⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 2

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 7st - 14th, 2017
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: The week begins as the time of the Animal Fair finally arrives! Meanwhile, the truth of this reality starts to be revealed, and forces both human and celestial alike attempt to take advantage of a rare opportunity.
Warnings: Individually marked!

BY ANY OTHER NAME↴ Tensions thicken as various supernaturally forces react to the events of the previous week. Something critical is afoot, and it's only a matter of time before things start coming to a head. It's time to find out more about what's happened to this world, and what will happen in its future. ► A NIGHT AT THE FAIR: From the night of the 7th to the morning of the 8th, the Animal Fair is officially in town. There is a top level down below with more information, though you can also RP content from this elsewhere if you wish. The host, who is very likely something called a Wyld Fae (if you discovered that ICly), will be present, but they will only be appearing to you of their own accord and attempting to track them down by force will be ineffective. Just kick back and relax! Fairs are supposed to be fun. ► THORNS IN YOUR SIDE: Culminating in a full fledged attack against the Sanctuary, it would seem that The Rose Queen is declaring war on the changeling population of Portland. Though the vicious attack of thorns against the safe house was eventually stopped, it wasn't without damage, and the black roses that caused it are still popping up around the city and threatening the places where homeless and lost changelings would be likely to congregate. It's obvious now that this is a serious threat - will it ever stop without an intervention? ► HELL ON EARTH: As Anath's march draws near, the first waves of her demons will be entering the city. Primarily acting as scouts and foot soldiers, these demons will be attempting to secure loyalty from the local demon populace, as well as taking out any angels they can manage to catch. It's a level of aggressiveness against heaven's forces that hasn't been seen for years, and it's a foreboding hint of things to come. These demons can be NPCed by anyone, and will mostly be thugs or manipulators who don't know much about Anath's plans but do know that you need to join their side. They are also rowdier than most of the demons in Portland, and are a threat to the innocent mortal populace as well, if they decide to try to get their kicks here. ► THE WIZARD POLICE: The Enlightenment Council seems to have demanded control of the local Circle chapter, and now backup has arrived. These mages are being sent out into the city as if they are a police force, and will be attempting to demand control of various common supernatural areas, as well as questioning community members that they run into. Whatever is going on, it seems to have resulted in the Council instituting what is essentially martial law... of course, not everyone sees any need to heed their demands. If you are a demon, warlock, or other rogue element, expect to be harassed or even attacked by them. These character can be NPCed, and if you need additional information you can ask the mods.

Comments

Jonathan Strange | ota!

[kingsroads]

1: strange becomes aware of a plot thread
This past week has been damn weird. If somebody had told him 'hey, Jonathan Strange, you're going to have an insanely weird week where the state of magic somehow becomes messed up, you're going to make a bargain with a faerie, and oh don't worry but your soul might be weird,' he would have laughed them to high heaven. And yet all of the above happened. And it doesn't look like it's going to get any less weird.

Especially since there's now flowers everywhere? What the hell are those about? Strange had entirely missed the roses at the Sanctuary and roses trying to kidnap people debacle so spotting black roses growing in odd places is an entirely new brand of weird for him. (It's probably the combination of the weirdness of last week combined with what little sleep he's been getting that made him miss the roses in the first place--Strange is looking a bit more tired and haggard these days.)

Waving someone over, he gestures at the plants with a frown. "Stupid question, but when did these get here?"

2: aw heck it's the wizard cops
There's two reasons why Strange decided to throw his lot in with the Council despite the fact that he hates them so much. The main one is that he doesn't want to be viewed as suspicious or a possible troublemaker at all--if he plays along the no one will question him, right? Right. But these question and answer sessions also give him the opportunity to talk to various people who he normally wouldn't talk to in the first place and who would happily avoid him as well. Some of Nightshade's words lingered in his head: there's something else about him too. She thought that he wasn't the only one with an odd soul.

The only question is, how do you breach that point of conversation without looking like a madman? (And why does the idea of looking like a madman not worry him as much as it should?)

So, Strange tags along on a few of the questioning sessions. He spends most of the actual session of 'harass the poor warlock/demon/etc.' straight up kissing ass and being a toadie and of course sir, you're right sir, these are dangerous elements, aren't they sir. But once the actual harassment is finished and Strange is stuck with the boring job of escorting someone out of the interrogation room or removing any spells that were cast during the session, he'll lean over to whoever was being harassed and ask, under his breath,

"Might we be able to talk privately?"

wildcard!
any other option that's not listed!

wildcard!

[anti_nonsense]

It was when Rita was meeting with a few of her fellow Renegades in a parking lot that the wizards showed up, surrounding them and barking out questions in an authoritative manner. The bikers, Rita included, offer no real information, but plenty of insults. At some point, the exchange gets heated enough that it nearly looks like it's about to erupt into violence... but miraculously, cooler heads prevail and both groups end up walking away... or most of them do, anyway.

The Renegades return to their bikes, and after a few words between them (most of it griping about those Circle jackasses and their annoying questions), the others depart. Rita lingers behind, fiddling with something on her phone. She only just got this new one (well, as 'new' as a pawn shop phone gets), and she hasn't fully figured out how to work it yet...

But when she glances up from the screen, she sees that one of those mages hasn't left. In fact, he's standing right in front of her, like he still has some business here. Actually... isn't he kind of different from the others? He doesn't have the same uniform, and while the others were forceful with their questions, he mostly seemed to be standing on the sidelines, interjecting just to agree with them. What is he, their gopher or something?

"Do you want something?" she asks with a flat, contemptuous stare.

[kingsroads]

Why is this girl so familiar? She's familiar not in a 'I've seen this person around before' sort of way, but familiar in a way that's coming from the bottom of Strange's memories, a face which he knows he's seen before, but he can't place. Still, as Rita gives him a contemptuous stare, Strange responds with a snooty one of his own.

"As a matter of fact, I do. You're the Renegades, correct? Isn't that Pearl's group?"

He could be wrong. He's not entirely certain about this, a fact which shows on his face. Still, Strange knew a little bit about what Pearl was up to these days, there was something involving a biker group. And if this wasn't Pearl's group, maybe they'd be able to point him in the direction of said group.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita slips the phone in her back pocket and folds her arms. "Yeah. What about it?" While Rita and the others were resistant to answering most questions, some facts aren't worth denying. Their leader's name is easy enough for anyone to find out. "You and your buddies wanna go waste her time, too?"

[kingsroads]

"They aren't my friends," Strange quickly remarks, with a wrinkle of his nose, as if disgusted that Rita would suggest that he was friends with the Council members...despite the fact that he was just hanging out with them.

"How much has she told you about some of the...oddness that's going on?" Pearl works directly for the Rose Queen. That automatically puts her closer than Strange is with regards to any information, which puts Rita just as close, if not closer, to this information as well. And really, all Strange has right now is a bundle of maybes and perhapses, things which he knows are specific to him but might not be specific to others.

"I'll gladly tell you some Circle information about the oddness in return if you have anything of use for me." Of course, Strange won't tell Rita everything he knows. That'd simply be poor form.

[anti_nonsense]

"An exchange? Hmph..." It's a better deal than those other bozos were offering. Information is currency, and Rita's not about to give anything to someone who demands it for free. Getting her hands on some of the Circle's information is an appealing prospect. But...

"You seemed pretty eager to lick their boots while they were still in earshot. How do I know you won't just turn around and share anything I say with them, or the rest of the Circle?"

She's not going to comment on how much Pearl's actually told her. In reality... it isn't much. But saying so would lower her bargaining position, so it's best to leave this guy in the dark about it. If he can actually make a convincing offer, Rita has plenty of other information about fae activities that should work just as well.

[kingsroads]

"Well, the answer to that one is simple. I'll cast a binding agreement: that is my specialty, after all." And, without waiting for Rita to say anything else, Strange starts to cast a spell. Putting his hands behind his back, he mutters something in Latin, something in Greek, then something in English, obviously a simple binding spell. He's doing this like it's a routine, like he's cast these sorts of spells every day of his life.

Rita can feel the magical power around them, though it's hovering and tense, as if waiting to be released. "Any information obtained by I, Jonathan Strange, through this conversation and this conversation alone shall not be repeated to mages of the Circle of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment Council. Do you accept the terms?"

[anti_nonsense]

Huh... He's really doing it. While Rita's never used a binding spell like this before, she has enough familiarity with the concept to tell that this is the real thing. The main issue is his conditions... A lifetime of living among fae has left Rita skeptical of agreements like this. There are always loopholes, and those can prove disastrous should one be inclined to take full advantage of them.

For one, his promise only applies to this conversation... and while he specified two groups he won't repeat the details to, there's still the possibility of him speaking to someone else. Is there anyone else that would pose a problem, should they learn what she knows? The only antagonistic party to come to mind is the Rose Queen and her court, but Rita imagines they already have much of the same information as her. Also, not a likely alliance.

That aside... Strange? Weird name. Pretty fitting for a weirdo like him, though. Actually... is this deja vu? Rita feels like she heard that name before, and perhaps thought the same thing then... It's probably just her imagination, though.

"Fine," Rita agrees after a pause. She could argue for stricter terms, but it doesn't seem necessary right now. "But first, there's something I want to know. What's your angle? What are you trying to find out, and why do it behind the Council's back?" She could maybe understand prioritizing the local Circle chapter over the overbearing outsiders, but he doesn't even seem to be doing that.

[kingsroads]

He specified those two groups for a reason. Strange honestly doubts Rita will know anything important about the Severing but if she does, he's telling Nightshade right away. He's got to be careful to juggle his agreements, to make sure that he's not breaking one while casting another. It's a wonder how the fae manage to keep all these straight.

Still, as Rita agrees, that feeling of power in the air vanishes, as if it's settled. It feels like a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders and the nearby air as the binding spell sets it in place. Strange knows that even if he wanted to tell the Circle what had happened in this conversation, he couldn't.

At Rita's question, Strange frowns slightly. "I'm trying to find information on a particular event. Considering that the Circle might have been involved in this particular event, it's best that they don't know I'm asking about it. And I'm doing it behind the Council's back because I don't want those jackasses to even look my way."

Is it a bit cowardly? Yes. But in Strange's mind, this is entirely self-preservation, not cowardice. You don't tell the people you're trying to fuck over that you want to fuck them over to begin with.

1

[hippocarnival]

Yuya gives Strange and incredulous look when he waves him over, only because he thought the roses were hard to miss after that debacle. And the way they're spreading...

Well, maybe the circle avoided this mess. Lucky them. "Uh, a few days ago. They've gotten really dangerous and they keep spreading."

His expression brightens and he swells a little with pride. "But I was looking for magic solutions, because that's the best way to counter magic, right? And I think I have some kind of spell that's gonna work!"

[kingsroads]

When you spend the past few days shut up in the library like a research hermit, it's easy to miss something damn obvious. As such, Strange has no idea what went on with the flowers attacking the Sanctuary. As he spots Yuya, however, Strange's mood instantly lifts. Oh, good! He had something he wanted to tell the kid, this makes things so much easier.

What Strange wants to tell Yuya though gets quickly pushed to the side as the conversation shifts to magic. "Well go on, tell me more about the spell! I'd be happy to offer my input, if you want."

He's probably going to offer his input anyway.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya nods enthusiastically, gesturing for emphasis. "It's a barrier spell! The Sanctuary already had one, but it doesn't really work if you invite Fae stuff in, because then you tell it it's okay. Fae magic has a lot of rules, so if you tell it to go away you can stop it from coming in. Right?

I need more people before I can try it, but the books were right about keeping them from growing back with iron." So he's pretty hopeful for his success.

"I don't know what the Rose Queen's problem is, but people have already been hurt by her flowers... so they need to be stopped."

And he knows too well most humans will turn a blind eye to their suffering. He hasn't told his guardian about this for a reason.

[kingsroads]

Having just participated in a rescue mission that freed two captured people from one of her subordinates, Strange has a pretty good idea of what the Rose Queen's problem is. Still, he's keeping his mouth shut as he listens to Yuya explain the spell.

"That does make sense," he admits, with a nod. "Obviously since the threshold's been broken it would be hard to rebuild it, but the iron and barrier spell should provide a temporary solution. It would probably be best if people who visit the Sanctuary often help cast the spell: familiarity and the concept of ownership are important in these matters. Just...make certain the changelings staying in the Sanctuary know about the iron."

It should be obvious, but it bears repeating: they're part fae as well. Flowers, though... "Is it just flowers that have been causing the problems? Not anything else?"

[hippocarnival]

"Yeah, that's a good idea! They'll want to help even more since it's someplace so important to them. If we can make it strong enough, maybe we won't need the iron at all... that'd be good." He nods with the thought. Strange didn't need to remind him, but he does agree--he wouldn't want to put them in any accidental danger.

He shifts and pauses to think of an answer to Strange's question. "Not that I've seen. But when I've gone out at night, it's more active than before. I can't imagine it's all normal people moving around at that hour, but I haven't heard of anything else dangerous."

[kingsroads]

Yuya would have heard something if more people got kidnapped by eating berries off the floor. So does this mean Nightshade's backed off? If so, good, he doesn't want to deal with that right now as well as all this other nonsense.

"Is it pointing out the obvious if I tell you to be careful anyway?" Because guess what, that's what he's doing. "I've got something I wish to talk with you about, by the way. It involves your memory problems with our last conversation." There's no way to delicately say 'it involves you forgetting your parents', so the vague memory problems it is.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya laughs. Even if it's obvious, he appreciates the sentiment. "I'll be careful! I don't want to make anything worse." He knows what he's doing has the potential for danger, but he doesn't want to stand by and watch other people getting hurt.

Though he quickly sobers up as Strange mentions his memory. Before he would have insisted it was Strange's spell, and those were definitely his parents... but now they've gotten even more confusing, like he remembers events that couldn't possibly have happened.

"Uh, what about them?"

[kingsroads]

Strange mutters something under his breath as he makes a series of hand gestures. All quick and basic cantrips: detect magic, a shield from scrying, things like that to make certain that nobody's magically watching or spying on the conversation. Of course, there are the flowers...but Nightshade told him this information which means that the Rose Queen probably knows already.

It's people in the Circle that Strange doesn't want to find out what he's doing.

"Have you gotten any new memories? Memories of a place that's different from here?"

2 awwww shit it's the FUZZ

[flashover]

Rin had been picked up on day on his way home from class. The actual interrogation hadn't lasted long -- apparently, these weird cops had mistaken him for a full demon, and perhaps one of the recent goons, to boot. Honestly, Rin didn't keep up with any of the politics around Portland -- he didn't even know who the Council was, much less what they did and what they might want with him! He just wanted to keep his head down and live his life!

... Especially now that everything seemed... so strange.

So it's no surprise that the half-demon, quickly assuming his human disguise as he is finally allowed to leave, isn't interested in anything other than getting home. He shoots Strange a glare as he works on tucking his tail into his pants.

"What? What do you want?"

here come the magic popo, ready to ruin the party

[kingsroads]

As Rin glares at him, Strange responds with a glare of his own. Honestly, he's just going to ask questions, there's no need for the terrible attitude.

"I simply want to ask you a few questions about some of the oddities that have been popping up last week." It's phrased so generically for a reason. If Rin doesn't know anything, then Strange can only tell him the bare minimum of the weirdness that's been going on.

they're such assholes >:T

[flashover]

Look man, you would have a terrible attitude too, if you were plucked off the street and treated like a criminal! He wasn't in there but an hour or so, yet it seemed so much longer.

But Rin sighs and picks up his backpack, checking to make sure the wizard police didn't take anything, then swings it over his shoulder.

"Oddities, huh...?" there's definitely a look of recognition in his eyes. ".... Yeah, I guess I can spare time to talk about that."

the BIGGEST assholes

[kingsroads]

It's obvious from the interrogation that this kid didn't know anything about the demons entering the city. Which is a damn shame because so much is happening at once that it's getting to be more than a little worrying.

"There's been reports of people having sudden changes in personality or odd memories that don't match up with this world. I've been charged to figure out the source of that." No he hasn't. All he's been asked to do by Nightshade is learn about the Severing. Still, if he could present her with a list of people who might also have weird souls, she might appreciate that information.

It is 100% Strange trying to be a suck-up.

"Has that happened to you or anyone you know?"

it's kind of amazing how much asshole they are

[flashover]

Well, he knew a little. Only that they were, apparently, coming. But nothing about who they were, who was leading them, or what they wanted.

Rin's eyes light up again when Strange mentions those things -- changes in personality, odd memories... But, he's not sure he should say anything. Not outright, anyway. He gives Strange a suspicious look.

"... And what if it has? Do you know anything about what's going on?"

soooo many terrible people

[kingsroads]

"Obviously I know something about what's going on," Strange lies, with a needlessly dramatic eyeroll. "Why else would I ask?"

He has a slight idea of what's going on but look, he's not telling Rin that. The kid barely knows anything to begin with, at least in Strange's mind, he's certain he can find a way to play this so that he gets exactly what he needs.

"Now answer my question."

including you, strange

[flashover]

Another incredulous look, and Rin takes a step toward the door.

"Even if I DID know something -- and I'm not saying I DO! -- I don't think I should tell you..." He adjusts his backpack. Rin is hoping he can play this and get some more information himself, but... he's not really clever enough for that. "You guys haven't given me any reason to trust you."

ain't even gonna fight that

[kingsroads]

"We let you go after the interrogation, didn't we?" That's not a good reason to trust someone and Strange knows it. There's a pause, as he tries to mull more sound reasoning over.

"Besides, who else is going to solve this? The Circle's a widespread organization with plenty of resources and even more manpower. We're the best hope at figuring this out." The demons are moving in and the Rose Queen only cares about her own. Strange might not fully trust the Circle now, but he still realizes it's the best hope for actually piecing out what's going on. So, he continues to lie his ass off.

"And, like I said, we're already enough into the investigation that they've assigned someone to look into it. Do you really think anybody else cares enough to even do that much?"