To Ollie's (attn: Guy, Val)

They get in Valkyrie's car and Ollie begins giving directions to his apartment. While on the way he says: "It's been a long day but I'm up for a few questions, if ya got em."

Val's quiret at first, while she pulls out of the parking lot. She accelerates, rapidly coming to just under the speed limit, giving everybody a few moments to look around her car. It's not dirty so much as cluttered. There's post-it notes filled out with some kinda highly personal shorthand stuck all over her dashboard, along with a bobble head doll attached just above them. His unchanging grin and beady black eyes seem to stare into Ollie's soul as he nods in time to the movements of the car. Guy meanwhile, is confronted by a white martial arts uniform of some kind hanging on a hanger from the side of the backseat, cramped somewhat further by a little box full of textbooks. There's a black belt attached to the uniform, with three little toggles of some kind on the ends. The whole thing smells like a mixture of coffee and the cardboard cherry air freshener hanging from her rear view mirror.

"Before Tyria called me in, sonofa-" Val leans on the horn as she passes some guy talking on his phone while driving. "-why don't people buy those stupid earpieces like they're supposed to? Anyway, Phrymides was talking about Orders or something. What's the deal with them?"

Guy fastens his seat belt and is startled by Vals unexpected bout of road rage. "Also Val said something earlier about Shadow names? Whats that about?"

"Alright, let me start with Guy's question about shadow names. Your real name has power. It's connected to who you are, ya know? Knowing someone's real name can make it easier to target them with spells. There are some mages who can target people from halfway around the world just by knowing that person's true name. That's why it's generally a good idea to pick a nickname. My parents didn't name me Ollie. I picked it because I like to skateboard. Just find a name you can get used to hearing, maybe it means something to you or maybe it doesn't. Shouldn't be a problem for you, Guy. You don't even remember your real name." The last bit is said with sympathy. It would suck to have amnesia.

"Anyway, about the orders - Take this next left. There are five orders in Awakened society. They're like groups of like-minded mages all working toward the same goal, get it? At the best of times they're working together to be some kind of ruling body, but they don't always cooperate."

"Uhh, there's the Silver Ladder, the politicians and bureaucrats. The ones who think it's their job to lead Awakened society. The Guardians of the Veil are an order who mainly think that magic needs to remain a closely guarded secret and it needs to be protected from the sleepers, sleepers being people who aren't Awakened These guys are serious, some of them are like super spies, all in disguise and shit. The Adamantine Arrow is the order that's kind of like the warrior mages. If there was like a mage army, I guess it'd be them. I mean, they're not all warriors, but their whole gig is pretty much about goin to battle with rogue mages, evil spirits, and all that bad shit. There's a lot of bad shit out there, too. The Mysterium are kind of like the librarians of the orders, except it's not just books they're after. Any kind of magical knowledge or artifact and they're all over that shit. They like to go in, get all the secrets, and then lock em away in their big vaults. Finally there's the Free Council, they're supposed to be the liberal order. They keep to the idea that they're rejecting all the old traditions of the other orders. They're, like, a democracy or something. They're kind of like the Mysterium in that they're into magical knowledge but they're not in to keeping it a secret, they want to spread it around. Not all mages join an order, though. I never did. Don't imagine I ever will. Turn right here."

He directs Val into the parking lot of a bagel shop that appears to have a second story apartment above it.

"Right up there." He points to a set of stairs on the side of the building leading up to a landing and a single door. "You comin upstairs, Val?"

Val parks her bug and gets out with them. "Sure, I've still got questions. Like how is it you get in contact with them? Is there some kind of wizards-of-Waverly-place-bat-signal-thing? And how did they find me so quickly? I hadn't been awake for more than a couple hours and this guy calling himself Starling pulls me aside and tries to explain things."

Guy gets out of the car and stretches. Points to the bagel shop. "That must be convenient. Also are there any fringe benefits to joining an order? Free coffee? A gift certificate to Chillies after your hundredth spell? Cuz sorry but I just don't see people being altruistic enough to join organizations like that without there being something in it for them.

Ollie grabs his skateboard from the car and begins heading toward the apartment, mounting the stairs, which are slightly shaky.

"Wizards of Waverly what? I dunno about a bat signal or anything like that. Honestly you really have to just know people. Honestly just a little while ago I really didn't know many Awakened in town, but I found myself needing help and I was fortunate enough to find it. That's really one of the advantages of joining an order, I guess. Makes it easier to find other mages for information and support, and shit. You guys shouldn't have any trouble getting in contact with anyone, though. You've already met one of the highest ranking mages in the city. Not bad for just having woke up."

Ollie fumbles in his pocket for his key and fumbles with the lock for a second before opening the door. A flip of a light switch reveals the layout of the apartment. A modest living room with a kitchenette, sink full of dirty dishes. One bedroom, and small bathroom. On the walls of the living room are mounted a variety of skateboards, both short and long. A table cluttered with Thrasher magazines, skateboard parts, and small tools.

"It only took Starling a couple hours to find you after you awakened, huh? Not bad. Took me a couple days for someone to find me and explain what had happened. Truth is I don't know how Starling got to you so fast. Seems like some mages just have ways of figuring it out. Could be he just took a good look at you and figured it out. Maybe you can ask him yourself next time you're at the museum."

He tosses his key on the table, where it mingles with the junk, and leans his skate against the wall.

"Honestly I couldn't tell you about benefits of joining the order. I guess some of them pay their members, like if you're working directly for them or something. I guess mages in an order would be more ready to help someone in their order with things. I guess one way you can look at it is that it's just a way to get involved with like-minded mages, ya know? If you like fighting you can join the Arrows cause they like fighting, ya know? Maybe someone will approach you trying to recruit you, or something."

He points to a comfortable looking green sofa. "That's you Guy." he walks over and has a seat on one side of the couch, gesturing to a beat up lay-z boy for Val. "Hey, I have a question for you, Guy. You really don't remember anything before the park? No strange vision? A tall building, maybe, like a tower or something?"

Guy sits on the other end of the couch and bites his lower lip as he tries to think back. "No... I'm sorry. Before the park everything is a blank. Why do you ask?"

"Awakenings are generally accompanied by a vision. I guess vision isn't really a good enough word, really. See, when you Awaken it means your soul has made a journey to one of the Supernal Realms and made it's mark there. This gives your soul an affinity for the powers and laws that make up those realms. See it's from the Supernal Realms that mages are able to call down their magic. There are five distinct Supernal Realms and each one is different and personified by a few distinct things, like the types of magic that define that realm. Also - and this is why I ask about the tall building - Almost all mages recall during their Awakening visiting a watchtower."

"A huge, trippy looking, mystical building. Not like anything I'd ever seen. For me it was a tower of brambles, thorny flower blossoms, and silver tinged leaves lit by the light of a crescent moon, but it can be different for everyone. I walked inside and found on a book on a stand. Inside the book, on each page, I would view an event in my life. Not so much on the page, but more like when I turned the page it's as if my consciousness would be sent back to that time, and I would experience it again. I felt like I must have been reading that book for a lifetime. Heh, I guess that's kind of what I did now that I think about it. Anyways, I made it to the last page and it was blank. I don't know what made me do it, but I snapped a thorn off of one of the brambles that the tower was made of, and I used it to etch my name in the book. And that was it, I was Awake. Everyone's Awakening is unique, depending on who they are and also to which of the five Watchtowers they awaken."

He looks to Val: "Are you comfortable talking about your Awakening?"

After they'd been talking a while a buzzing in Ollie's pocket alerts him to a text message on his cellphone, he smiles when he sees Ghoster's name on it but his smile quickly disappears from his face. He fires a text back, grumbling. "Nobody told you to just go out there with the two of you, you crazy fucks.." He receives another text, at which point he jumps up, and walks over to grab his skateboard as he fires off another text. Looking up, he remembers Val and Guy. "Uhhhh... Shit. You guys hold on to those thoughts and questions. If you want you guys can stay here I'll be right back, I promise. I'm really sorry about this." At this point he grabs his skateboard, and is out the door. His footsteps can be heard stomping down the rickety stairs, his voice can be heard outside, cursing and apologizing to them even as he's running down stairs. then it's quiet in the apartment.

Meanwhile Ollie's skating at full kick towards the park. He doesn't live far away, just a few blocks, but it feels like it might as well be a hundred miles. He'd thought about asking Val for a ride...

Some kind of teacher you are already, dippin out of there and leavin them to wonder what the fuck's going on. You'd be an even worse teacher if you asked your student to drive you to a place where she could get hurt.

On the skateboard ride over he tries calling Ankh.

(( Edited by ST ))

((woah, hold on))

When Ollie tries to leave without her, Val's hackles all rise at the same time. "I'm not here to sit around and talk, I'm here to learn. Whatever's going on, It sounds like an emergency. I'm a paramedic, so it's probably a good idea to have somebody with a cool head on her shoulders along." Typical of men who where taller then her (all of them), Ollie thought she couldn't contribute like the anybody at least five and a half feet tall who happened to have a penis. She turns to Guy, voice a little hotter that it really should be, and asks- "You Coming?"

Ollie stops gathering his stuff together, and looks desperate for a moment. "Look, I'm just trying to look out for you guys. I'd feel like shit if either of you got hurt out there because I hadn't had the chance to teach you anything."

Not to mention the fact that getting both of my charges killed probably won't be grounds for Tyria releasing her geas on me.

"Look, I'm not here to tell you what to do, so you can come if you want. If we're gonna go, though, it's gotta be now. You ready?"

"Well guess what? I'd feel like shit if I just sat here drinking coffee and I found out that somebody needed some emergency aid. If I wanted you big strong men protecting me, I would have stayed with my parents!" Val realises that she's about an inch away from shouting and she visibly calms herself with a few measured breaths. "Sorry. Sometimes I have issues." She doesn't sound sorry, she sounds pissed. She looks at Guy "I'll talk about my Awakening on the way. I'm sorry about snapping at you."

Guy is already standing by the door waiting on the other two to get done arguing.

To Val: "Its no problem and Awakening stories can wait. For now I think our time would be better spent with Ollie telling us what trouble we are about to run into. Now lets get going".

Ollie grabs his skateboard anyway. He never leaves home without it. He opens the door and begins clambering down the stairs, talking as he goes. "Alright. Ghoster's text message mentioned zombies, but it could be a lot worse. We're heading to Granite Park. There's been a lot of weird shit happening around there. Disappearances. I've been looking into it since whatever's in the park killed a kid I used to skate with. Things have just gotten weirder since then. That's what we were doing in the park when we found you, Guy. Searching for anything weird. Seems like Logos and Ghoster found it."

He jumps in the front seat with his board.

Val slams the driver's side door closed as soon as everyone's inside. Moments later they are zipping along towards the park. "Zombies? How often to zombies pop up here?"

At the mention of zombies Guy starts chastising himself for his decision to tag along. Making the mental note to get all the details next time before running had long into a fight.
From the back seat he turns to Ollie and ask "Do we know anything else? Like how many zombies are there or where exactly in the park they are fighting at?"

(( ST Note: Please continue in this thread until I let you guys know that enough time has elapsed to join the Clues thread -- just a heads up ))

Val didn't like how dark it had gotten. "Guy, dig through that box with my textbooks in it. I have a Crashkit in there. There's a small Flashlight and some emergency glow lights in there. Pass Ollie the glow sticks and take the flashlight. You're going to be our eyes until I can get some other light out of the trunk. Ollie, call Ghoster and tell him to try and get to the parking lot, I can use the car's lights for a better view."

Thank god someone had some Common Sense.

Ollie fires off another text to Ghoster, hoping he gets it. After he sends the message Ollie is quiet for a moment and seems to be concentrating, meanwhile the car fills with the feel of magic as Ollie weaves fate into protection for Guy and Val.

Spoiler:

(( One more Turn, you're almost there ))

That wouldn't be big enough to get them and the car in. "Can you do that armor thing to my car?" God, she hoped zombie didn't stain her car up too badly.

Ollie shakes his head. "No, but I may be able to... Hold on a second, what are you planning here?"

Ollie shakes his head

"The skatepark is full of rails, bowls, stairs, ramps. It's definitely not designed for a car. Maybe he got my text and made it to the parking lot? I dunno. If not we'll have to go on foot. We got to have the car ready to get the fuck out of there, though. Especially if we're dealing with wounded."

Guy grabs the flash light and glow sticks and passes the glow sticks up to Ollie. All the while listening Val and Ollie make plans. Since he had nothing constructive to add to the discussion he decides to keep his mouth shut.

(( It's that time, head over here. ))