakened. I mean, I knew you were close, but..."

She shrugs helplessly.

"It's kind of a long story. The short version is that you've discovered a sort of...bridge, between your body in this world, and a higher order of reality that is the realm of the soul. You can use that bridge...the tower in your dream...to change this reality according to the will of your soul."

She coughs, "Uh, sort of. I'm not explaining it well. I"m new at this myself. But basically it means that magic is real, and you've just woken up to it."

 

[Festy_Dog]

"That's a pretty good summary of it," Harlequin interjects.

It seemed as though it was up to Thessaly to explain to Cymbeline what had happened then. Better that she hears it from someone she knows well. Harlequin looked back over to the other injured fellow. He was wearing a blue shirt.

"So, gentleman in the blue shirt, you wouldn't happen to be the 'Man in Blue' would you?" Harlequin figured it was worth asking.

 

[Tokiwong]

Cymbeline listens, “Are you… you are serious. Magic? Magic is real? I don’t get it… I mean, does that mean you know what magic is? Is that… I don’t understand, what does that mean? Is that what my dream, meant… why do you say I am awake?”

Gawain gives Harlequin a puzzled and edgy look, “Man in blue… that would be an odd title for a man, don’t you think. But perhaps that is your way of introducing yourself, I am Gawain, Adept of Fate, Time, and Space; member of the Mysterium in good standing.”

He gives Harlequin the once over and sighs, “And you would be?”

 

[Festy_Dog]

"Harlequin, Disciple of Mind, Apprentice of Space, Initiate of Time and member of the Guardians, at your service," he introduced himself, "I was informed that a man in blue knew of my coming. I thought that he may have knowledge of what exactly I'm meant to be doing here, and what I'm meant to be protecting Thessaly from."

Funny how Harlequin came here looking for Thessaly and ended up protecting Cymbeline. If he's going to protect Thessaly he might as well protect those close to her, couldn't hurt. No, wait, it did, but it's not as though he's bothered by it.

 

[Tokiwong]

"Harlequin, Disciple of Mind, Apprentice of Space, Initiate of Time and member of the Guardians, at your service," he introduced himself, "I was informed that a man in blue knew of my coming. I thought that he may have knowledge of what exactly I'm meant to be doing here, and what I'm meant to be protecting Thessaly from."

Gawain smirks, running his hands through his long dark hair, graying around the ears. He smiles, “Well I can’t say that I was expecting you, but I can say that Fate has a way of bringing people together as is needed. Were you a friend of Winnie? That would perhaps put this whole mystery into perspective…”

“Although a Guardian… perhaps this is just another complicated and overwrought scheme… not that I have a low opinion of the Eyes of the Dragon. They served well in the age of Atlantis past, and I am sure they serve well now young Harlequin. But then again we are not here to discuss politics…” Gawain finishes.

 

[Festy_Dog]

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I didn't say Guardian in good standing," Harlequin said with a smirk, not that he had been a Mage long enough to earn a good standing, and Jester would probably counter any effort to gain rank, "But Winnie, eh?"

Harlequin reached over for his courier bag, pulling out the package wrapping and once more checking the return address.

"Winifred, yes. I was hoping to run into her as well. The note said she'll see me again, which will be mighty helpful considering she must have had the urge to be a little cryptic the day she wrote it. She wouldn't happen to be around, would she?" he asked.

 

[Shayuri]

Thessaly blinks owlishly behind her glasses and coughs.

"She's...uh...she's passed on, Hal. She's dead. You didn't know?"