Exchange PI Crossing into the Circle

[Markus Eldridge]

Cinder Collection Full success, Incense(Average Component)
Markus looked around the room as they talked and contemplated. The ritual was all but ready to be cast; they had a few components already, including the cotton balls Markus watched her add. As he looked, listening to her complement his style, Markus found a collection of incense. He remembered what Mac had taught him and what he had read. He wanted to focus on the senses when doing a ritual and provide for it. Finding a set of sticks he liked, he would bring them to the pile and start placing the objects in the circle.

“Mmmmh,” he let out a sound, thinking about what she was saying. “I like the idea of a belt; I wear it more than I wear ties,” Markus said, glancing her way with a smile, undoing his belt and setting it in the circle. It was pure leather of Italian make, he thought, but he wasn't sure. It would absolutely do for what they needed.

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Collection Numbness, Complete success, average component

With them gearing up to the ritual proper, Emily got up, neatly putting her pen and notebook down on her seat and out of the way. She ambled after Dulce as she inspected the runes, walking around the table when Markus returned with the incense sticks.

Then, he added his belt to the circle and Emily made an approving noise. “Good pick,” she replied, liking to see Markus be so decisive about it. He seemed to be getting into his element as well. She then idly wondered if he would also enchant other colors of belt, just to have variety in his wardrobe.

Recalling the last time she'd cast this spell, she decided to add another component. Pressing her finger into the healed over scar on her thumb, a constant wound from her rituals, she drew on the sensation of numbness. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, now that she could make a healing ointment, but it was enough for her to collect the feeling and wrap it up in a tissue and add it to the ritual. “Numbness,” she informed Markus. “To go with the nullification.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus nodded as Emily voiced her approval of his choice. “Nice, I like it,” he responded as she introduced the final item. Taking a moment to crack his neck, he looked one final time at what they had done. Taking care to place each of the items into the circle, he had intentionally left a space for them when he had drawn it. They had the runes, the circle, the focusing items, and the item to be enchanted. Only one thing remained.

“Do you think they would mind if we used the city power grid as an energy source? I doubt this would cause much more than a flicker in the room, and I don't really have anything else on me,” He asked idly. He had seen Mac use a generator before and was told about using batteries. He himself had used chemical combustion as a source of power. But, he didn't think the exchange would appreciate an explosive force in their attic, even if it was controlled.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily huffed a dismayed laugh at his question, remembering what Billy had done to her building, and shook her head. She'd done it as well, in her very first ritual, and it made the whole room short out.

“Definitely don't- If it backfires, you might do more damage than you think,” she said, getting up to cross the room for her table again. Bending down, she hefted a fresh car battery from the shelf beneath it with her name clearly written across it. “I usually like to use fire, but without that, you can drop a some money on a car battery.”

Slipping both hands into the handle she started hefting it across the room toward Markus, and hauled it up onto the table, exhaling in exertion.

[Markus Eldridge]

Cinder Ritual Prep 3/3, Critical Success
Markus cocked his head towards the laughed response and raised an eyebrow. It was interesting, and he assumed it was born from some experience. He could see how it would only be ideal if things went right. Though, he was relatively sure things would be fine.

As she spoke up, he nodded along and hummed in response. “ That makes sense. Better safe than sorry. I have mostly used fire or combustion as well.” Markus responded, thinking back to the combination of powders he had used before. As the battery was brought over, Markus smiled in thanks.

Taking a few moments, he would add a few runes to key the battery into the ritual, quickly finalizing the prep with a deft hand. When done he would look up, certain everything was in order.

“Ready?” Markus asked, checking in with Emily. He had pulled out a small pin, ready to draw blood.
Ritual Preparation :
3/3

Components :
3x Good Quality
2x Average Quality

Power Source :
Car Battery

[Emily Reyes]

With the ritual fully written out in chalk, and the components set, Emily checked through Markus' work one last time. She walked around the table, dark eyes roving over each rune, including the new ones attaching it to her car battery, and Dulce did the same, quietly chirruping a few notes to her witch. Markus' work was notably different from hers, and different from Billy's and Seras' as well.

It just showed Emily how individual the practice of magic was, with every person having their own ticks and tricks. Like a fingerprint. If she looked carefully, she thought she'd be able to identify Markus by his magic one day. Hopefully, it wouldn't be in troubling circumstances. After a round of inspection, the the woman nodded, satisfied.

After letting Dulce jump onto her shoulder and settle herself around the back of her neck, Emily took a step back from the table. Gesturing with one hand, she confirmed in a solemn tone, “Ready.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Cinder Circle Activation, Exceptional Success
(Assistance Used)
Markus gave Emily a nod and a smile when she confirmed she was ready. Raising an eyebrow as her cat took such interest in the runes, he would check another box in his head, starting to believe the cat was more than just a large animal.

With a deep breath, Markus retrieved a small pin. He pressed it into the crease of his thumb, a location chosen with deliberate intent. His choices of where to draw blood, once careless, now held a newfound precision, a change that had occurred after his conversation with Max.

Flipping his hand over, Markus squeezed, allowing a few drops of his blood to fall onto the circle. As the runes ignited with a spark of life, he could feel the magic stirring, awakening. The smoke from the incense swirled around the circle, a dance of magic. The runes flared to life in rapid succession, illuminating the circle with a soft glow. Markus's gaze shifted to the battery, where the runes began to draw energy, a sign that his spell was taking effect. For the briefest moment, Markus braced himself, remembering the feeling of magic draining from him.

His eyes flicked towards Emily before returning to the circle as the magic took effect. A strange sensation in the air sparked as the nullification effect took hold before being focused on the belt in the center of the circle.

Taking a deep breath, the ritual would complete, ending as quickly as it started. He would smile, realizing that the ritual had gone off without a hitch, as far as he could tell. The belt didn't look much different other than the runes carved into its underside, but he knew it was enchanted. He wondered how he was going to test it.
Ritual Preparation :
3/3

Components :
3x Good Quality
2x Average Quality

Power Source :
Car Battery

Circle Activation :
Exceptional Success

[Emily Reyes]

Emily didn't let it show on her face, but her body language was tense, ready. She'd done rituals with other practitioners enough times to get accustomed to other people's quirks, but she remained cautious as ever. When the runes ignited, she felt a little spark of adrenaline, but held her ground, watching as the spell took its course.

Unknowingly in tandem with Markus, she glanced over at the car battery as it began to draw power, quietly holding her breath. A moment later, the air around the table seemed to grow numb or muted, as if sound wasn't traveling through it at the same rate as the rest of the room. Or perhaps, energy in general. That was a good sign--at least, as long as it didn't explode beyond the boundaries of the spell. Who knew what an untethered nullification might do to them.

She heard Markus' breath and glanced over at him, before looking back to see the light die from the rune circle. She exhaled as well, and then, a few seconds later, let her shoulders unwind. “Not bad,” she murmured, cautious with her praise. She would wait until Markus handled the item to see if it was as stable as it looked.

[Markus Eldridge]

After but a moment Markus reached forward and picked up the belt, he was tense of course, worried something was amiss, but his instincts and everything he had seen so far told him the ritual was a success. Holding the item in his hand, taking a moment to examine it, he looked up at Emily with a smile. Like herself, the tension in his shoulders was released.

He nodded at her words. “Agreed, I think we did it,” he commented, looking closely at the item. “Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you.” He said, meaning every word. Her insights were invaluable, and he was grateful for her thoughts, and contributions.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily was watchful until Markus picked it up and inspected it. When it neither went unstable in some way, nor seemed to be off in the rune work, she exhaled again. Shaking her head, she offered demure smile at his thanks--she was glad to offer, but it was the least she could do for a fellow ritualist.

“Would you like to test it?” she asked seriously, lifting her eyebrows. She could think of a few things that might activate the shield that she had on hand.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus was glad that the belt didn't explode, though he had no reason to suspect it would, it was still a worrying moment as he picked it up. He would hum for a moment as he considered her question, he really should test it, so he nodded along.

“Yeah, we probably should.” He says, just as seriously. Every good engineer knows how important testing is. “Just... No fireballs okay?” he adds, he is only half joking.

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Light Lattice Slingshot activation, extraordinary success

Emily was pleased Markus agreed to test the belt, and nodded soberly as she stood. But when he mentioned fireballs, she couldn't help it--the staid witch hitched a laugh and shook her head.

“Don't worry!” she promised, offering him a smile as she flexed the fingers on her left hand, the rings on each finger shimmering with light. “I don't have anything that can do that.”

She crossed the workshop at a leisurely pace, putting a bit of distance between them, and as she did, the light shimmering around her rings began to build into the shape of a slingshot. It gave Markus time to put the belt on, or hold it between them, whichever he wanted to do.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus chuckled along with her, though he was more than a little relieved to confirm whatever she had in mind; it wasn't a fireball. He watched with interest as she flexed her fingers, and the rings started to glow; raising an eyebrow, he put on the belt as she crossed the room.

“Good to know,” he responded, giving her a nod. As the magical slingshot shimmered into reality, he hummed, impressed. He was still amazed by the things that were possible with magic, and he had a feeling they were only scratching the surface.

“Let's give it a go,” he said, confirming he was ready. He took a breath and waited.

[Emily Reyes]

Strike Ballistics, 4vsDC2, hit

As Emily squared up across the Circle workshop, she thought absently about how risky this actually was. It went without saying that, when working with firearms, she never took aim at anyone else she was practicing with, so this was... unnatural, in some small way. In a larger way, though, it was so removed from what she knew about firearms, that it wasn't difficult to raise the shimmering slingshot and take aim at Markus. She was smiling faintly, a little giddy with the chance to... well, she wouldn't admit to wanting to wreak havoc, but playing, practicing- letting loose with magic a little? That was fair game.

The slingshot was warm in her palm, solid as if she was actually holding something but the handle itself was near invisible, so the lattice of the frame appeared hovering above her left hand. The frame was glistening circle of light that brightened as she pulled back her other hand, seeming to hum with stored energy. Shimmering lines appeared, stretching back as a ball of light began to glow in her far hand.

Markus had said he was ready to go, so Emily took him at his word. She took aim and let go, letting the ball of light fly straight and true, directly toward center mass on the other arcanist.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus watched Emily square up, taking a deep breath as she aimed. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they were being stupid. After all, you don't test ballistic vests by shooting at a person. But once again, his curiosity got the better of him. Besides, they controlled the magic in a way that was not always possible with other testing means... right?

With that thought in mind, he took faith in their ritual and steadied his breath. He was determined to make it a clean test and tried to keep his hands at his side. As she pulled back the slingshot and watched the ball of light start to glow, he grinned as much as he could when he was about to get shot at. Faking a bravado, he might otherwise lack.

The feeling of a sudden loss of air wasn't one he expected. As the ball flew towards him, he instinctively reacted as most would and tried to take a breath, a gasp in preparation. The shield, however, was faster, forming around him in an almost invisible bubble. His breath caught in his throat, refusing to enter his lungs, and he watched as the ball of light hit the edge of the field in a dazzling display. Luckily for him, the effect ended almost as quickly as it had formed, and he felt able to breathe again, sighing in relief, both in that he wasn't shot and in that he could breathe.

He was silent for but a moment, contemplating the distance as he watched the projectile dissipate. The field was small, probably too small to protect anyone else unless he was already embracing them. But it did its primary job and protected him. He broke out into a broad grin, looking at Emily with the excitement that comes from a successful test or compilation of code.

“We did it.” he said excitedly, “Thank You.” This was the first time he had something of his own to walk away with in his magical studies; he didn't count the cage that held the Spirit, seeing as Mac had disappeared with it. It was exciting and opened a whole world of possibilities to him.
Belt of Protection vs. Cinder Light Lattice Slingshot, -1 Luck
Markus Luck 4/4

[Emily Reyes]

The bullet streaked across the workshop, momentarily turning the space into black shadows and stark highlights. Emily had to shield her eyes, especially when it hit the shield, spilling across an invisible barrier. As the energy harmlessly dissipated, she could see what she thought was Markus’ startled expression through the shield, unaware that he was caught in the midst of taking a breath.

When the shield released him, Emily straightened from her firing stance, an expression of quiet satisfaction on her face. His thanks was met with a modest tip of her head.

“Happy to. Anything that helps a fellow arcanist from becoming a smear on the pavement,” she smiled, unconcerned with how morbid it sounded. “Think it’ll hold up to another hit?”

That would determine his next move if this was a real battle, she thought.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus nodded; he also had no intention of becoming a smear on the payment. As she asked her follow-up question, he would take a moment to contemplate it before answering. He had deployed assets in combat scenarios before, and the most important thing he learned was to stay out of a prolonged fight. Even if the belt did work again, and he had his doubts, it wasn't in his nature to risk it.

“Honestly, I am not sure. I don't think I would want to risk it, however. It is better to give me time to redeploy or run than to believe it will always keep me safe.” he answered before adding more thoughts. “Besides, I wanted it to act automatically to respond to attacks I don't see coming. It would just be reckless to continuously rely on that.”

He knew he didn't have such protections in any of the battles with the unnatural to date. Luckily, the ghost had been focused on Malik, and he wasn't even sure if the belt could protect him from magic water.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily nodded, agreeing with a click of her tongue and a one-handed finger gun. She was the opposite, she realized—she relied heavily on her shield, knowing it would hold up even if she pressed on. She was certain that wasn’t entirely her own magic though. She’d built upon the shoulders of giants with her work, and if pressed, she wouldn’t be able to dissect the item down into something either of them understood. A more skilled arcanist might be able to, but she’d been quite lucky.

She mentally noted that she ought to take up a bit more running and ducking herself. Not everyone had a werewolf stand between them and the monsters.

“Magic and a gym membership,” she quipped with a faint smile. She let her slingshot extinguish, making the workshop look dark for a moment as her eyes readjusted. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’re at a pretty steep disadvantage out there.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus chuckled at her finger gun response, nodding as she spoke up. It reminded him he really should get back to the gym. He had started going to one known as O'Reilly's, but he hadn't been in a few weeks and promised himself he would become a better fighter. He had also meant to go to the gun range; he wasn't a bad shot by any means, but practice made perfect.

“Yeah, I have noticed. And our best work isn't exactly fast. At least it is effective... so long as we don't blow ourselves up,” Markus said with a somewhat bitter chuckle, thinking about having to create a ritual on the fly to bind a spirit and contemplating what happened to his sister.

[Emily Reyes]

Closing the distance across the workshop, Emily angled back to their workbench to begin tidying the space up. As she did this, she listened, and then smiled faintly in reply to Markus' bitter expression.

“I can't imagine an alternative,” she said thoughtfully. Besides... becoming something else, as Max had. Emily made a small pile of books and papers. She left the residue of the ritual to Markus; it seemed polite. She went on, chewing it over. “Avoidance, I suppose. You figure it all out enough to recognize signs of the supernatural and just... get out of the way.”

[Markus Eldridge]

CHARM Nullification: Remove magical residue from enchantment
Markus joined the other Arcanist when she moved back towards the workbench, helping to clean the space. He would nod in thanks as she made a pile of their research material. In the meantime, he would turn towards the ritual itself. Thinking for a moment, he would take a deep breath and decide to practice a little charm he had been working on. He didn't get much practical use with it, so he was excited to get to use it. This was precisely the reason he made the charm.

At first, it would look like he was wiping away the residue. However, as he did, he would whisper words and move his fingers in geometric patterns. With an almost whirlwind of magic, the remains of the runes would erase themselves, while the residue itself would almost seem to wither, losing all magic that remains. In a similar way, one might neutralize an acid; if one were to try and discover what magic they had performed, they would find that all traces of the working had vanished, leaving just mundane residue that is easily wiped away.

As he cast his charm and cleaned up the ritual, he would listen to Emily and nod in agreement. “You're not wrong. I guess, like everything else, you just have to experience it. Practice and all that.” He would give another look at their cleaned ritual and nod, happy with the work. “Besides, I am not sure if I would have it any other way. Being something... more... than what we already are seems like it would be. A lot.” He said simply, thinking about what he had been learning about other supernaturals.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily was normally quite good at ignoring distractions in favor of a conversation, but when Markus began moving his fingers and whispering, she couldn't help but watch. Folding her hands together over her stomach, she leaned in to watch his hands, and then looked down at the table in time to see the runes fade.

“Oh wow,” she said appreciatively the runes faded. “Yeah, it would be a lot-” she went on, speaking from experience, before interrupting herself. She waved a finger in a little circle at the table, her eyebrows furrowed with curiousity. “Sorry- What're you doing?”