Eliza, J, Jackson Hart, Leigh, and Talon are still at the table.
I, too, was overwhelmed with stuff to do this weekend. Running a one-off at a small convention, a day with the parents in town, followed by a wedding and two receptions for it...Monday February 15, 2072; 18:05, The Edge, Elven District, Seattle Downtown, UCAS
The desserts ordered by those still there appeared a few minutes later, every bit as rich and decadent as promised; soft, crumbly, and sweet with a combination of flavors you just couldn't get with soy.
J could plainly see that Ironclad had just received a jolt of pain, pretty serious pain but nothing actually damaging. It made him think of the drain he experienced when casting or summoning, but Ironclad was clearly mundane. Where did that come from?
Monday February 15, 2072; 18:10, The Edge, Elven District, Seattle Downtown, UCAS
Over the next few minutes Ironclad's sprite starting sending back results. Rough matches at first, but eventually it found a picture of him in a press release by Mitsuhama Media from two years ago. He was standing behind a corp exec named Herman Mills, announcing their newest project, some reality trid about Urban Brawl participants. A little more digging unveiled a name: James Marsh. Marsh didn't appear to live in Seattle, though, at least not anymore - he moved to Japan over a year ago.
In the middle of the stream of data, Ironclad winced as it abruptly cut out. His sprite had just switched its search efforts to Japan when something halted the stream. This didn't feel like a coincidence.
Monday February 15, 2072; 18:12, The Edge, Elven District, Seattle Downtown, UCAS
With just a few minutes left until sundown, J's Spirit of Man rushed over to the hub.
The aura of this place is weak, but not nonexistant. There is some magic here; it has left its mark, but it is weak enough that I cannot discern the original intent. So, there are astral signatures there.
No man who knows the breath of magic is on the premises at this time. I see two unawakened men outside. They feel to me to be very disgruntled.The sun descended past the horizon, and J felt his link with the spirit dissipating.
Farewell. I am headed to rejoin my brethren. Perhaps I will join you again in the future.