"Mages are a bit like cats - they're difficult to herd. Etiquette is more of an intra Order concern."

Looking freshly washed and brushed, Kendra steps back into the main room along with Kamala, the shorter ex-marine. Hiroku serves the breakfast, setting it around the table.

Kendra thanks him, settling across from Kip, eating while keeping a weather eye on the others.

For the sake of their newbie guests - and to protect their own secrets, he's sure - they keep their "shop talk" to a minimum. Kamala is happy to finally have someone to discuss sports with, while Protea and Kendra chat. Everyone complements Hiroku on the breakfast. For all that they're magical people hiding under assumed names, they seem pretty decent.

After they clean up, they gather their keys and things and make their way out into the sunny day. Kendra has the book in her backpack, casual and unconcerned. She hasn't noticed Kip's suspicions yet, or she hasn't given it away at least.

They don't end up going far - a couple blocks down, to a private theater and library for what appears to be a local atheist group. Ironic.

Allowing his gaze to view things through the lens of his Path, he sees the crackling signs of some pretty potent magic defending the place, words scrawled in the air drawn in lightning.

Despite the fact that they're clearly not written in English, he finds he understands them perfectly, in intent and meaning:
"Portland Council Building - Here, There Are No Thrones."

Inside, they head up to the front desk, and Protea speaks to the tattooed teen there in much the same way as the symbols looked - words that have an English accent but are more than words. The girl shrugs and plays with something under the desk, and together they pass through an unmarked door - into a space far larger than the building could possibly contain. It's a library with a very Old World aesthetic, with pillars that vanish above. Small groups of people talk among chairs and couches, and of course there's a coffee shop. There are other floors winding away where people study or meet.

"I should see if there's any business with the Caucus," Hiroku informs his wife in that strange not-language - and the fun part? He's clearly speaking nonsense Japanese. Kip finds that he can understand the manning without understanding the words themselves.
There are layers of meaning there - he's worried about something, and Caucus means {group of our Order.}

He splits off, and then Kamala heads to join some friends, leaving the two of them with Protea. She waves to a woman with a smile and takes them out of the library, to where a young, bald man in monk's robes meditates a couple feet off the ground in a room of subdued colors and lighting. A cat curls up near him, and Kip is fairly certain it isn't a real cat. There are a couple other doors here. One is open, revealing a fairly normal-looking office with a government vibe.

"Hello, Warden. I have two new mages to introduce. They showed up at our doorstep." Protea stands, hands folded before her summer dress. "This is Kip and Kendra."

The monk opens his eyes, looking between the two. "Welcome. I take it neither of you have much knowledge of the Pentacle?"

Kendra shakes her head. Kip's look is apparently enough.

"The Pentacle is a supportive alliance of five different magical orders. You are not required to join, and no threat or penalty will be leveled against you for failing to, aside from being barred access from our sacred places, but we urge you to consider the pitch of each Order before deciding anything. The Fallen World is dark and terrible enough without help.

"Tell me about it," Kendra says sarcastically. "I've spent a couple years on my own. I avoided contact with others until Kip. How do I know you guys are better than the alternative?"

"You do not, save your own judgement and Truth itself." He raises a hand and a couple folded pamphlets levitate to his hand. "Since we're a decently large Consilium, we have a professional bent to our recruitment. Protea or myself can answer questions and provide more explanation. If you just have a request or need advice, Protea has the right to speak on your behalf."

The pamphlet is written in the same language as the signs outside, conveying information without ambiguity.

There are five Orders:
The Silver Ladder - they are an order dedicated to uplifting humanity, which involves providing services and guiding regular people into mystery cults that progressively reveal more of the truth to them. It's also clear that they have a strong hierarchy - someone who is more magically knowledgable has commensurately more right to advise and guide, as they are more capable and wise.
The Guardians of the Veil - the internal police of the Orders, they come down on violations of law and protect them from spies and subtle threats. It mentions that they are expected to deal with threats objectively and without bias, and that they also run mystery cults for normal people.
The Adamantine Arrow - the "military" order (there's nuance to this - the translation is more like "those who seek conflict in order to resolve it") that caters to people with military backgrounds, lawyers, cops, even doctors in some cases - anyone who wants to confront problems head on, whether corrupt officials, gangsters, monsters, or enemies of the Pentacle. Kamala is a member of this, he recalls.
The Mysterium - they gather information, artifacts, spells, anything and everything to preserve it and keep it out of the hands of those who would harm them. These are not only librarians and keepers, but those who go into the world to find and protect these things (Archaeomancers are one group within - the implication is a bit "Indiana Jones" for them.) Both Protea and Hiroku are members.

The above four are listed as Diamond Orders, who trace their lineage to a possibly mythical "Awakened Nation" that existed in the "Time Before."
"Awakened Nation" means a city or state governed, educated by, and protected by the Awakened. "Time Before" is a weird one to process - in his head it kind of comes out to "a timeline that no longer exists" or "the world as it was before something terrible happened."

The fifth and final Order is the Free Council - also known as the Libertines, they're a democratic order that caters to those who aren't as much into all that occult mystical stuff. They believe the works of humanity are just as important as ancient wisdom and seek Truth among them.

"I know this is probably a bit overwhelming," Protea says. "And you don't need to decide today, or ever. It's an option, much as I encourage it. All of them offer magical training and support, and the obligations are as light or as heavy as you invest into them."