Seeker of Wisdom
10th of July 2006 A.D.
"Because I'm not ready to be a teacher," you snap as much at Usum's suggestion as at your little brother. "I've known how to do this stuff for less than a week and you want me to teach you stuff?"
Or bind cyberpunk devils into my brother, you think at the ever-attentive presence in your mind. Seeing Matthew's crestfallen expression you suddenly remember another person who really wanted to learn stuff, who wanted to make a difference, you might have seen that face in the mirror when you were little more than a year older than he is.
Lost 1 Essence
Reflexively you reach for the fire within, letting it illuminate your path to your next words. "You are thirteen, you shouldn't be learning how to fight monsters,
dad wan't learning how to fight monsters at your age. When you are eighteen if you still want this we can talk to mom and dad and see what they think."
"You're not eighteen," he accuses. "And you are not learning anything, you are going out with dad."
Daniel opens his mouth to back you up, but you know it will do far more harm than good for Matthew to feel ganged up on so you speak first: "I was stupid and then I got stupid lucky, win-the-lottery-for-a-year straight lucky."
"You were always meant for great things Gracious Princess of Verdant Flame. Even your failings merely paved the way for the moment for your ascension," Usum says, but you pay him no mind. This isn't about you.
"Look I know five months and five years look a lot alike from where you are standing, but I
can't teach you how to shrug off being shot and I can't teach you magic the way most people use it even if you do have a talent..." Which he probably does not you realize. A talent for sorcery exists in the exercise of using it. Without that it would wither on the vine and not be passed on. By the time Matthew had been born mom had well and truly left her gift behind. "So what't left, teaching you how to use a sword? Dad can do that, dad can do that
better than me, he actually knows how to teach."
"He won't though, mom'll tell him not to," he replies despondently.
"He will," Daniel cuts in as sure as you feel. "If mom says anything Molly and me'll remind her that we both got lessons when we were your age."
"That's just fencing it's not real," Matthew insists, but you can see he is weakening.
"Nothing is
really real until you are in a fight for your life, but that doesn't mean it's a good opening to learning how to hold a weapon," you say dryly.
That gets a sheepish smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You just don't want to teach me cool sword tricks," he accuses, though more so he can say he had the last word.
You just shake your head a little in silence, giving it to him.
***
Monday morning dawns clear and crisp with the smell of rain in the air and the ring of your phone in one ear. Izzy had been worried about you after not being able to get a hold of you yesterday. On the principle that the best lies are the ones with a lot of truth in them you say you followed your dad along on the job to meet with some prospective clients. "Carpentry talk isn't really my cup of tea, but it beats parental super-max."
Gain 4 Essence
"Umhm... I seem to remember a girl who was really good at daring escapes, super-max or no," comes the answer together with the sound of bus wheels screeching to a halt. Izzy doesn't have a car and she lives all the way on River North, in one of the
old projects out there.
"Yeah well I don't want to be grounded over summer holidays, sue me," you quip back as you put on the Guns and Roses jacket dad got your for your birthday last year and go out to the Beige Wagon.
"So are you going to be good this week as well?" she asks archly.
What do you do over the last week before the holidays?
You have nine (9) Actions
School
[] Do your homework (Will prepare you for class, in the absence of it Academics rolls to keep your grades up increase by +1 DC; if you do not take it repeatedly you may have to make excuses to the teachers) [Requires 3 AP]
[] Do Extra Credit Work, requires homework (DC for school rolls -1)
[] Use the school library to try and research something
-[] Write in what
Crafting
[] Make protective under-armor (can be taken multiple times)
[] Make a shield of some kind (can be taken multiple times)
[] Make something to sell (write in what; can be taken multiple times)
On the Job
[] Find some place to spar with your dad, you are pretty good with a sword, but it's hard to judge how good when all the opponents you faced are now dead
[] Go see Father Forthill, talk about the Church and its perspective on the supernatural
[] Visit Bock Ordered Books with your dad (if you want to buy something you must take an action to make money)
[] Visit McAnally's Pub with your dad, as transcendentally uncool as that may be
[] Go out with your dad and actually do some good, whether it is (Not available this week)
Social Actions
[] Visit Rosie in the Hospital
[] She might work for Marcone but Grad was really cool and you are curious about her... you remember the number dad dialed to get in touch with Marcone
[] Take up Brother Divsimar on that offer of training (will require convincing Charity)
Research
[] High Tech may blow up in the presence of wizards, but they aren't the only ones in the know, see if you can find some stuff about the supernatural world online
Sneaking Out (Will be done in the evening/at night)
[] Hang out with your friends
[] Go to Bock Ordered Books alone, you do not need a chaperone in a book store
[] Visit McAnally's Pub alone, all the interesting stuff happens at night anyway
[] Try to find this 'Undertown' Harry told you about, it sounds like there are a lot of things down there that need fighting
[] Look for those 'Alphas' who patrol the campus of the University of Chicago, there is no way you are meeting them with your dad in tow
[] Go talk to Harry about the Nazi sorcerers and maybe Detective Greene's vendetta
OOC: After this week we will be moving on to one month turns and also we will be spending XP for the arc. 
