You're not a coward, are you?

[Kaya]

Kaya perked up a bit towards Ashley. "For dream analysis? Remarkable field, that is. What kind of dream was it?" She smiled, and it was nice. Truly nice. No "I hate you, I want you dead" nice but a real "I am honestly interested" smile. "Maybe I should write mine down too. Figure out what they mean. If I had any dreams." She shrugged, but still Ashley, for once, had Kaya's attention in a good way.

[Ashley McGowen]

Something in Ashley's expression pulls away as Kaya inquires further. "Conversation with my Avatar," she says, in slightly clipped tones. Then she's casting a look about the room, studying faces and miens, curious about the replacement Wharil is talking about. "Do you have an idea which it might be yet?" Mundane observations, she has difficulty making: her handicaps prevent it. Magical ones, on the other hand...

[Nathan Spriggs]

Nathan's attention left the slowly receding tension and went to studying the room as well, he had experienced the other man first hand, Dylan he might feel sorry for, Fung's replacement was dead if Nathan ever set eyes on him. He continued from where Ashley left off her questioning. "I see no body guards this time, any telltale sign of his presence that you could share with us?" The silent sound of his gun cocking inside the coat's pocket followed his question.

[Kaya]

Hearing Wharil, Kaya began looking around as well. 'So we are here to .. take care of something?"

[Wharil Choc]

"Mm. Not with any certainty. The good news is...they're all pretty much normal." He shrugs, bringing his hands together. "Its crime. It aint exactly a good thing. But...like it or not Fu--er...the position serves a social purpose. Now that there's gonna be someone who lives as long as a person ought to...there oughbt to be a bit more balance around here."

[Wharil Choc]

"We...No. I'm here to observe." He shifts uncomfortably, flexing his shoulders and looking at his clasped hands on the table rather than any of the people around it. "Just like I was supposed to do last time."

[Ashley McGowen]

Ashley turns her head to look at him, quirking a brow. Interested in...well, both in the consequences of what they did and in why he would care, really. He says he was there to observe last time and she flashes him a faint smile that borders on sheepish. "...Sorry." She looks back out across the rest of the restaurant. "So now that the head's regrown, what exactly are you watching for? It's just a normal crime family at this point, isn't it?"

[Nathan Spriggs]

Nathan nodded slightly at Ashley's words to Wharil, still scanning the room, he was trying to memorize the faces he saw, he could get in contact with some people and see if he could figure out who it was from there. Just to be on the safe side just in case they held grudges. He did however flash Wharil the first genuine smile since the day he saw him killed Dylan. "I won't apologize, if you had only been observing, I probably wouldn't be here. Believe me, I'm thankful you didn't remain a mere observer."

[Kaya]

"I'm grateful you saved him as well. Or I might be worse off right now as well." A pleasant smile as she laid her head on Nathan's shoulder.

[Wharil Choc]

"Well there's..." He stops himself, looking around the table. A brief quirk of a smile appears on his face. "What do you guys think? We've been talking about power plays lately, real or perceived. What do you guys think is going to happen?"

[Ashley McGowen]

"Depends on what's already happened," Ashley says, frowning down at the closed notebook that she has laid on the table in front of her. "Chances are a lot of the infighting for the replacement has already been done." It's brief, but her eyes aren't on Wharil. They're on Nathan and Kaya, waiting for their answers.

[Kaya]

"Well, I only know by what Nathan told me. Now if there is a replacement, wouldn't we need to worry about this person having the same abilities as the last? Which means, over time, the loss of innocent lives. The best way would be to find what is behind whatever gives them those abilities to destroy it, then we wouldn't need to worry about some age sucking vampire."

[Nathan Spriggs]

Nathan looks around the table for a moment before focusing his gaze on Wharil, he'd kept his opinion to himself and had started to prepare just in case but it was about time he spoke out about it anyway. "I think the balance won't last. We know the mirrorshades know we're here, Dylan is gone now, and as was discussed, Shallows are appearing all over, Nephandi are still hidden somewhere too. Some time, might be later rather than sooner, someone is gonna move and when that happens, the balance will be broken and all hell will break loose." He stopped there for a moment, looked around the room again just because he wanted to be sure no one was listening in. "Which is why I'm glad we've started to organize, I'd rather expect it to happen sooner rather than later and be prepared than not."

[Kaya]

She looked down, and whispered very softly. "I can close the Shallows."

[Wharil Choc]

Wharil smiled at each answer. It wavered when Nathan spoke up, but only momentarily. Wharil himself...he just shrugged. "The truth is I can't say any of you are right or wrong. Fung was an overconfident bastard. Chances are he thought he was never gonna die and didn't prepare for it. "At the same time...Rene went up against his Mentor. She says after he was mortally wounded his body began to reanimate. Immediately after, almost as if he were prepared for it. So...maybe there is something left over. Maybe there is some way for the old master to return. But I can only wait and see." And...There are other elements involved, like Nathan says. And yeah, we're in a parallel situation. Getting organized...its something Dylan would have wanted. But he couldn't do it because at the time, I didn't really have a plan. We can..." He cut himself off. Or, perhaps Kaya cut him off. He couldn't be sure, not quite catching what she said. "I'm sorry...what was that?"

[Kaya]

She swallowed that growing lump in her throat, and spoke up a bit more. "I can close them. The Shallows. It's what I'm good at."

[Ashley McGowen]

Ashley listens to what Wharil has to say about the Nephandi, brow furrowing, eyes wandering off the way they do when she's thinking. They fixate on something across the room, something entirely unconnected to the conversation. She's about to contribute to what he says about Fung when Kaya speaks about the Shallowings, and here she falls silent. Intent, watching first the Dreamspeaker and then her colleague.

[Nathan Spriggs]

Nathan gave a side glance to Kaya, smiling slightly at her words, he didn't know about this little bit of useful information but he was glad she'd at least come forward by her own choice and without his nudging. Maybe there was progress after all. "Before Kaya elaborates, I'd like to add that I have several... acquaintances from getting involved with less than pleasant company in my days as a stock broker, handling their assets and whatnot," he paused there, glancing at Kaya from the corner of his eye, knowing she'd know his lie. "Given enough time and probably a good chunk of money, but that we can figure out later, I can probably get us weapons in case this turns out to be a full-blown war. And I don't mean piddly handguns, I mean real weapons, assault rifles, submachine guns, those kinds of things."

[Ashley McGowen]

"That'll be useful. Total action hero, me," Ashley says dryly, looking sidelong at Nathan.

[Wharil Choc]

"You..." There was that look again. That grinding press of opinion machine. The molten pour of information. The solidity of a mental image. Slowly his gaze drifts toward Nathan, a crease of worry forming in his brow. "Don't you think that might be a little...over the top? I can't speak for everyone but maybe that effort will be better spent on some kind of security system for the house?" Then his gaze passes back to Kaya. "I have to point out...this would have been useful to point out earlier...but...you didn't stick around long enough. At the risk of starting another argument, that's something you might want to work on. That's the second time I've seen you storm out of a meeting offering little more than a poor impression of yourself. Its alright to disagree. But disagreeing and disappearing smacks of cowardice." He pauses, just long enough for a single breath. "You're not a coward, are you Kaya? If you were you wouldn't be making this offer. That is what this is, isn't it? You're offering to work with us?"

[Nathan Spriggs]

He gazed at Ashley for a moment and shrugged. "Better than nothing. I'd rather have good weapons with non-fighters using them than bad ones and still have non-fighters on it."

[Nathan Spriggs]

He looked at Wharil after responding to Ashley's words, he made it sound like both things at once was impossible to do. "Over the top, maybe. But if the mirrorshades move, I'm pretty sure having over the top defenses is the least of our worries. On that note, the security system is a work in progress too, but there's only so much I can't do without someone like a Virtual Adept reinforcing them if we're up against Awakened with hacking knowledge." After that, his gaze fell on Kaya, waiting for her reply to Wharil's words, wondering what she'd say in response.

[Nathan Spriggs]

to Ashley McGowen, Kaya, Wharil Choc ((...can do*))

[Kaya]

She thought on Wharil's words a moment. She wasn't a coward, never had been. But they don't know what is out there, following her, manipulating her. "No, I'm not a coward." She looked up at Nathan. "I'll help, but.. I'm still woeful over how you want the Chantry run." She brushed her hair back, wincing when she touched the cut on her head. "Let me start over. My name is Kaya Talayesva, Baruti Dreamspeaker, Disciple, and graduate of High Winds."

[Ashley McGowen]

Ashley looks toward Nathan, a corner of her mouth quirking for a moment. "So what are you proposing? That we put together an arsenal and meet the Nephandi and the Technocrats in the streets? I mean, I don't mind a fight. Just pick battles that you can actually win." Then she looks over at Kaya as the woman offers a formal introduction, and remains silent. The tacit implication is that she's letting Wharil handle it.

[Wharil Choc]

"Wharil Choc." He answers, and there's a middling smile on his face, one that doesn't squeeze his eyes shut the way that others have. Yum Cimil Euthanatos. Prospective Albireo. A pleasure to meet you, Kaya." He glances to Ashley very briefly. They don't whisper or share looks. Its simply a glance, to let each one know the other was still present, and a look away. The fact that they did this suggested something. But whether it was an implicit conspiracy or simply a mutual reliance, the full details were unclear. "We have in our possession a map, marked with all the confirmed locations that the Nameless Crow broke through, and a few predicted locations as well. Our original plan was to mark and ward these places, find some way to keep people away. But if you could help us seal them up for good..."

[Kaya]

She squeezed Nathan's hand. That meant being very close to the... Her head turned to look to nathan. "You think I should do this?"

[Nathan Spriggs]

Nathan paid full attention to Wharil for a moment before turning to Ashley again, letting Kaya handle this with Wharil and not intervening. "I said defense from the start, didn't I? Going to the street isn't just suicidal and idiotic, it could cause massive reprisals all over. But that's not what we're discussing and we both know what would happen." He leaned back on the seat, glancing towards Kaya and Wharil again before turning to Ashley again. "What I mean is an arsenal in the house and other safe points, under lock and key if it has to be to prevent... the wrong use, but available in case a day comes when they're the ones who take to the street, so to speak. Better to have and not need than need but not have. Etcetera, but again it's only a suggestion."

[Nathan Spriggs]

When Kaya asked for his opinion, Nathan turned his full attention to her and nodded. "Definitely. Though obviously not alone, I imagine they'll send some people along to make sure nothing happens." His attention went to Wharil with those last words.

[Ashley McGowen]

She meets the glance and then looks away as it's met. There are no shifts in expression as it's done, no movement of the shoulders as though she's been reassured. She simply looks back at Kaya across the table as Wharil offers his name and shows her the map. "Ashley McGowen, Order of Hermes bani Tytalus," is what she finally says. She watches the look to Nathan and her brows furrow together. "You're a Willworker," she tells Kaya. Not unkind, but firm - perhaps she thinks she's actually being helpful. "-You- decide what you do. Not him." To Nathan and his explanation, she just shrugs. "I won't use it if you put it there and the money and effort is probably better spent elsewhere. But it's up to you."

[Nathan Spriggs]

"She has a damn good point." Nathan decided to add that, realizing what had just happened, this kind of thing was why he'd called her about the situation before.

[Kaya]

If Ashely only knew. But hearing the Willworker part, she frowned. Then she looked to Wharil. "Alright, I will help you close them."

[Wharil Choc]

"I will. I'll be joining in personally in fact." He says to Nathan, and he looks down toward Ashley's hands, rather than trying to make eye contact with Ashley herself. "Ashley. Please." He says quietly. He wasn't about to try and make sense about their relationship. They were on a smooth path. Best to keep it going. "I'm glad to hear that, Kaya. Do you have some way I can get in touch with you?"

[Kaya]

She nodded slowly. "I'm staying at Nathan's."

[Ashley McGowen]

Wharil chides her and she sinks into an unhappy silence, watching the other two across the table. "You'll have to have me along too, probably," she says. "At least for some of them. I have wards around them."

[Nathan Spriggs]

He slightly winced at the sound of that statement, but luckily out of sight from Kaya, just in case, he hadn't made sense of their relationship yet either. "Ashley knows the address, and since you showed me the place, you should too. But going to house security, I wanna know, should I look into biometrics or is that going overboard as well?"

[Nathan Spriggs]

to Ashley McGowen, Kaya, Wharil Choc (Winced slightly, change order, bah.)

[Wharil Choc]

"Uh...I have no idea what that means. We'll..." Another of those glances. Only this time Wharil's lip is pressed thin, and his right leg trembles under the table. "We'll have our sentinel get back to you on that. For now though...there are things we need to get ready, and there's no time like the present."

[Ashley McGowen]

The confused look Ashley gives Nathan says that she has no idea what biometrics are either. He can almost see her thoughts processing, watch as she tries to separate root words and figure out what the hell he means, but in the end she comes up short.

[Kaya]

Kaya leaned on Nathan and just nodded. "Whenever you want, Wharil."

[Nathan Spriggs]

Nathan nodded slightly at their confused responses, smiling to himself, he knew mostly because he watched a lot of spy movies as a kid and because being who he was, he'd looked into security system before. "Uh, right. Long story short, eye-scanners and voice recognition stuff. In any case, if you need anything, send me a list and I'll look into it..." He didn't expect them to, but he threw the offer out their way anyhow.