Is It Enough?

[Molly Quincannon] Elizabeth received a phone call from a speedy-talking young woman with a somewhat complicated American accent - Northwest flavoured with a lot of New York and just enough Chicago to indicate that she's been here for awhile. She announced herself as Molly, said that Ashley gave her the number and indicated that meeting-up would be an awesome thing, seeing as how they've got friends in common and all manner of news to be discussed and Ashley's awesome but she's not great on dispensing detail sometime - she's more of a big picture girl and...

Yes. Yes, that was all more or less in one sentence. It gives a certain clue as to what Elizabeth's in for when the meet-up at Joe's happens. Joe's is a nice place - not a diner as the name might suggest, but a boho-style coffee house with mismatched furniture and huge mismatched mugs in which the hot drinks are served. Elizabeth was told to look for 'black hair, lots of tats, glasses, laptop bag, Abney Park T-shirt and a resonance kind of like rush hour at Grand Central Station'. And lo and behold, an individual matching that description can be seen sitting on one side of a cushy purple sofa. The aforementioned laptop bag is resting on a seat that's probably being saved for Elizabeth.

[Molly Quincannon] [[Oh, and I shall make an Awareness roll for shits and giggles, as she's actively looking for a mage.]]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 5, 5, 6, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Ellizabeth Zhao] Elizabeth is not not quite used to someone talking at such a fast pace, but she is very good at listening and after her encounter with Atlas the girl is a little more prepared for the possibility that she will have to do some fast mental work while conversing with the Awakened here. She says in her soft voice how pleased she is to talk with her and that she would be more than happy to meet with her. She gets down the details and confirms them--making sure that she didn't transpose a number in the quick writing...and says she will be there.

When she slips through the front door of Joe's, she immediately looks around. The woman looks younger than she is, her short hair brushed back and her dress simple. She's in a beige top and khaki pants, under a windbreaker. Her expression is calm and curious, maybe just a touch hesitant as of someone not familiar with this particular environment. She smiles when she sees Molly, walking over and dipping her shoulders and head in a slight bow. "Good afternoon. Molly, I presume? I am Elizabeth."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] Her Resonance comes off to Molly as two opposing forces...light and dark perhaps, heat and cold...wrapped around each other. Repelling each other and yet attracting at the same time. It makes its presence known and then backs off just a little.

[Molly Quincannon] "Well, it's not Doctor Livingstone," says Molly, standing up to greet the newcomer with an offered hand even as she drags her laptop bag off the seat she's been saving. "Hi there. It's good to meet you. I've heard ... a vague overview. Name, Trad, phone number ... the basics, but that's not really enough to get to know someone and make friends, is it? So ... y'know, have a seat. What'll you have to drink? I was waiting to order until you got here--" She gestures at the coffee bar with a grin. "--And I ought to order something or they'll think my brain borked or something 'cos I come here often. They do really awesome coffee and a selection of teas and ciders and stuff and their pastries are awesome and I could probably rattle you off the menu verbatim but I'm actually going to shut up so you can talk now, really, promise."

Molly lives up to her resonance - she seems to want to be everywhere, do and say and know everything, and all at once. But it's friendly, at least, and she does not lack for enthusiasm.

[Ellizabeth Zhao] She takes the offered hand with a friendly, courteous smile. "Of course. Thank you...what exactly do they have in terms of green teas? A general, or different blends?"

She has a backpack slung over one shoulder, which appears to hold her possessions in it. She moves around to the now-vacant seat and set the pack down next to it, looking over at the counter and what's available.

[Molly Quincannon] "They've got a few different blends," says Molly, with the certainty of someone who's memorised the menu. "There's the more straightforward stuff, gunpowder, and stuff blended with mint and there's a green tea and lemongrass that I kind of like. So ... take your pick!"

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "I appreciate that." She looks at Molly and inclines her head in gratitude, and looks over the menu before selecting the gunpowder tea with a friendly smile to the employees. She pays for it and then steps to the side for it to be made and for Molly to order, taking the opportunity to casually study Molly.

[Molly Quincannon] Oh, there's no question of Elizabeth paying for her tea; she's the guest, so when she indicates a preference, Molly smiles, bows and says, "Go sit! I'll be right back with drinkables." And off she goes to the drinks bar without giving any chance for protest.

Study of Molly reveals the following:

- Intense hyperactivity - she bounces up to the counter, points and gestures at what she wants and even when she's not moving, there's no sense of stillness about her at all, anywhere.
- Tattoos, as previously stated. There's a sense that many of them are covered by clothes, as designs stretch under sleeves and collar and there's one on the back of her neck from the look.
- She moves like she owns the place, or at least a large chunk of it with a deadlock on the rest. She's confident, it has to be given to her.

She returns with a mug of Elizabeth's gunpowder tea, a mocha so dark and coffee-scented that it's got to have more shots of espresso than humanly possible in it, and a plate of assorted cookies. "There we go! Drinks and snacks. Perfect! Now. Before I go into total babble mode, tell me a bit about yourself. Where're you from? What brings you to Chicago? Are you liking it so far? I get the feeling that you're in sort of temporary accommodation; having a hard time with the house-hunting or just like the transitory feel of that kind of thing?" Then she gives a sheepish grin. "Sorry if I get overwhelming with the questions. I'm curious and I like people."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] She smiles, her posture straight but relaxed and a touch of amusement showing in her face. "I am not offended by questions. To answer them in succession...I was born and raised in San Fransisco, and I consider it a home. I am here in Chicago because, in a way, it is home to me as well. I have been here before...many, many years ago." Of course, her seeming in her mid-20's and born and raised on the West Coast, that statement may seem a bit odd. "It is a bit of a long story, I suppose. I have only been here a few days currently, but I am enjoying it thus far. And yes, my accommodations are temporary; I have not had time to settle in, and do not entirely know when I will be able to do so."

There's a slight pause, and she scratches at the back of her neck. "Hopefully soon, though. Did I miss any of the questions?"

[Molly Quincannon] "Nope." Again that confidence, and a smile that combines friendliness with mischief with something deeper. "I'd know if you did. It's a thing. Well, it's a couple of things, one less nice than the other. Anyway, many years ago, huh? I won't say you can't be older than I am because I know that's a crock; so I guess I'll ask whether this is that reincarnation thing I keep hearing about from your ... let's call it 'extended family'--" because of course, they're in public; there are codes or lowered voices, sometimes both "--or you're older than you look. Which is possible. I know one guy who's at least ninety and he doesn't look a day over maybe thirty-five at most? So I guess all that's left on that one is to ask which."

Then, after a swig of her caffeinated monstrosity, she adds, "Well, we're both West Coast girls, then, though I'm a bit further north than you were. Washington state, sort of inland, near Walla-Walla, of all places. And as far as accommodations go, if you need any help, let me know. I'm not what I look like, Trad-wise, but I know my way around a computer and house-hunting ... been there, done that. The market's not great, but I know a few spots that won't break the bank and aren't in areas where it's not safe to go outside without a can of pepper spray or ... y'know, being one of us."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "I appreciate that." She nods a little bit, shifting her weight slightly where she sits. "If I need to, I will be certain to let you know." She pauses, blowing on her tea lightly, eyes racking the waves her breath makes on the surface of the tea. She raises it to her lips and sips, certainly appreciating the taste.

"This is very good. I am impressed." A slight pause. "Oh, and it is...well...I mean to say, of your options, I am not older than I look."

[Molly Quincannon] Molly smiles at Elizabeth's pleasure over the tea. Sure, she didn't make it, but she likes to see people enjoying themselves, and is always pleased when a place she likes makes the cut, as it were. "If you like tea, there's actually a little tea house, two blocks down, take a left and then another half-block. It's where Emily and Ashley, who are really connoiseurs ... or is that connoiseuses? French not so much my bag ... anyway. They know their tea and they go there a lot. I'm more of a coffee girl myself, most of the time, but that's probably not all that surprising." And again with the little grin - clearly she knows how to laugh at herself, this one.

Then she says, "So! Before I get into the need-to-know, Cloudy-With-A-Chance-Of-Doom stuff, anything you're curious about as regards me? Since I bombarded you with questions right off the bad, seems only fair."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "It is connoisseurs." She says it as an aside...a simple point of clarification in case Molly was actually curious. The opportunity to ask questions draws a smile to her face...as many new places as she'd been, one might think she was used to this. Not so much though, mostly because she does not seem to be the kind that is used to prying.

"How long had you been here? Are you a native, or did you move? And how long have you been...aware?"

[Molly Quincannon] That gets a bit of a frown. "Really? I thought that it was the other thing when it's women involved. Don't words have gender in French? I'm sure I read that once. And ... y'know, like the difference between 'actor' and 'actress'? Huh. I'm gonna go Google." With that, she reaches for her laptop bag and pulls out a MacBook, switching it on.

While it loads, she addresses the questions as they come. "Nope, not a native. Like I said, moved here from ... well, a lot of places, really. Started in Washington state, went to college in New York City, spent a few years in Texas after that, then a couple of years moving along the Gulf Coast, and then there was a really badly thought-out year in Des Moines - I hated Des Moines - and now I'm here. Been here ... exactly seven months as of today, actually! Anniversary, woo!" She gives a sheepish grin and continues. "Man, it feels like years, not months, sometimes. A lot's gone on since I got here. Anyway, I got my alarm clock rung in New York, nearly nine years ago. How about you? How long's it been for you? This time around, anyway?" While she didn't address the reincarnation thing immediately after Elizabeth gave her answer, it doesn't seem that Molly's taken it amiss or been confused or put off by it. She's just accepted it and moved on from there.

[Ellizabeth Zhao] She flushes, looking embarassed. "Of course. You had said that...my apologies." She takes a sip from her tea again, using the opportunity to recover from the faux pas. When she sets it down, she is more relaxed again. "It has been...eleven years next month, as a matter of fact." She smiles a little. "It always seems like less time than it actually has been, somehow."

[Molly Quincannon] The embarrassed look gets a quizzical tilt of the head over her computer screen. "What for the blush? I mean, I talk at warp nine; it's not like I expect someone to remember every little thing I say when it's mired in the middle of an info-dump like that. Anyway, all that to say, don't worry about it. And wow. You've been up awhile. Disciple, Initiate, what?" Now she looks a little embarrassed. "I'm still in my Initiate phase, myself. Nine years, nearly, and that's as far as I've got. Though I'm going to go hunting up my cagey bloody Avatar RealSoonNow." This all in a voice designed not to carry over crowd babble. She's good at that kind of thing.

Then, entirely off-topic, she grins and looks triumphant. "Aha! Connoiseuse, according to Wiktionary, is in fact a female connoiseur! Huh. Funny what sticks. But I suppose it works either way."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "I am also in the Initiate phase, so you have nothing to be embarrassed over either." She gives a light shrug. "I have not yet had the opportunity to advance along my Dharma. Soon, though, I have no doubt."

She smiles with amusement when Molly finds the answer. "Connoiseuse it is, then. Very well-done."

[Molly Quincannon] "Eh, it's not so bad, sticking around Initiate level for awhile, whatever it means around here politically," is Molly's response. Some of the cheerful leeches out of her voice when she starts talking politics. "I mean, seriously, keep it to social and no one sticks their nose in the air about it but the minute it comes to politics, it's like rank matters worth a shit. Last I checked, politics was about more than just how much reality you can hack, so to speak. But that's my beef, and probably not something you need to worry about just yet. I mean, if you're not in a crew, they don't recognise you as a political voice at all, so..." She shrugs and shuts her laptop. "Anyway, all it means is that I've devoted more time to developing my skill set, which has become pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. Useful, too."

Tucking the laptop away, she adds, "Whiiiiich brings us to Cloudy-With-A-Chance-Of-Doom stuff. So here's the first question; who-all of the whole 'one of us' deal have you actually met so far?"

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "As in, individuals within this city? Miss McGowan, Mr. Mason and Mr. Nightingale. And now, you."

[Molly Quincannon] "You met my crewmate!" Cue one delighted Molly. "Atlas is one of my cabal. He's a trip, isn't he? And Ashley's awesome, and Jarod's too attractive to be allowed and smooth as silk. Anyway. Names to know and love. Emily Littleton - Singer." The capital S is audible - Chorus, obviously. "Wren Jacobs - VDept. Ellie James, Israel Cohen, Nico Brady, Nathan Spriggs, Kage Jakes - Orphans all. Oh, also on that side, guy named Eustace. Never got his last name. Solomon Ward - Chorister. Morgan Lake, Hermetic. Anna Engmani - Dreamspeaker. Thomas Taylor - Hollow One. There's others, but that's the first wad of awesome."

Then, after a short pause during which she swigs more coffee. "Names to watch out for. Lara Wrathburn - Cultist. She's ... nice enough? In her way? But she's got a history of manipulating people, extra-sensory advantages may have been involved and she's got an evil twin at Master level out to kill her and anyone helping her because she's carrying around some bit of said Master's soul and it's a long story. Chuck Carmichael - VDept. Comes across as the friendliest guy ever and he is, to a point, but he's also on the Mirrorshade watch list and has been since he was thirteen and hid it from everyone until, like, two months ago while trundling around the House like it wasn't a problem and somehow thinks that changing his name will help hide him when he stands at six-foot-frakkin'-four and hasn't changed his face or his online handle since they first spotted him. But those are just ... y'know, be-careful things. There's ... other stuff."

All that info-dump, and now Molly requires more coffee, and seems to understand that Elizabeth may require processing time and the chance to ask questions. But clearly, Molly is someone who Knows Stuff.

[Ellizabeth Zhao] She processes the names as best as she can when they're thrown rapid-fire at her, nodding. She seems like she's got enough that she'll at least recognize the names and probably good or bad associations, if not exact details. "Very well."

A slight pause. "If I may ask...what about Ms. McGowan's cabalmate, I believe it was Wharil?"

[Molly Quincannon] Molly slaps her forehead with the heel of the hand not holding her mug. "Argh, yes, forgot about him! It's that 'remember-me-not' thing; gives me such a headache, let me tell you! Anyway, he's on the awesome list. He needs hugs in the worst way, let me tell you. I think he's going through some stuff but I don't know him well enough to say, really. If we're talking about Ashley's crew, there's also Gregor Fultt. I think he's another 'Speaker, or maybe an Orphan, and he's real quiet, but he seems cool."

More coffee - this may explain the constant state of frenetic energy that is Molly. "Right. Then there's the other stuff. We've got Technocracy in town." Quietly, quietly, leaning in as if just sharing a confidence with a friend. "Also Rogue Council. The 'Crats are probably really pissed at us right now because we sort of nuked the node they had earmarked as theirs. But they tried to microwave my brain during that whole mess, so I can't say I've got the warm fuzzies about them either. As to the Rogue Council ... there's a crew of four - I have data, and descriptions, but the names Anya, Gabriel, Nora and Ethan will do for the time being - who're on a manhunt for one shunned 'Crat and we're trying not to get pulled into that mess until we know more about what they're up to on both sides and why. So be careful of those guys, is all I'm saying. Though they seem nice. Well, most of them seem nice. Don't mind Anya, she's apparently got rabies."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "Ahh, yes. Ashley mentioned the whole affair with the Technocracy and the node." She frowns slightly, though certainly not disapproving...just acknowledging the severity of the situation. "Thank you for the information on the Rogue Council. I will most certainly be careful."

[Molly Quincannon] Molly reaches for the biscuits on the coffee table in front of them, all the better to keep her voice low. "Just be glad you missed the Nephandi shit we had over the summer. I got here in time for that one and man, did I take lumps for it. And before that there was a frellin' demon or something. I swear, forget Sunnydale or Cleveland - I sometimes think Chicago has its own Hellmouth equivalent."

She leans back a little, now that she has her cookie. "Do you have any experience with that kind of thing? It's no big if you haven't; just curious. We've got everything from noobs to Warden Commanders here as far as that goes."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] The Buffy reference is lost on her, but she gets the gist to be sure. "I have no personal experience with Nephandi, no. I know the basics, of course."

[Molly Quincannon] Molly blinks, then gives a self-deprecating little smile. "Oh, I meant with any or all of it, really. Not just that bunch. 'Crats, and everything. You must have woken up just after the war, but still."

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "Oh." She nods. "I did, from what I understand. I was in training at the end of the war, I guess, but I did not end up on the front lines, so to speak." She runs the tip of her finger over the rim of the tea cup. "I have had a run-in here and there. No Marauders...a few unawakened who have use of hedge wizardry. Nothing of any major significance. The vast majority of my experience involves members of the Traditions. Mostly good experiences, I am happy to say."

[Molly Quincannon] Molly considers that - it seems she can shut up when she's processing data, anyway - and then nods. "I get you. I'd say I envy you, but I guess however painful it's been, I wouldn't give up the experiences for anything. But as far as the hedge-wizardry goes ... never really understood how any of that works but I keep hearing how we have a couple here. Not exactly anything to be treated with extreme prejudice, though - one of them's friends with my housemate and another seems like a nice enough guy, just mostly wants to be left alone from what I hear. On the whole, we've mostly had the big stuff. Um ... man-eating garbage in Cabrini-Green, but that's handled. A few bits of nasty from Out There--" She gestures vaguely with the hand holding her cookie, apparently indicating the Umbra. "And we had a Marauder but I missed that one too. Still, there've been good experiences too. I helped turn the seasons when fall came calling. And there's good people, if you can ignore a bit of hubris. Which ... well. I mean, we are what we are; I guess it's hard not to be hubristic sometimes."

Then another question occurs. "So ... what do you do? I mean, to keep yourself with a roof over your head and stuff?"

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "Whatever I need." She shrugs a little bit. "I have taught self-defense and meditation courses, generally, and found inexpensive places to stay as a rule when that was not quite enough. Some cities I have sought a place inside local temples or shelters. I am not focused on material gain. Simply what I need to survive."

[Molly Quincannon] "Huh." That gets Molly thoughtful all over again. "Is that enough? Survival, I mean. I don't really know a whole lot of that kind of philosophy, but..." She shrugs. "Cultist. I'm not exactly hugely devoted to the Almighty Dollar, but I have to admit it helps to have it when I have it. S'why I can afford to put a friend of mine through college. If I just focused on what I personally needed to survive, I wouldn't be able to help her, and that's a worthwhile thing, I think. I'm not judging, and I'm really sorry if it comes across that way. I'm just ... curious. Just surviving - itself alone, with no peripherals or buffer zone ... is it enough?"

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "It is not judging at all." She smiles. "If such a need came about, to help a friend the way you do, I would try to find away. But for me, each of my possessions are in this." She hefts the bag. "With the exception of my bedroll, which I left back at the motel. I have no need for anything else, and I am devoted to the ascetic lifestyle. When you divest yourself of attachment to material worth, or physical comforts, then you begin to see spiritual truths. It is part of my way to Samadhi."

[Molly Quincannon] More things to ponder. Molly hasn't spent a lot of time with Akashics, really. "So ... what about the worth of an object that goes beyond its material, monetary value? Not just talking focusing objects, but ... what things are worth for what they give back rather than just what they are? I mean, is that something that's considered a distraction from spiritual truth, or is it just another way of finding a different spiritual truth? Like ... here." She reaches up to her neck and undoes a choker she wears around her neck - a simple thin band of brown leather holding a leaf-shaped pendant, which Molly holds out to Elizabeth. Up close, it's a perfect rendition of the leaf from an apple tree, for all it's so small and solid, down to the last vein and ridge. "This, for me, is a reminder of a spiritual truth I found on ... well, it didn't start out as a quest but it ended up one, I guess. 'Ever onward', it sings to me. But ... it's a material thing. Where does that something like that stand in your philosophy."

It's not spoken as a challenge or a judgement. She really is just curious; she wants to know, to understand.

[Ellizabeth Zhao] A little smile. "The philosophy is fluid. As time goes on, enlightenment grows and you become closer to Samadhi, your need for such a reminder would become less and less. Does that make sense?"

[Molly Quincannon] Molly considers, then nods. "It does and it doesn't," she says, for all the nod. "Intellectually, it makes perfect sense to me. But when it comes to what's in here--" She puts a hand, curled into a fist, over her heart for a moment, taps twice, and then withdraws. "--I think that there are levels of 'need', I guess. There are things I need, specifically - survival bare bones. Food, shelter, that kind of thing. Then there are things I need to advance my own understanding of the universe - tools, let's call them. After that ... there are the things I need to warm my soul, which others might consider more a 'want'. Yes, I could get by on bare bones alone. I actually really admire anyone who can do that full-time. Interesting an experience as ascetism seems, though ... I like the colour. I don't need my ferrets, but I watch them and play with them and I learn so much. I don't need the orchid my friend gave me, but its colour pleases me. Is pleasure not a need? Or is it that such should be found within, the philosophy here?"

[Ellizabeth Zhao] "In ascetic philosophy pleasure, pain--all sensation, really--is a distraction, an idea that the material world is the 'real' world instead of the world of the mind, of the spirit. As I am sure you know, the world of the mind and of the spirit are just as real, if not more so, than that of the physical world. Shedding off these distractions is necessary." A pause, and a bit of gentle humor in her expression. "This is why, I imagine, there are not many who convert from your group to mine or vice versa."

[Molly Quincannon] After processing that, Molly laughs. "Yeah, I know, right? I mean, man, how different can you get? When we do ascetism - the fasting and stuff like that - it's to break the boundaries of need, sure, but it's for the sensation that break brings; the opening of doors. And as for the rest ... well, you know. We just find the connection with the world of the mind and the spirit through really busting the boundaries of physical experience. But philosophical debate is awesome when it's all kept not being personal, I think."

Molly doesn't wear a watch, and doesn't bother looking at clocks unless she's in some way screwing with time. She doesn't have to; she's connected to time on a fundamental level. That's why she barely even pauses for thought before she drinks the rest of her coffee in three neat swallows and says, "And on that ... not-too-bad-a-conclusion note, I need to head out. My roomie and I are learning to cook together and it's stroganoff night, so I need to hit the grocery store. But you've got my number, so don't hestitate to call, okay? I might call you anyway - I'm learning bojutsu but a course or two in hand-to-hand wouldn't hurt, since my only school is 'pub brawl'. And you should come over to dinner!"

[Ellizabeth Zhao] She gives a small smile and rises out of courtesy and respect. A similar bow to the one Molly first got is given again, now in parting. "It has been an absolute pleasure, Molly. I look forward to seeing you again, and thank you very much for all the information. I am sure we will see each other some time soon." She picks up her tea cup, offering to take Molly's too if she's done with it, and does the clean-up so Molly can go.