Apartment Tea Time - Ken [MAGE] - [2-6-2026]
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Apartment Tea Time
Date: [2-6-2026] -- Oct 4th, 2014
Location: Ken's apartment, sort of
Player Characters Present: Ken
Open Spots: 0NPCs Present: Elijah, Nova
Current Scenario: Ken's father has an apartment that he uses when he visits Chicago. This used to be more frequent, but is much rarer now. Ken has been using the apartment as his Father's request, and has brought Elijah and Nova there. The wards and barriers keep the place safe from tracking and scying, as well as scrambling recording and listening devices. The walls and door are enhanced with Matter to be like Steel despite their decorative appearance, and there are multiple panic buttons and hidden weapons throughout the apartment.
Suggested Dice Pools: check for lies, open a door (social), come up with additional information,
End Trigger: Get your questions answered
Opener: The apartment sits on the upper floors of a sleek, glass-and-steel high-rise on the Near North Side of Chicago—one of those buildings with views that drink in the lake and the glittering stretch of Michigan Avenue. When Elijah and Nova step through the door, it feels like stepping into a hybrid of art gallery and sanctuary: cool lines, quiet luxury, and a subtle blend of Japanese and modern American design.
The floors are pale oak, smooth and warm underfoot, with charcoal rugs defining the space. Near the entry, a framed calligraphy scroll in delicate ink—Ken’s father’s hand, perhaps—hangs above a minimalist console table. The living room opens up into a sweeping corner view of the city lights, the windows tinted slightly to cut glare. A low sectional couch of slate-gray fabric anchors the room, accented by throw pillows in deep indigo and cream. On the far wall sits a long shelf lined with art books, a bonsai tree, and a carefully tended arrangement of stones and glass—equal parts Zen garden and designer statement.
Ken moves through it all with effortless calm, wearing a linen shirt that fits just well enough to hint at the muscle beneath. His movements have that martial artist’s grace—grounded, deliberate, nothing wasted. He sets out a lacquered tray with small porcelain cups, a teapot steaming gently beside a plate of delicate sweets. “Please,” he says with a half-smile, “make yourselves comfortable. It’s late, and you’ve both been through enough.”
Elijah accepts the offer of a drink with a tired grin. “Whisky, if you’ve got it.” Ken obliges, producing a bottle of Suntory Hibiki from a polished sideboard, pouring a neat glass with a practiced hand. Elijah leans back into the couch, eyes half-lidded as the city hum seeps through the glass—low, steady, like distant surf. Within a few minutes, he’s half asleep, jacket draped over the armrest, the amber in his glass catching the lamplight.
Nova stays at the table with Ken, cross-legged on one of the soft floor cushions he gestures toward. Her tea smells faintly floral—genmaicha with a touch of jasmine. Ken offers her a few matcha-filled cookies and smiles lightly when she hesitates, “They’re handmade. My father’s chef taught me before I moved here.”
They talk quietly. The conversation begins polite—about the city, about travel—but drifts toward deeper currents: the strange balance between heritage and independence, power and restraint, and what it means to walk between two worlds. There’s an unspoken understanding between them, two people carrying the weight of expectation and instinct in different ways.
Soft jazz plays from a discreet speaker, blending with the hum of the city below. The apartment smells faintly of cedar and tea leaves. Outside, snow has begun to fall in slow, drifting sheets—muting the lights, blurring the city into something dreamlike.
By the time Elijah stirs, half-awake on the couch, Ken and Nova are still talking quietly by the window, two silhouettes framed by the glow of the skyline—an island of calm suspended above the restless city.
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Nova Dances-in-Five-Forms [Rith-ta-Khanur]
Dice Pool - 8: Presence (2) + Empathy (motives) (4) + knowledge of the subject (2)
Action: Get our new "friends" talking about themselves and this situation.
Health: 8 - No Damage
Essence: 2
Willpower: 1 (4 spent during the fight)
Conditions: HuntedDescription:
They had been discussing nothing really. Nova had been in the city months, but still seemed to be new. She mentioned it was hard to enjoy good food or the sights when you are broke and being hunted by death beasts and spirit monsters.
Nova touches Ken's arm softly, as if to make sure he is real.
"I still can't believe you're here." She stares at him intensely, her eyes watering. It makes Ken feel slightly uncomfortable, as even back home, simply making eye contact is frowned upon. This is far more intense than that.
"I've seen you...I....you were..." She doesn't seem able to say what she wants to as she gets choked up.
Ken changes the subject, giving her a chance to compose herself, bringing it back to the topic of the spirits that Nova and Elijah had been hunting.
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: Suggested Actions :
- Ask about Ken and her history (persuasion or similar)
- Get her to talk about the other packmates and her own actions in the city (Socialize, empathy, subterfuge)
- Ask about the flayed guy with the knife and the creatures that attacked the crew when Darwin was there
- Ask about Darwin and their connection
- Ask about spirits -- she is a werewolf, its their thing. She probably isn't an expert, but might still know more than Ken at the moment
- Cast a spell - You can use Life to control pheromones and be more persuasive
- Active Mage sight, you can study her aura to learn more and also see if you can learn more about the strange effect swirling about her (Fate, Time)
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• Ken(Hideki Takashi)
Dice Pool: wits(3) + socialize(-1)=2
Control insticts(duration) withstand resolve: life(3) + gnosis(3) + path tool(brass knuckles 1) + environment(1)=8
Reaches: affect supernatural creatures, instant and advanced duration
Action: try to get Nova to open up by being vulnerable and asking if she needs help. Also cast control instincts to have her see me as a possible mate and lower her gaurd.
Health: 8/8
Mana/Vitae: 13
Willpower: 6/7
Conditions:
Description
Ken rubs the back of his head and says "would you be willing to help me fight spirits better? I felt a little inadequate in the fight.After a minute he starts again. Do you have plans? Are you planning to work as just a party of 2 or are you looking for more allies? Ken looks into her eyes "What are you looking for?"
Ken rubs the back of his head, eyes drifting toward the street before settling somewhere just past her shoulder. “Would you be willing to help me fight spirits better? I felt a little… inadequate in that fight.”
He lets out a slow breath, the admission hanging awkwardly between them.After a minute,
Nova’s hand comes up and touches his arm softly, like she’s confirming he’s solid and not something that might disappear. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” She stares at him intensely, her eyes watering.
The weight of her gaze makes him shift his footing. This—this kind of intensity—felt overwhelming.
“I’ve seen you… I… you were…” Her voice falters, catching in her throat.
Ken feels the moment tipping into something he doesn’t know how to hold. In that moment 1 hand slides into his pocket fingers gliding over his brass knuckles. He imagines Nova lokking at him. Heat in her eyes wanting to impress him so he would choose her. The spell snaps into place silently. Retrieving his hand from his pocket he leans away and scratches his cheek lightly, giving her space. “are you sure I'm that guy." steering them back to safer ground.
“Do you have plans? I mean—are you planning to just work as a party of two? Or are you looking for more allies?” His gaze finally meets hers, hesitant but steady. “What are you looking for?”