Four ascensions remain
Time passes until it is almost Christmas. During this time Angelina talks to Damien about being transferred, which he's willing to do now, but decides she needs to think and doesn't get back to it. She does arrange to spend a couple of weeks out at other Inquisition installations giving shooting lessons.
The man in the picture turns out to be named Berthold Schabler. He's not a big name, but has quietly written large and useful pieces of every piece of free software you've ever heard of, for the past fifteen years (since he was a teenager). The present plan is for Alex to spend a huge chunk of money to endow him to produce a big and amazing piece of free software.
A week and a half before Christmas, Damien calls them into a meeting and tells them about a group named "Mac Attack" that TNI has become aware of. The most senior member that TNI knows of is named Bernardo Dui, and lives in Albuquerque. They found him by tapping the phone of a girl the Weather Channelers picked up on while investigating weird occurrences in Boulder (like a women vanishing briefly to avoid being hit by a car, and caterpillars spelling out the answers to a boy's French test). She seems to be a junior member who he has recruited.
"I will be the circumflex caterpillar!" (Angelina, rendering a comment in outrageous French accent)
As they launch into action Esteban and Angelina get into a screaming fight/discussion in the hall, which everyone else listens to and pretends not to. Esteban doesn't quite understand what he's done wrong. Angelina doesn't explain anything, and storms off. Esteban then talks to Damien and finally tells him what happened.
This results in Esteban fetching the ring to show to Damien. The others notice him getting it out of the car, and question Angelina about it a bit while Esteban talks to Damien, who suggests abject groveling apology. He points out that the only thing worse than an unwanted proposal is one which is presented as not a big deal.
Esteban's apology delivery could perhaps be better, and Angelina chews him out some more. Everyone drives down the ABQ, mostly in separate cars. Once there, Gavin and Esteban go off to surveil Bendigo's building while Thielo and Angelina go to the McDonald's where he works and wait for him to come on shift. Gavin and Esteban have a discussion as Gavin takes Van to task about what he's done. Some conversational judo ensues, leaving Esteban mostly feeling that he's won and Gavin confused.
At the McDonald's they watch Bendigo work for a while. Thielo notes that he has a green-black aura flame, and that when he is working he at one point salts his hand while he salts the fries. His hand aura seems to intensify, and then leap to a young woman he is serving. "Have a Very Special Day" he says. Angelina also goes in and orders a shake, and gets the same treatment. Thielo follows him after work, noting that his flame is very small by then, and watches him go to a craps game and lose a bunch of money. Everyone is a bit worried about what spell may have been cast on Angelina.
The next day they again watch him leave his apartment and then break in. They find some notebooks with gambling records, and a notebook with magical records, including two rituals they don't recognize. The first involves saying some words every sundown to enable the ritual, and then saying other words while you salt your hand. Then you give something to the target. Of course, the effect of the ritual is not mentioned, but they recognize the ritual from the day before.
The other ritual is called "cosmic connection" and involves a circle of salt with runes, drinking three shots of hard liquor in quick succession, and holding your breath until you pass out. The team notes that the floor of the small apartment has a fair amount of salt on it, and that he owns a case of Morton's Iodized. They also remember running into Morton's before. They watch Bendigo some more and note that he has a small clear flame and only does his salting thing once. Then he goes and wins some money at craps, building up more of a green and black flame.
The next morning, Esteban decides to do the Cosmic Connection ritual since sundown has passed and they can't do the other until the next day. In the process of doing it, he loses all of his charges, but he awakens with (apparently) one minor charge and a splitting headache. He also has a small clear flame above his head.
The next morning Esteban goes to the gym and generates a bit more mojo, resulting in his having two distinct flames, one small and clear and the other a bit larger and pink. That night various people say the words to enable the other ritual. Then Gavin does the cosmic connection ritual, and briefly exhibits a clear flame (though it dissolves into his aura quickly). Then he transfers the minor charge to Esteban.
They quickly get others experimenting, and Violet and Matthew are able to transfer minor charges one to the other as well. It does take a few days for the charge transferred to lose its original character, however, and until that happens it isn't very useful.