lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 3

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⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 3

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 15st - 22th, 2017
Where: Still in Portland
What: As all sides of the struggle gradually become informed, and the awareness of outsiders begins to spread, Portland faces a critical question - what should be done with them? And who gets to decide?
Warnings: Individually marked!

THE WOLVES AMONG US↴

► WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS: It's fairly common knowledge that October is a special month - Halloween has always been an excitable time in the supernatural community, because its during this month that the magical energies of Earth seem to disproportionately swell in power. This peeks on the 31st, and has every year for as long as anyone can remember. The holiday of Halloween is a byproduct of this, because the magical phenomenon has gone on for ages past. It's also a pretty common time for wizards to attempt bullshit shenanigans, and also when the Severing first came into effect.

► TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL: Towards the end of the week, Prudence Jaeger will be asking her angelic contacts for a pretty huge favour - she wants them to help her and some of her associates break into the Circle stronghold that the visiting Council members are staying at. It seems that they have some kind of macguffin item that will be needed to crack the barrier cutting off the Earth from the cosmos - and, to that end, allow the angels and mysterious outsiders to return to wherever they call home.

► THE PATH TO HELL: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Team Heaven isn't the only group to clue into the fact that the Circle has what they need. On the same night that the angels go in, so will Anath's army, as the arch demon finally arrives in the city just in time to join the party. Whether the angels and demons fight each other all the way or cooperate to achieve a mutual goal is up to them.

► WITH GOOD INTENTIONS: The Circle and Torchlight aren't all bad, okay? It's entirely possible that they are just acting in the best interest of humanity - unfortunately, that has resulted in them being pretty massive pricks recently, and now the payback for that is arriving on their doorstep. If you're a member of the Circle, you may or may not realize that anything is coming in time for you to prepare. (That will depend on your threads up to the end of the week.) However, once the fight starts, you'll be charge with defending the Councillors whether you like it or not, and Torchlight is getting pulled in as an unexpected ally to ensure their safety as well. Are you going to heed their call? Or is it time to split from the pack?

► BLOOD OF ICE AND FIRE: It's been made no secret that the Rose Queen isn't the only fae trying to pull back her lost changelings - now the Winter Court appears to be doing it, as well. More than a handful of changelings have gone missing over the last couple weeks, lost to both the thorns and agents of the Count. Whatever they're doing, it's also in competition with each other - Winter and Summer will be biting at each other's heels far more than normal, to the degree that it becomes clear they must have some competing objective in mind. Unfortunately for everyone else, that objective happens to conflict with the desires of just about everyone else. Fae are, by nature, opportunists.

- ✪ -
These are the major conflicts that will be coming to a head towards the end of Week 3. In the meantime, your actions will decide how certain elements are set up, and what the likelihood of success is for each group.

Dice rolling handily won the opinion poll where we asked for the preferred method of conflict resolution, so that will be coming into effect a bit later on to determine who actually wins and loses, with advantages based on the choices made.

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Strange can't even fight the judgmental glaring, he knows that he kind of deserves this. There's nothing dignified about puking into a garbage can, one just has to accept the fact that they're going to look awful. Once everything's...out, he stands back up and looks over at Ash, with a slightly annoyed glare of his own.

"I didn't do anything. It's just a stomach bug." This is a lie. Still, considering the fact that Strange obviously looks like crap, a stomach bug isn't that outlandish of a lie. It's certainly more believable than the actual truth.

"Concerned about me? That's new."

"I don't know if you noticed," Ash said, letting his lie pass (because she was reasonably confident he could magically handle something like this), "but there are a lot of reasons lately to be concerned. In specific and in general."

"No rest for the wicked," Strange chimes in. "There's plenty of nonsense happening and, annoyingly, it's all happening at once."

The demons. The changelings getting kidnapped. The animal fair. The Winter Court coming into town. The part with the Council coming in and taking over. Etheric weirdness and terrible omens. It's been an ever-increasing load of bullshit for the past few weeks and the annoying part is, Strange is fairly certain that's not all the bullshit that's happening.

"Great job dealing with those Council members, by the way," he says with a roll of his eyes and in a tone that's utterly sarcastic.

"Great job backing me up dealing with them and making it clear they couldn't just sweep me aside without trouble," Ash shot back with absolute and undisguised bitterness. "Though the situation isn't played out yet."

"It is for me," Strange remarks, with a little frown. He had to tell Ash about this at some point, he owes her that much. And, as much as he'd like to, he can't just flounce off and head out with no explanation.

"I'm thinking of leaving the Circle. What all of you do next is no concern to me."

That didn't surprise her. She didn't expect Strange to understand her viewpoint -- not yet, anyway. "All right. Name me one thing that you'll possibly get out of leaving the Circle."

"Actual information, for one," he responds, with a roll of his eyes. It's not really a secret that Strange has been asking around about the Severing. Likewise, it's not a big surprise that he keeps on striking out. Few people like him to begin with, why tell the creepy guy secret information?

"You really need to hire somebody to do a better job of keeping the Circle records straight. There's a swatch of information that's 'conveniently' missing."

He makes physical air quotes around the word 'conveniently'.

"Deliberately hidden." Ash confirmed what he already knew, with a slight nod. She shut her eyes for a moment, regarding Strange with senses that weren't sight, wondering.

"You're making the right decision, from your perspective," she said, as she opened her eyes to regard him again with a quiet, earnest intensity. "But here's something you're not thinking of. The Circle you want to leave is the big, faceless entity that thinks it can send people in here, cover up things from its members, generally treat us like dirt. That's not my Circle, though, Strange. As I hope you know by now."

"That might not be your Circle but it's what the Circle is." And, considering that Ash is just one person against the entire Council, Strange has a sinking feeling that's what the Circle's going to be.

"If I may be blunt, I highly doubt your ideals are going to triumph over the reality of this situation."

"The Circle doesn't exist without its members. We decide what it is. And I didn't learn everything I've learned, do every single damn thing I've done, to just shrug and throw up my hands when things get a little difficult." Ash stabbed one finger at the ground to emphasize the point. "You don't like what they're doing, fine, but running away just dodges the problem. They're still going to be hiding stuff, they're still going to be acting like this. You want the information? You want in on their whole deal? Then help me make a difference."

It's the insinuation that he's running away that makes Strange's blood boil and his expression narrow.

"I already have the information I want--that's why I'm leaving the Circle in the first place!" he snaps, glaring at Ash. "If any of those assholes would have told me anything, I would have stayed!"

This is a bigger deal to Strange than he realized. He always knew he disliked people keeping secrets from him (the massive hypocrite), but he honestly never expected it to be the breaking point or to vocalize it like this. A brief look of confusion flits across Strange's face before he settles it back into a glare.

Ash barely registered it as abnormal. Strange was always, well. Abrasive?

"You have the information you wanted right now. Unless you're giving up magic entirely, you really think there's not more you'll want that they're sitting on? And turning it around, have I ever been anything less than straight with you? Have you ever lost because I was in charge of it here, instead of someone else?"

That was her personal point. She'd worked damn hard to make sure that her ambition made winners out of the mages she oversaw. The Circle at large... was doing the exact opposite.

She snapped her jaw shut, glared at him like an angry tiger for a moment, then said, "Does this have anything to do with the Severing?"

"Everything's got something to do with the fucking Severing," Strange can't help but grumble, more to himself than to Ash. Every trace of nonsense he's undergone in the past few weeks has come back to the damn Severing. The sooner they got rid of that thing, the better.

"Yes, my decision does tie to the Severing." Screw it, Strange just continues talking, damn the consequences. "I'm going to help get rid of it. So obviously I can't be part of the organization that put the thing up in the first place."

"And what if I told you that I, leader of the Portland Circle, am totally in favor of that? Am doing my part to help take it down, and screw our so-called 'leaders'?" They were both damning the consequences today, the same as they'd done when they decided to go down this route in the beginning. "I'm telling you, Strange -- we're on the same side here, we have the same goals."

"So the leader of the Portland Circle plan to help the Portland Circle by screwing over the Portland Circle." There's a little hesitancy in Strange's voice because, at least in his mind, that's an awful and slightly confusing plan.

Of course, he's currently the reigning king of awful plans so he can't cast stones.

"In that case, prove it. What are you doing to take it down in the first place?"

"I'm not screwing over the Portland Circle. The Circle-at-large screwed us over. I'm protecting our own." The distinction was absolutely key. Her loyalty was unquestioned, be it to the Circle she oversaw or herself -- was there even a difference in her eyes?

"Our 'guests' have an object that's key to taking it down. And the one best-suited for taking down magical defenses is another mage, right?"

Strange nods. He knows about this item, though he's not entirely certain what said item is. Just that it's big, it's important, the Rose Queen wants it, and this other warlock who he asked Childermass to learn about also wants it.

"You do know that once the defenses are lowered, it'll be a bloodbath to get that item, right? If you're smart, you'll get out of the way."

And if Ash doesn't know that much well hey, Strange doesn't mind giving up that tiny bit of information for free.

"You know, I'm almost not even bothered by you thinking I can't handle myself," she said, pressing a finger to the bridge of her nose, "and definitely irritated you think I'm going to be there for the actual 'obtainment'."

"Things have been odd the past few weeks," Strange simply responds, with a roll of his eyes and a far too defensive tone in his voice. "I've decided to stop assuming that everything will work out the way it should or the way I expect it to."

"Mmm, can't blame you for that, but we still control ourselves, at least." Which was why in the end she had decided not to roll over and just take it. "So what do you say? You have plausible deniability on my part. Stick with me and if things go wrong, I'll say you ditched me at the beginning."

That was a courtesy she'd want from someone else, and the least she could do anyway.

Strange pauses for a bit before shaking his head. No. He had already made that contract with Nightshade a few weeks back. He'll be kicked out of the Circle no matter what when that information comes to light--better he leave now, on his own terms.

Besides, something about all of this, about leaving the Circle and striking out on his own just feels right.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I still decline. I've set my course already and I must stay true to it."

The hot anger that flushed through her system surprised her. She hadn't thought she'd felt so strongly about this, and yet... she'd done so much to earn loyalty, respect, and consideration, only to have it all flushed down the drain.

"I'm sorry for your choice, then," she said, turning on her heels to stalk away. Ash wouldn't kill him now. When this was all over, and it was necessary, but not till then.

And Strange just lets Ash leave. Maybe later she'll understand, though he doubts it. After all, contracting with a fae sounds like a mad idea to begin with. So, as she heads off, he walks away as well, heading off in the other direction without a word.

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⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 3

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