One Side of a Conversation

Right, have to say something.

Excuse me, if you don't mind just a moment doing me a bit of a favor?  Right, no I didn't particularly have a question.  Just a simple request is all.  Right? 


Well, it's rather simply actually.  I've been sort of sitting over here for the past few minutes waiting for the next train to stop and I couldn't help but over-hear your...well, your conversation as it were. 

No, no.  I've no questions really.  I think I already said that, didn't I?

So, yes, what I'd like for you to do is, I'm trying to think of a proper way to describe this just now.  Let's see.  Oh yes, please, for the love of common sense just...shut up.

Oh, for heaven's sake.  No, for your information, I am not a "blind mundane" as you seem intent on labeling me.  You are just not saying anything that bears much proper resemblance to the truth of the matter.  If people were to do things your way, the bloody British Isles would be landlocked against this place or some such by the time they got anything to happen.

I should think I know quite a bit more about than you.  Yes, indeed I do.  I actually think the person you're attempting to educate knows more about psychic phenomena than you do.  It is entirely possible that dog over there knows more about it than you do.  Hold on, that's a wolfen, hardly a fair comparison then.

My apologies, sir, excellent shapeshift though.  I actually took you to be a lab at first.  Where are you off to then?  Security at the elementary school?  Don't you Americans lock a school down when someone reports a large unattended dog...or a good facsimile thereof.  Of course I don't think you're a dog.  You just look quite like one and...

Hang on.  Are you having a bit of fun with me? 

Why of course I would never accuse anyone of such thing. No.  Really.  Please, let's...go back to the other topic.  What keeps the school officials from pulling the alarm when they see you walking perimeter and such?

Oh, I see.  “Dogwalkers”. Very clever.  I'm curious, what's the...I'm really not certain if this is an appropriate question?  But how is the pay for doing the dog walker bit?

Hmm, you wouldn't know where I might apply for such a position? Or if they mind if I were to carry a sword on shift? Having just a little bit more money is always a good thing.  Just recently, I had a bit of a financial set-back on a job and...

What was that?

Who knew canines could play so well?

Oh yes, I remember you now, the poker game...as I recall you lot rather cleaned me ou...

What? Oh, give it a moment.  Sorry, I should take care of this New Ager bloke.  Well, I suppo...could you possibly wait a moment, I am trying to be polite here.  Sorry, perhaps I'll see you again later.  Err, no, I doubt I'll be in for a game.  Tight wallet and all that.

Anyway, yes, you.  As I said, you quite clearly know nothing.  Shall I list the points in order?  All right then.

One does not draw in power "emanating from the cosmos" by "communing with nature until the power can flood into you and awaken your inner potential."  Quite a lot of nonsense.  Power flows from us out into the environment, not the reverse.  We produce a fair amount more Chi than most of us will ever really use.

I'm flaring my chi.

Yes, Chi.  No Mana is different.  I didn't say "Chakra" because "Chakra" doesn't come from humans.  Seriously. 

Well of course we didn't always call it Chi.  The Tianjin Conference of 1815 was where most of the vocabulary was first standardized.  You great blithering idiot.  Which is why we're a bit over-burdened with a few dozen different words relating to what each species calls their Life Force.  Humans settled on "Chi" for whatever reason. 

I suspect it's partially because the Breholm representative thought someone said "Tea" and decided it would be quite a bit of lark if people around the world were performing supernatural feats through the Power of Tea.

Oh please, the colors I'm wearing don't mean anything.  Color is sometimes a result of some psychic phenomena but it's rarely a cause of anything.

No, there aren't really any particular magic words.  Well, there are the Conjurations and Incantations of High Magic, but as far as we know that's not much more than just giving a sort of web address to where ever the spell you're casting comes from.  I believe so anyway. I'm not really a magician so not quite my area of expertise.

Yes, pretty little necklace there.  Not sure what you think it means.  Really.  You cut a few words into a piece of granite and you call it an "amulet"?  There's not even a circle.  You have to at least have a circle.  Yes, no, that symbol means nothing.  Nor does that one.  Or that one.  No a circle isn't powerful because it represents the unity of the universe.

It's very simple, You draw the circle and push your chi out firmly enough for a good current and gently enough to not flood the circle you made.  The Chi will tend to follow the path laid out for it, and using a circle causes it to build in on itself.  All very logical and predictable.  Putting in points and linking channels shores things up a bit more.  

Symbols aren't anything more than some shaper's short hand notes about what the circle does.  The lines and circles are what matter.

See, circle. 

You really shouldn't listen to him.  You want a good grounding in psychic phenomena you might want to start with a few good classes on mathematics and basic physics.  Well, no, it's not perfect...

...oh would you please shut up.  Of course they don't know much.  They come at reality with a different set of tools and observations than we do.  And....Numer....Numerology!?  Are you daft? 

I said mathematics.  Not finger painting with  things that happen to have the same symbols as numerical digits!  You know, something rather passing close to actual logic?  Numerology probably is nothing more than some ancient version of the Ultra code or something similar.  If it even held that much meaning.

No, the pyramids in South America and Egypt did have power at one point.  The pyramid shape doesn't have anything to do with it.

Pardon me, the pyramid shape doesn't have anything directly to do with it.

Family History

No, I did not misspeak when I said "had".  Well, feng shui has to be maintained doesn't it?  I don't know how effective the pyramids were when they were made, but its been a few thousand years with no one making any real sort of maintenance.  I rather doubt it has any real use to it anymore.

Though...there are all those tourists every year.  There's probably some power left in it.  Well, I'll probably never see.  The NAA's anti-witchcraft laws and all that.  Rather irritating actually, given my family has a history of witch hunting actually.  Well, the main Family that is, the Siskinds...my particular branch has taken a rather more general approach to the whole Defender of the Peace thing.

Current History

Oh for the...I am not threatening your life.  Please, I doubt you have any Talent or skill at all much less anything that can be abused enough to get people calling you a witch. 

Seriously, I'd rather deal with an akira than a bloody New Ager.

It's slang, for a psychic that doesn't have much experience or family who has experience with this sort of thing.  They occasionally get into that "out of control power" rut you see in the fiction.

Again, I'm not calling you an akira.  An akira can at least do something worthy of note.  Something more than chant "ooga booga" at people at least.

Yes, well most vocalizations like chanting and such are just sort of there to help us focus.  It's a sort of mini-meditation and self-hypnosis thing.  No, the words on their own mean nothing.  Saying some psychic's little chant isn't going to get you any results.  You might as well look in the mirror and give yourself some daily assertions or whatever you lot call that.

Ahh, finally! Yes please do go and take your "wisdom" elsewhere.  I shall get along fine without it.

They seem to pop up anywhere.  Regardless, that's not the way to go about things.  Here's a card, that's the address of the local Haven. 

Not the best Sensitive about.

Vampires? Oh, right, there's that game. Umm, let's see, there's a chiang shih in the IT department.  Other than that, I don't think the local Haven has any vampires living there at the moment.

Well, of course I noticed.  I'm not the best Sensitive about, but I've been feeling a sort of low grade probe ever since you sat down.  Rather disconcerting, but doesn't feel like you're even aware of it, so no bother, I suppose.

Hmm, just a moment, I caught sight of your eyes when your illusion glitched a little just now.  Those are some most interesting pupils.  I've heard of your race before somewhere I think.  I want to say it's something rather obscure or old.  Let me think a four-pointed star-shaped pupil...where have I heard of tha...

Hang on.  Aren't you lot supposed to be extinct?

Loren Mutabah: Master Conversationalist