⇨ The Tourist Trap: PROLOGUE

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: Any time before the start of the event.
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: Once you've submitted your AU summary, you can use this post to do some CLOSED THREADING to play out some character interactions that happened before the event start. This means that memory regains will not be in play yet. Open top levels are not allowed - these threads are intended to sort out closed interactions between planned backstory connections, during the week leading up to the actual event start.
Warnings: Could be anything.

PORTLAND, AS YOU KNEW IT↴ The shift went unseen and unfelt. One moment you were one person, and the next, another. This before all that, though, in the new life that you remember living here in Portland. No memories of your true self have arisen yet, and at the time this was the only life you knew. Did these events truly happen at all? Or do they only exist in memory?

Comments

[handwringing]

Thank goodness she didn't DVR it.

Elsa equally rolls her eyes at Strange's assertion that he is not an idiot, a look that says, Are you really sure? written on her face. As lowly as Strange might think of everyone who is not a mage, Elsa is sure she thinks even less of mages.

That doesn't mean she isn't stuck in his summoning spell, though. Unfortunately, she has to listen to this drivel.

She makes a derisive noise. "The Circle? Is that really supposed to scare me, mage?"

Admittedly, if the whole Circle decided to descend on her, it would probably end badly for her. But like she's going to let Strange know she's even concerned about that.

[kingsroads]

"It doesn't matter to me whether you're sensible enough to be scared or not, demon." Although really, he would like her to be scared, even just a little bit. "What matters is that you know your place. If you attempt to harm any Circle mage again, you'll have the full force of the Circle bearing down on you."

It is 100% Strange bullshitting. He's backing up his words with the snootiness and posturing entirely befitting a Circle mage, but what he's saying? What he's threatening? There's a high chance that it won't even remotely happen in the first place.

"I'd rather not have a demon bound to my will, but I won't hesitate to strike you down should you attempt something else against the Circle."

[handwringing]

There might be a high chance it won't even remotely happen, but Elsa can't be entirely sure of that. If this man is as high up as he claims (and, admittedly, she doesn't keep up with who is in charge of the Circle lately), he very well could attack her, and successfully, at that.

She's going to hope that does not happen, but she decides to act cautiously. It comes off as hesitation, but Elsa's disinterested expression never falters.

"You're the one who needs to learn his place, mage," she mutters, but she seems to be coming around. "But, alright. Tell your little friends to stop trying to bind me, and I won't kill any more of them."

[kingsroads]

She's backing off. Did that mean it worked? Was she calling his bluff? Strange's mind is working overtime as he thinks of what to do next. If the demon leaves the Circle alone for long enough, then he'll be able to do the proper research and cast the proper divinations to find out how to destroy her utterly and she won't see it coming.

"There will always be people who don't listen to orders. But I shall issue an order requesting that you be left alone." It's just that said order won't have any weight behind it. So he's not technically lying through his teeth, just mostly. There's a pause before Strange admits, "Really though, if any of the neophytes are dumb enough to attempt to bind you in the first place, they probably have it coming."

Kids these days with their fidget spinners and their Pokemon Go and their not properly preparing rituals before attempting to bind a demon to their will.