⇨ 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

⇨ INVESTIGATION THREADS

[ringleaders]

Below are prompts with specific investigation-based hooks. The first ones are hooks designed for specific characters, who may reply as they see fit, but if you find something you'd like to investigate, please make a post here explaining what your character is doing to find out info. All investigation threads will be done in summary form as opposed to going tag by tag.

DON'T BE VAGUE. If you are having your character investigate something, you must explain what your character is specifically doing to find out information. Don't just say "I investigate the posters." You have to be more specific, by saying what your character is doing, such as "My character is going to ask around in X community where a poster was put up, trying to find out if anyone saw who did it." The more specific you are, the better info you will get in return.

You can also confront NPCs by this method, and you'll get summary posts in return explaining how the situation will unfold based on your actions. Investigation is important for this plot! Various boons and advantages will be given out for characters who make a difference.

EDIT FOR WEEK 2: Because I don't want to overwhelm myself again, I'm going to restrict all investigation actions to one or two actions at a time. Please don't give me a laundry list of the five different things your character is doing, because it makes everything too time consuming to get through. Stick to one main thing your character is looking into per tag.

► BLACK ROSES (OCTOBER 7TH ONWARD)

[ringleaders]

Popping up in areas close to the Sanctuary, homeless shelters, the YMCA, and other similar places, the black roses are still threatening the changelings of the city. They start growing innocuously, but if left long enough (or if samplings are brought inside of a building) they will start growing out of control. Note here if your character is doing anything to clear these aware or interact with them.

If you are a changeling who has interacted with the roses but isn't in any alliance with the Rose Queen, they will still be attracted to you and try to make a grab if they are given the opportunity. The soporific flowers are still in effect and are already responsible for the deaths of some birds and insects.

⇨ THE ANIMAL FAIR

[ringleaders]

On the night of the 7th's, after the sun has set, the foreboding feelings of being chased and hunted will finally vanish, and those entering the forest will be able to find the "festivities." That turns out to be a pocket of trees and clearings where the plantlife seems to have ballooned to incredible sizes, new forms of flowers and trees that you'll never have laid eyes on before springing into existence since the Animal Fair's arrival. Now that you're here, the party will continue until sunrise on the morning of the 8th.

You came on your own, but you will find it impossible to leave until then. Kick back and have some fun, you silly mortals!


► THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS WERE THERE: Remember the menagerie animals, and all those pets that didn't seem to make it into your new Portland lives? Apparently, they are here, now - or at least some form of them is. Whether or not you ever remember them existing, urban fantasy versions of them wander the forest on the night of the 7th, spooking people and generally hanging out. None of them are viciously attacking, but they will defend themselves, and they will also bother you unapologetically.

You are encouraged to NPC these creatures for other players if you can - you can claim them as 3 pt NPCing bonuses on this month's AC. You can either use your character's missing pet, or one of the theoretical animals from the menagerie. Animals from the menagerie may or may not have memories of life before this place, just like their humanoid companions.

► FREE FOOD: There is catering, apparently, or whatever magical forest creatures consider the equivalent to it. Various trees have been grown into odd variations of buffet tables, and some fruits have been cut up and put on display as if arranged by someone who knows what a buffet is in theory, but has little practical experience. There is also some large manner of animal corpse cooking on on a spit over an impressive bonfire. It's not clear what animal the cut of meat is from, but you can totally eat it! If you're into that, anyway.

Beyond that, there are drinks being offered in the the form of large upright, glowing blossoms sprouting from some kind of completely foreign looking plant, each filled to the brim with some kind of delectable nectar. It both tastes and smells extremely good. You can snap the blossoms off and carry them around like cups, even.

Beneath each set up of food, there is a wooden sign with the word "FREE" etched onto it, with "(you can take)" written beneath it in scratchy handwriting. You'll notice its the same handwriting as the Animal Fair posters. If you know anything about faeries you may suspect that eating anything here is a terrible idea, regardless. Who knows, though.

► PARTY FAVOURS FROM THE HOST: Though you may or may not actually get the chance to run into your beloved host, you may run into their 'gifts' regardless. By gifts, we mean 'unsolicited enchantments.' These affects can take place more or less randomly, and can be triggered by just about anything, from touching that odd fire flower you saw, or by eating some of the food that's been left out for you. All of these effects will end by sunrise at the latest, though they can end before that as well. It's ultimately up to you what happens, but it will follow these themes:

1. You may regain some aspects of your carnival transformations, or a variation of them. This doesn't include powers, just physical affects.
2. Werebeasts may find themselves triggered, as if by their equivalent of the full moon. This will include the instinctive animal brain aspects, as well as having to take on at least half of their animal form.
3. People who aren't werebeasts may be transformed involuntarily into any kind of animal. Just because it's funny, apparently.
4. Visitors may find themselves overwhelmed with animalistic instincts of any variety, whether that to be hunt, eat, fight people, or mate. It's not impossible to fight, but it's the kind of loss of inhibition that's on par with being really drunk.

You can also combine more than one of these effects, or have your character switch between them. You can also have nothing happen at all besides them having a nice time. (Shut up, this is totally fun!)

OTA // WARNING: POSSIBLE NUDITY (in the long run)

[dorkypantsuit]

[After hearing news of what happened at the Sanctuary, he knows what he needs. Unfortunately there's only one fae he knows who's planning on holding office hours anytime soon. He makes his way to the clearing, smiling like a maniac. His grin is dangerous and there's a flash of something deadly in his eyes. As his surroundings grow to include the fantastical his grin only widens.]

Hello! Any Fae around here?!

[He shouts as you would when returning home to let the others know you're there, but he's not home, he's in a forest surrounded by strangers and the strange. And then he starts to take his shirt off.... What? DO YOU ENGAGE?]

Closed to Gongenzaka

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya shows up the night of the 6th with a few books in hand. He's wide awake despite the hour. He did offer to visit and help Gon in return... but truthfully, he also hadn't been able to get rid of the nagging feeling since their encounter. Somehow he knows Gon's face, but when he tries to remember where, the image is... starkly different. Sometimes more human, sometimes... less.

He's not the only causing Yuya to second guess his memories, and it only makes him more determined to discover the truth.

He knocks on the door rapidly.]

[otoko]

[It's fortunate that Gongenzaka thought to tell Yuuya ahead of time that he wouldn't be working this evening-Gongenzaka himself hasn't had too many concerns regarding Yuuya beyond the obvious. Something seems familiar, somehow-like they've met BEFORE but...well, the most he can think is that perhaps they ran into each other a year or so ago, and simply didn't introduce themselves. It makes sense, after all...

...He seemed younger in those 'thoughts'.

The buzzer rings, and Yuuya is allowed into the apartment complex-and soon enough he hears the knock on the door, prompting Belle to start yipping, and Gongenzaka to go answer it. With the sun down, the curtains are open-for now. They'll be firmly closed around 4AM regardless of if he plans on turning in for the day or not, just to be safe.

The apartment itself has the lights on, thank goodness. It's rather clean, if not a bit simple.] Ah...Hello!

[He's not quite used to this whole...Visitors thing.]

Closed to Axel

[anti_nonsense]

The sun starts to set as Rita rides away from the Sanctuary, having narrowly escaped the vines that overtook it. She could have stayed and fought more... but with the way the vines seemed to be targeting her, it didn't seem wise to tempt fate. She's happy to have denied the Rose Queen one of her targets, at least. All she can do is hope that the others got out, too.

She parks the motorcycle a few blocks away from her intended stop and walks the rest of the way. If anyone (or anything) tries to track her down, she'd like to avoid leaving an obvious trail. It's not long before she reaches her destination: Portland Classic Records. This is the first time she's come here, but when she met Axel a few months prior, he offered it as a place Rita could come to when she was in trouble. She hopes he hasn't forgotten that offer, because she's about to take him up on it whether he's ready or not.

The door's locked, unsurprisingly. Looking around the building, Rita locates the stairwell leading to the upper floor, which appears to be the owner's living space. This door's locked too, and knocking gets no response. Fortunately, Rita knows a spell to bypass the lock, and she uses it to silently enter the apartment. She resets the lock behind her, but it's possible that Axel may notice traces of magic, hinting at her tampering, when he returns.

The apartment is empty, but Rita sets about making herself at home. She digs around in cupboards until she locates a first aid kit, which she uses to bandage her arms and legs, where her struggles with the sharp thorns left cuts and scrapes. She leaves the kit sitting out, tiredly drags herself over to the couch, and practically falls into it. It doesn't take more than a minute for her to completely fall asleep.

When Axel comes home that night, he'll find her sprawled on the couch, limbs draping over the sides. Her glamour has worn off, leaving her feathered arms (partially bandaged), tail, and horns in plain sight. She's mumbling something in her sleep, though it's mostly unintelligible.

[small_reservations]

Axel didn't come out particularly clean himself. His right arm is bandaged to his shoulder, and both hands are wrapped except for his thumb and first two fingers, which are burned, to allow some movement. There are bruises and small lacerations on his face and neck, and he's exhausted from the soporific effect of the flowers that his flames couldn't fully repel.

And then he gets home, having traveled on his bike and on the bus, and immediately knows he's not alone. He can sense a fae presence behind the door. Which is a problem. Even if it wouldn't set his bandages on fire, he's too tired to call flame to defend himself. And it's cold out here, and his glamour will drop if he falls asleep. He needs to get inside.

So he goes downstairs and gets the aluminum baseball bat he keeps under the shop counter. He wants to be prepared. It's not iron, but it'll do.

With that done, he enters, locking the door behind him. The kitchen's in disarray, and the first-aid kit is out from under the sink. Fae don't typically need first aid kits. That's enough to have him lowering the bat as he enters the living room and sees Rita.

... Wow. She wasn't this fae when he left her... but then again she'd only been in faerie for a year or two, tops. Its changes can be both gradual and sudden, and it's clear hers were the former, or at least happened after he left all those years ago.

Calming, he sets the bat in the corner, and drops his own glamour before sitting down next to the couch with a soft 'whumph.' He strokes a strand of hair out of her face as he leans against the arm of the chair, slowly drifting off himself.

For Taako - Early on the 7th

[small_reservations]

Portland Classic Records, the sign says. Inside, a few college students, hipsters by and large (because this is a record store in motherfucking Portland, Oregon) peruse the stacks, and a familiar-looking man stands behind the counter reading a magazine. He'd be even more familiar if Taako had his memories of this place, but as things stand, he knows Axel as his slightly-neurotic neighbor.

Also his hair is on fire. His hair IS fire, in fact. No one seems to notice, not even Axel, flipping through his magazine. Behind him, there's a glow through his shirt. His eyes glow, too. None of it has attention drawn to it; he looks different than the photos in the tabloids showed him, but he's definitely Axel.

When Taako enters, the changeling looks up, and his face immediately sours. He addresses the students in the room. "We're closing early." They mostly leave, but one or two stop to ask Taako for autographs.

[tacosgay]

Well, that's a great note to start this encounter off on. Taako dutifully signs those autographs, of course-- it's something that he's sorely missed doing, and going back to it feels like the most natural thing in the world, like he's traveled back in time to before everything got... well, fucked up. The only difference is that he's signing with a different name this time.

Gotta play the game.

As soon as they clear out, Taako glances up at Axel; he smiles weakly at him, shuffling his feet, playing the part of an awkward ex even though he still isn't quite sure on what kind of terms they parted. He's getting the feeling, however, that they weren't great.

"Uhh, hey there! It's... been a while, I guess."

hellp

[espigeon]

[Closed to Sans]
There have been more memories of a human life. It doesn't quite fit, much to Iuliael's disappointment, there are... things aren't right. It's hard to think into very much, but it's bothersome. Anyway, to feel better about things Iuliael puts on a human guise and walks sidewalks in parts of the town where people don't mind, singing Hallelujah. Most songs are Iuliael's favorite while he's singing them, but that's one of the best.

A car full of Anath's demons sees him. They brake and idle, forcing what little traffic there is at this hour to detour. Then three figures leave the car and it continues on its way. These are unremarkable-looking demons, cliche even; nearly human-shaped in well-fitted pinstriped suits, red or blonde curly hair with horns hidden under trillbies, coppery eyes concealed by heavy sunglasses, black tongues behind sharp white teeth. A matched set that's fond of the 20s gangster aesthetic, armed with knuckledusters and thin daggers with an ugly sheen. They creep after Iuliael without making a sound, but they needn't have bothered.

This is not a mindful or observant angel and he doesn't know people are watching him until they're within a few feet, and he doesn't know they're demons until they lay hands and weapons on him. Then he has no thought but to escape, or try to - to run, but there are three of them and they're naturally inclined to near-human form while he isn't. To become a flock of doves, but the demons are fast, they can take advantage of the moment of disorientation and catch or strike enough of the birds that Iuliael can't escape, and now angel blood has been spilled. The street smells nose-stinging and peppery, like incense. No one speaks.

The sunlight's fading and anyone who was out to see the start of this has decided to hide and wait for it to end. Iuliael makes a game effort, flowing and shifting like water or flame, flaring up into a towering vaguely floral mass of wings to startle them, even screaming - and Iuliael has an amazing scream, astonishingly loud continuous, like nothing from a human throat, the kind that seems to make the world throb and shudder. Even hench-demons have to stop to clap hands over their ears. But they came prepared to kill angels and have wounded Iuliael already. Even if he doesn't have to stop to breathe he can barely move while making that noise. They can struggle towards him, human guises slipping, murder on their faces.

[OPEN]
After that Iuliael is more careful. It's a little easier to remember or plan things, or so it seems. He tries to stay out of trouble, to actually spot it beforehand and back the heaven away. There's still at least one case of a frantic partial seraphim and a winged imp going on a high speed chase - as Iuliael is probably the least imposing, most defenseless angelic presence around, even low-level hellspawn has a chance of bringing him down alone.

[osteothropy]

Sans has had a lot to think about recently, and a lot of it has involved demons. He'd never had any memory of a human life before his angel one, but the visions he'd had while capture by Nightshade have left a gash in the ease of his recollection. He remembers hell, and he remembering suffering, and he remembers the hands of demons on him.

Much like there are hands on Iuliael right now.

Sans doesn't know the other angel particularly well - he expects it might be hard to know Iuliael even at the best of times - but the sight of a pack of demons already laying into them triggers a feeling of desperation, fear, and importantly... anger. It's not often Sans's sense of oncoming death is triggered by another celestial, but that is what he is feeling today, and he knows for a fact that there will be no soul to usher to the afterlife when they are done.

Sans isn't a warrior, or a guardian. Fighting groups of demons was never what he was intended for - he was meant for stealth, speed, and cunning. It was his job to whisk souls away before hell could ever get to them.

The thing is, all three of those traits do actually translate to being deadly, given some practice. Practical that Sans has made a point of having. And then there's that scream. Good thing skeletons don't have any ears.

While the world seems to shatter under the weight of that sound, Sans enters the group of demons as swiftly as a bullet, his wings and halo ablaze and his scythe drawn - by the time he's stopped, his blade has already passed through one of them.

There are no words. For now, he moves on instinct and fury alone.

Open to literally anyone Sora has CR with

[destiny_key]

More and more of those strange memories have been rushing into Sora's head over the past week, to the point that he was out of commission for nearly three days. By the time it was over, the memories almost seemed more real than his actual life, and they're blending together in a way that makes it seem like they're both real. It's getting hard to distinguish which ones belong to which life.

However, if one thing is clear, it's that they're connected somehow. The locations he's seen are varied and different, but it's the people that are the same. Joker was in his memories, as was Sean, and he even remembers Tamaki being there once. If they were there, who's to say other people from the city won't be?

So, the first weekend he's able, Sora sets out into the city by himself, with a list of people that he's put together from vague flashes of conversation and visions.

girl with red hair
girl with face tattoos, likes to sew
guy with red spikey hair, might be on fire (maybe called Lea?)
guy with silver hair, maybe knew when i was little?
very tall sparkly lady
guy with multicolored horns (name starts with a P i think)
muscly guy
guy who looks like a snake, punches good
dad-looking guy in a hawaiian shirt

He has no idea how good of an idea it is, or if it would even work in a city as big as Portland, but he wants to try. If it doesn't work, he can ask Joker later. For now, he'll try all the populated areas he can think of, and maybe some of the less populated ones too.

[kingsroads]

Strange is also out in the city, out and about, looking for people: though he's specifically trying to look for any angels and demons. He's got questions to ask about the Severing and anybody who was potentially around when it happened is his first choice. So he's also looking through populated areas, having cast a spell of revelation to pierce through the glamour any angels or demons might put up in the first place.

Needless to say, he's striking out pretty badly. Most notably, this is like the third time he's spotted Sora out of the corner of his eye in various populated areas that they've both been going to. It's getting a little bit ridiculous. He's got no idea why he's doing this (this isn't his problem!) but Strange finds himself walking up to Sora as he asks,

"Looking for something?"

Doll + OTA

[steadydollypegs]

[Hope It Gives You Hell]

Demons were pouring into Portland, and Knotley was insisting on Doll fortifying herself in The Collapse's headquarters. So naturally, she ignored him and stayed out on the streets. At least his nagging had shifted from 'Souls Souls Souls' to 'Stay Alive Stay Alive Stay Alive', and she might feel the slightest bit surprised if she wasn't certain he viewed her as a very useful meal.

But things were certainly getting serious. These demons were patrolling streets at night, leering at her, sniffing around for demon hangouts and swaggering around like they owned the place. These streets were Doll's before they were theirs, if anybody could own streets, and while she resented the behavior she wasn't about to pick a fight.

But after a few days of this, she's had enough. She's out collecting cans and walking towards the university to see if she can contact Tamaki, when she spots a couple of demons in polo shirts with sweaters tied around their shoulders harassing someone. Right now it just looks like talk, but she can tell from their target's body language that they want to be left alone. She marches across the street.

"Oi," she calls. One of them glances back, eyebrow arched. Who is this uppity street child? "Yeah, I'm talkin' t'ya. Move along."


[Hey Satan, Paid My Dues]

As the week goes on, Doll can only fly in the face of these demon pricks so many times before they start to get honestly pissed. She sticks her nose into Anath's scouts' business too many times, and finally three of them have had it.

Sometime in the late evening, Doll gets yanked feet-first out of her tent and starts getting absolutely whaled on by one of the goon squads-- they don't even give her a chance to stand up before they're kicking her. A few seconds in, they stop and the biggest one pulls her up by her jackets.

'You're a real thorn in our side, you know that sweetheart?'

Doll coughs and tries to blink away the disorientation. "Your breath is worse than mine, and I don't own a toothbrush."

'The only reason we haven't ripped you apart is because we haven't smoked out Knotley. So where is he? Huh?!' Doll sways as the demon shakes her one-handed and she kicks trying to find ground or wall or something to push off of. 'We wanna talk to your master, and we'll get to him one way or another.'

No ground and no wall, so Doll only has one option-- she grabs her attacker's arms and sets them on fire. Which just makes him laugh because, duh, demon. 'Oh sweetheart, don't make me laugh!'

He makes his own fireball in his hand and holds it very close to Doll's face, to her left eye and bangs. Something old and not entirely rational grips her, and she starts flailing twice as hard trying to get away.

"No-- No no no no no no no--" She kicks uselessly and she's starting to cry. God, so much fire, God she hates fire.

Paid My Dues

[manycharms]

"Hey!" Marinette shouts, as she sees the demon bring the fire closer to the girls face. She doesn't know what's going on here, or who this girl is, but she knows demons are bad news and she can recognize these goons for what they are, no problem. Changing her stance, Marinette puts a hand to her hip and suddenly angel wings sprout from her back. She motions as though pulling a sword from it's sheath, and pulls a long sword out of thing air.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own power level?"

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.

Closed for Rin, Family Time

[diamondsare]

There's disturbing things going on. Among them a visitor Blue'd had for several hours that, once finally convincing the greasy-looking slimeball to actually leave, left her thoughtful and quiet for a while, muddling through household chores on obvious autopilot.

She had no intention of becoming another demon's servant. But there was an army coming, and this little town didn't have enough defenders to stop it. She was if nothing else, incredibly practical about this sort of thing, and her family would simply have to go on an emergency vacation to Hawaii instead of remaining in Portland once Anath and her minions were within striking distance.

Which meant maybe the end of the week.

"Rin!" That boy was home, she could smell him. "Come here for a minute, will you?"

By the smell of it, something meat is involved and somewhat burned. That's par the course. Leave the cooking to Blue, and she'll make it how she likes it, bleeding in the middle and charred on the outside, preferably with hellfire.

[flashover]

Disturbing didn't even begin to cover it. Blue may have noticed her boy was a bit more... distant than usual. Not his chatty self at dinner, dozing off in the middle of things only to wake up with a start. His flames were dim and his eyes had rings around them. Weird dreams were interrupting his precious REM. But they... were they more than dreams? They sure felt like it.

Rin drops both his bookbag and his human disguise at the door as he comes in, looking exhausted. Rin hears his mother call for him and he groans, plodding into the kitchen with his claws clicking on the tile.

"Hi, mom," he leans in and offers her a small nuzzle on the cheek, like a quick kiss from someone sans lips. "Can you make it quick? I need to get a nap in before work."

Even if Renzophan was... acting even weirder than usual.

Greg & Pearl | Closed -- for now?

[myownpearl]

Pearl leaned against a tree, her eyes closed. She'd been fighting a headache since the day of the vine attack on the Sanctuary. She wasn't sure if it was from stress or the weird bout of crying she'd been finding herself doing the past few days. Ever since she saw...

No. Pearl clenched her fist. If she started thinking about it she'd only start again. Something was happening and she was going to find out what was causing her to feel this way (so raw and open). Pearl took a deep breath and let it out, releasing the fist. She needed to be in the right state of mind if she was going to be working with Greg again. It had been some time since she'd actually had to work closely with him. Sure, they served the same fae queen, but usually they could work on their own parts of the mission separately. What sort of trouble could Childermass be in if they had to work in tandem? Focus on that, she told herself, if she could focus on her mission she could put her walls back up and not think about what had happened the past few days.

[fragileandsoft]

Working alongside Pearl and Childermass has always been a strain, at least these last few years. Greg has swallowed his pride, put on a brave face, pushed through the anger and betrayal for the sake of the work. It never stopped hurting, but over time he dulled it with the knowledge that it hadn't truly been their choice.

Seeing Steven again reopened those wounds, though. All that pain and fear in his son, the clear and sharp reminder of what had been done to him by people he thought he could trust. For the Queen to assign him to work alongside the others now, it felt like a slap in the face, a direct mockery.

As much as Greg tries to push down his bitterness again, his tension is clear as he approaches Pearl's slight figure among the trees.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Despite his best efforts, it still comes out curt.

CLOSED TO PERIDIDDLE

[starseedling]

This is actually the first time Steven has voluntarily left the safety of the indoors since escaping the gardens, and it’s an action taken with a significant amount of anxiety. He’s heard about the black roses popping up elsewhere, and for once it drives him to try to be proactive – he can’t risk being caught by them again, or risk having his hiding spot be revealed.

So, he takes a trick out of his mother’s book, and huddles down into some bushes near the place he’s staying to try growing some of his own flower sentries. His horns and ears are hidden beneath a toque, and his wings are hidden beneath an oversized hooded coat. He only really means to be out of here for a few minutes.

In the safety of the foliage, a rose plant with bright pink roses begins blooming, under his control. Feeling it burst into life feels him with a warm, fluttering feeling of satisfaction that he barely dares recognize.

There’s nothing good about this magic he’s been given. He can’t let himself think there is.

[periphrasing]

He's about to be rudely interrupted, all because Peridot is one of those people who doesn't bother using a leash when she walks her dog in familiar areas.

Pumpkin is out on a regularly scheduled stroll with Peridot when she picks up the familiar scent. It's one she's caught a faint whiff of on and off over the past few days, but this is the first time it's been strong enough to be worth acting upon. It's terribly exciting, exciting enough that (for the first time that Peridot can recall), she takes off suddenly, tearing up the sidewalk to search for the source, yapping her damn head off the whole way. Pumpkin can hear her owner's alarmed and infuriated shouting from way back down the street, but she doesn't pay it any mind. This way is too important! Peridot will understand when she sees what she's found!

Preceded by the sounds of something crashing through the underbrush, a tiny orange dog bursts into Steven's hiding place. Visual confirmation! Pumpkin starts to bark even more exuberantly and runs in frenzied circles around the changeling, bounding and bouncing and wagging her tail a mile a minute.

A DOG HAS BROKEN INTO YOUR HOUSE (Lars & Lapis)

[starseedling]

You're not even sure how it happens, but when you come home one day you'll find a broken window and an enormous dog rifling through your things. They see you enter, and will stare at you in silence, standing stalk still for a while, only to keep on sniffing through your stuff undeterred.

At least they don't seem immediately violent. Or, at least, they wouldn't, were it not for the fact that this is the same giant dog that's chased you down the street a few times and has been roaring at your house from the outside.

Casually, defiantly, they will go over to your refrigerator, open it, and knock some food onto the floor to start eating.

[mirrortide]

Lapis Lazuli does her best to deny any and all supernatural things in her life. However, with no one there and no one watching, she's less inclined to be immediately defensive and deny it.

Also, shes the only one home right now, and she's sure that this giant dog that has found its way into her house probably isn't a stray picked up by Lars. Mostly because it's chased her down the street more than enough times. It's a weird dog, and Lapis can't help but think it might be payback for that sign.

But also: There's a giant dog in her apartment.

"Alright, uh, you can't stay here. You have to... leave?" She tries, with absolutely zero forcefulness. Because you just don't fuck with a dog that big, fae dog or not.

ota

[whattaprick]

a. cat cafe
With Halloween fast approaching, of course the cat cafe has to be appropriately festive. The collared cats -- the ones that aren't up for adoption -- have been put into costumes of varying quality and tastefulness. There's a selection of halloween-themed cat toys, like spider-shaped lures on sticks and candy corn colored catnip mice.

While he's hanging up paper cutout cobwebs in the window (anything more elaborate decorations would be be liable to be consumed accidentally by a cat) he can't help narrowing his eyes at the dour-looking bunch who seem to have spent a bit too much time loitering outside. They don't pose an obvious danger right now, and Lambert's not getting any twinges of precognition, but overall they seem a little too interested in greeting incoming customers with their sharp little smiles.

And -- what the hell? Since when does the planter across the street have roses growing out of it?

b. out and about
A letter opener around his neck and a pair of scissors don't feel like much protection against whatever's in the city right now, but that's the best Lambert's got. He isn't actively investigating the strange phenomena himself, but with Strange's omens in mind, he's trying to be more aware of what's happening where, and how wide-spread it really is.

Of course, his resolve to remain a neutral bystander doesn't always work out. Sometimes, walking outside or in the library, he'll feel that sharp, sudden tug that pulls him stumbling forward -- right into trouble.

c. wildcard!
(Need me to put up a starter? Want to do something not covered above? Just give me a shout. Lambert can see through (some) illusions and gets precognitive feelings urging him to avert disaster, so those are options to kick off interactions!)

[stillwinningthehardway]

The stand Tallisibeth is minding today has been hit by a small wave of customers. She hates that, but she's here, so she has to do her best, processing people, answering their questions, not allowing haggling to get out of control. The knives are the most expensive things here, except maybe that one begemmed forehead ornament, and she's worked hard on them. Old dramatically rusty or tarnished blades scoured for hours, polished, their runes recut, their edges sharpened. They are good knives. She can't just let people cut the prices.

While the last person in this wave tries and tries to get a wavy steel piece with a ridiculous pewter pentagram hilt down, an earlier participant is at the front of the stall, drawing a petite silver purchase from its sheath and holding it up to the light. He's a white guy with messy dreads half down his back and if Tallisibeth knew he was about to test it on his thumb, slice it right open, and probably end up cutting someone else while jerking back, she would have stopped him. She's too preoccupied. The major difference, when you get down to it, between the blades she prepares and the others in the selection is that hers are sharp enough to cut fruit dropped onto it, as ritual blades should be.

OTA

[stillwinningthehardway]

If you know where to look, or just go down the right street, there are many little shops, stalls, booths and blankets littered with items to sell. In this Portland a lot of them are magic, or have the trappings of magic. Satchels of herbs, miniature skulls cast in metal and cut with runes, blessed salt, tiny books of bad poetry, little carvings, so many crystals... Tourists and certain flavors of hipster eat them up.

Tallisibeth lives pretty comfortably off of tedious small spells that others either can't cast or don't have the patience for. A reasonable percentage of the above have one of her wards against shoplifters. Some hawk items she's worked on. She kind of resents that a little. Yes, fine, money, but she's always wanted to work on something more glorious than small scale capitalism.

On a few consecutive days she delivers some product and winds up roped into covering a stall while its owner, a witch's husband, is out on lunch or otherwise away for up to a couple hours. She sits in the back, trying to speak clearly when customers talk to her, otherwise reading something leather-bound. The stall advertises PROTECTION and in her opinion about one quarter of the items sold would work for that in any sense at all. The rest are pretty fluff. Of course if mundanes are buying your wares you want them after pretty fluff or at least items that won't hurt them. Still.

In front of her small silver, copper, or iron athames and other knives lie on a black velvet bed under glass. Their hilts and sheaths are mostly fanciful and absurd, but she's worked on their blades, recycled old ones, and they are good blades. Anyone who decides to test their sharpness on their thumbs is getting cut, so she doesn't let people just play with them.

While Tallisibeth works or reads her cockatiel familiar, wearing a harness embroidered with runes for protection, fluffs up sleeping on her shoulder or eats a spray of millet.

[kingsroads]

Oh, it's...what's her name. The mousy one, she's a Circle mage as well, Tally-something. Talledega? She really should give herself a nickname of some sort. He's about to walk past the stall, but two things catch his eye: the herbal satchels and the ritual blades. So, he pauses to look.

Strange looks out of place: after all, no matter what customers she gets, it's fairly likely that Tallisibeth doesn't get many businessmen in suits. Still, he definitely knows what he's talking about as he nods to the herbal satchels and asks,

"Are those bog-standard protection satchels or have you made any modifications?"

He was asking around, bothering Hinawa and Childermass to find certain specific plants...but if what's-her-name has them here, he might as well not even bother.

Closed to Psi and Taako

[fourthscribe]

This entire mess is a headache Tanyuu never earned, she's incredibly sure of that. Between the confused memories pouring more and more into her head with each passing day, the impending demon incursion setting Torchlight entirely on edge, and Ginko being captured by the Rose Queen, it seems like all of next year's excitement decided to get a head start.

And honestly, she'd much rather it simply didn't.

Rolling along the streets, Tanyuu is heading back to her apartment when she hears a commotion up ahead. Frowning, she rolls forward and fishes out a few spell tags out of her pocket. That sounds like the Council's footmen, and she's not sure yet if she'll be inclined to help or hinder them quite yet.

[dorkypantsuit]

The demon certainly isn't expecting anyone to help him. Fact is, most people who could help would recognize him for what he was, and very few people were inclined to help a demon. This demon didn't blame them for that either. He probably wouldn't help another demon either if he saw them running from a couple of human mages. Actually, that sounded like a hilarious scenario, and even as it's happening to him, he can't help but laugh through his nerves. Thing is, when you're the kind of demon who refuses to steal souls you usually end up being pretty low power meaning even humans could pose a significant threat if they knew what spells to use. He could probably have handled one of the mages, but two was proving more difficult, especially since they'd already heard about his incident with the other mage police he'd managed to slip away from earlier and had come prepared. So basically, his new plan is to run, so run he does, and thankfully he's had lots of practice. He's even thinking he might get away until an immobility spell gets shot his way and he falls flat on his face.

"Oh fuck..."

OTA

[perverses]

i. fight at the crossroads

Shima had been hoping he could just slide by without anyone bothering him, but that's not going to happen. There was never even really a chance. It's either Anath's demons or the Enlightenment Council causing trouble at the nightclub and it turns out he can't just tell his bouncers to 'deal with it' and keep out of it.

Sure, his crew — or more aptly, Renzophan's crew — do alright against drunk magical people, but sober ones? Ultimately he had to make the decision: no army recruitment or wizard cops in the club (vainly trying to remain neutral, against the odds; pro-tip: this won't end well). That also means stepping in to enforce it.

So maybe you're just walking by the warehouse or maybe you were in the club itself or could be you're part of the group getting tossed out, too, but whichever it is, you're now also witness to the start of a fight. It's spilling out into the street with "Renzophan" in his sleek suit at the forefront, two or three bouncers on duty for the night behind him.

"I already told ya, I'm not having that kind of bullshit in the club!" Shima snaps at whoever this evening's pests happen to be, spaded tail lashing around behind him in response to his bad mood. "Now either leave or I'm gonna make you leave!"

ii. and a haunting all around the town [ Yamantaka only ]

As if demons and wizards causing trouble weren't enough, one more problem is finally rearing its horned head. A new ghost has manifested in Portland, finally managing to pull himself together and go prowling the streets at night. A looming black bull in a shadowy form, mist rising in his wake and pooling around his hooves, red eyes burning like coals.

He manifests first in the streets around Crossroads, though never enters the club itself. If Shima isn't out for the night, the ghost moves on, stalking through areas with familiar souls in it, not bound to any one place. Places like the cat cafe, the outskirts of Sanctuary, Dignity Village, the apartment complex that so many call home. Again, never actually entering any of the buildings or following too closely behind anyone.

Just... waiting in the dark. Watching.

iii. or just haunting that one asshole in particular [ Shima & Yamantaka ]

Though when is Shima is out and he is, on one or two nights this week, opting to chase down demons after Crossroads has closed for the night (and that would be around 2 or 3 in the morning). He'll be patrolling all those same areas, though dressed in dark clothing and a hood from his hoodie pulled up. The staff he carries with him isn't the K'rik he's used to, but he has one strapped to his back nonetheless.

Of course, trying to track down demons to punch information out of goes on the backburner as soon as a big black shadow starts chasing him. It'll be around all the same places that Yamantaka was haunting before, only now it's Shima — aka Renzophan — running through them, an angry spirit hot on his tail, putting out streetlights with a snap one by one as the bull-shaped mass of shadows and mist pass them.

"Shit, shit, shit, c'mon, just need to find somewhere indoors...!"

Preferably one still open. That's what Shima is racing around looking for, but at this time of night, it's hard and he isn't sure if breaking and entering will ruin whatever keeps Yamantaka out. Maybe he should just try? At this point, it could be worth the risk!

ii

[whattaprick]

After the whole incident with the Wyld Fae, one would think Lambert would know better than to take on any more shifts that go on into the night. But no, he's here again, closing up the place again, though this time he isn't the one who has to worry about security duty.

He'll pause at the curb, glancing around and at the sky. When he doesn't see whatever he's looking for, he'll sigh, rubbing a hand against his neck, and head over to where his bike's parked.

It's automatic to fish a cigarette from inside his jacket, a last smoke before he drives home. It's only when he lights it that he realizes it isn't the only thing burning in the shadows, and he jerks back sharply, eyes widening in alarm.

HELL ON EARTH - OTA with several prompts!

[moonfang]

Zangetsu may have exactly zero of Marmaroth's memories, but luckily for him, his alternate self kept a very detailed diary. He kept all his receipts. Actually, he was kind of a packrat. The apartment was spotless, sure. But that didn't mean the weird angel didn't keep everything. He just kept it super organized. The journal was probably the oddest, though. He kept records of his meetings, what he drinks, who he sees -- and had apparently been doing this for a long time, judging by the backlog of filled journals Zangetsu has found.

For the sake of... whatever counted for normalcy in this place, and to try and find the Ringmaster and find out what in nine hells is going on here, Zangetsu takes up Marmaroth's routine. Mostly involving the CAT CAFE and CROSSROADS.

A] At the cat cafe... he's... well. Playing with the cats. Most of the normal patrons are staring at him because this is NOT what Marms usually does. He sits there, stoic, and sometimes pets the cats. But no. Zangetsu is all about these furry assholes and he can usually be found with a smile fit to split his face. ... Isn't he supposed to be doing actual recon?

B] At Crossroads, he's more likely to actually snoop around. Get drunk, yes, because that's Marmaroth's second favorite activity after smiting, but also asking around if anyone had heard about a "Ringmaster" or other strange happenings in Portland.

C] But his favorite new occurrence, by far, is these trouble-making demons that have started showing up. He's supposed to be an angel, right? And angels and demons are not friends. Angels are supposed to smite demons! So smite demons he does, all over town. Whether they've got a mortal, a fellow angel, a demon, or whoever cornered, Zangetsu is there with a disturbing smile and a bright blade made of light in his hand. Above his head is a glowing halo seeming to drip pure light upwards, and two pairs of brilliant wings with black and gold eyes, constantly rolling to and fro.

"Need a hand?"

A-team!!

[insidescoop]

[Cats are cute. Cats are Super Duper Cute. And the Cat Cafe over all is a good place for her to set up laptop and.... Slowly...peer over every now and then because what IS 'Marmaroth' doing, she might not know the guy personally but this is just bizarre.

Aslla Piscu for his part, merely stares from the shadow. People acting not like themselves isn't a good sign.

It tells him they might have another 'Shima' case, and with everything else going on, he's not in the mood.]

Closed

[hippocarnival]

[Now that Yuya's had a time to gather a proper plan, he's ready to do something about the rose Queen's big rose problem. He's mapped out spots where the vines have congregated the thickest, incessantly bothered enough people to help, studied the (really, fairly simple) spell religiously--it was all just putting it into action.]

[Day 11 @ Sanctuary - Rita, Axel, Gongenzaka]

[The first part is clearing away some of the existing bushes enough to give them room to strengthen the threshold again. Yuya's got a few shovels to do just the trick... as tedious as it may be. Maybe one of them has a better idea. Maybe two of them do.

The book it currently tucked under his arm.] Thanks for trying this with me. I didn't bring any iron this time, so we'll have to pull out all the plants by force.

[They'll probably need to hire a landscaper after this is all done.]


[Day 12 @ Dignity Village - Lambert, Sora, Allen]

[With the first success, Yuya is much more confident. Dignity Village is greater, more open ground to cover... but it was also Allen's territory, so Yuya isn't too concerned about getting it to work.

There are, of course, more shovels.] We should start with the bigger buildings around the perimeter. If those are safe then they're a good place to hide and they act like a wall.

Team Sanctuary

[anti_nonsense]

[Rita's wearing her usual biker jacket, with her glamour active. She stands with her arms crossed, wrinkling her nose at the shovels.]

Axel and I can burn the plant matter. You guys can dig up the roots.

[Did Rita just try to exempt herself from the physical labor portion of this ritual? Yep. She's a real team player. Also, she likes burning things.]

POST-ANIMAL FAIR FOR SANS [Closed]

[control_freak]

Tracking down Sans is, quite honestly, a huge pain in the ass. It's a pain in the everywhere else, too. Physically, Foster feels like hot shit. His disease has made his joints hurt like a motherfucker, and he's both weak and weary by the time he reaches the cat cafe.

So much so that he doesn't even really hear the dinging of the little bell as he pushes open the door and sinks into the nearest chair, too fatigued to actually check if Sans is physically here until he's had a few seconds--or even minutes, depending on whether his quarry recognises him--to recover.

Of course, it's not Foster if he's not wearing an atrocious shirt. In an unfortunate stroke of irony, today's shirt is white, and ostensibly bears a familiar logo, but the first word has been replaced with the word 'LUPINE.'

Well, no one ever accused him of being subtle.

"...haha. Shit."

[osteothropy]

Well, good news, Sans pretty much lives here, now. There are going to be some exceptions in common says, but the angel has been hanging out in the cafe so frequently that it almost certainly be breaking the two hour rule or whatever. Though, honestly, he broke that rule even before he got hired on as an "employee" for room and board.

Really all that involves is sitting around reading books and stroking cats and generally being filled with malaise. He doesn't really pick up on Foster as someone as note either - at least not because he immediately recognizes him.

Instead, he picks up on that demonic aura in no time. His seven eyes will all swing up to stare at him at once, his wings spreading in a way invisible to most of the other patrons. And then he'll realize that this is the guy he gave a book to that one time, when haunting Lars's apartment.

Still, he just stares. He'd been feeling more lackadaisical about demons before than he is right now.

Mages and CR

[amusicaladventure]

With the arrival of the Inquisition, Ash had found herself facing something she had tried, with some intense fury, to avoid: a challenge to her position. All the efforts she'd put into local control -- making certain others knew they would gain by working with her, ensuring others knew they would lose if they crossed her, demonstrating competence and skill, downright revolutionizing magic in some ways -- couldn't directly fend off the Circle above her.

So now she had to do something she didn't WANT to do, but had nonetheless made certain she could do in this situation: rely on the help of others.

She put out a word or two to those she knew, asking them to come drop by for a chat at their convenience. All she could do is sit back, fill out some paperwork... and wait to see who came.

email

[npcarnival]

At some point in the week, Ash will receive an email. It's apparently from a dummy gmail account made of most random characters, but at least the words themselves are coherent:

you don't trust the Council, do you?

► ANGEL MEETING (OCTOBER 9TH)

[npcarnival]

To anyone expecting an excessively formal presentation of the thing, given the half-angel’s particularly business-like manner of contacting them initially, it turns out that Prudence Jaeger, Hand of God, is very straight forward when you actually interact with her. She will greet the local angels that arrive without much fanfare, simply sitting on the stairs of the church that lead up to the podium and gesturing for them to take their seats on the wooden benches.

Her wings are actually exposed now – a set of white feathery ones, that are purely physical in form, unlike the spirit made ones of full angels. There is an ornate rapier sheathed at her side.

There will probably be some time to bother her before she begins the meeting, if you are so inclined, but she is not the most talkative, and seems somewhat uncomfortable in the presence of so many angels. Still, she will eventually stand up on the stairs and begin telling her tale, after throwing out some protective charms to guard them from observation.

“Thank you for coming,” she will start, a bit uncomfortably. “As I’ve suggested to a few of you... I’ve brought with me some information that could be critical to the angels that are still trapped on Earth. I’m sure you’ve already seen the demons and the fae start to act... the Sanctuary I was staying at this week was already attacked.”

She swallows. “There are... reasons for this, that not many people realize. It’s more than just the standard level of aggression we deal with from their kinds. You’ll notice that all of this is coming from the species most directly affected by ‘the Severing’ – that is, the magical event that cut off communication with Heaven twenty five years ago.

“I’ve never known the specifics of this spell myself... I was only born a short time before it occurred. But I’ve been given information from a trustworthy source, that suggests the magical and spiritual fluctuations of the Earth are due to the spell’s long term effects... that it was set up to run from the energy of the Earth’s spirit, and recent stress has caused it to take more than anyone was expecting.

“It was meant to separate the Earth from extra-planar creatures, and though we’ve never known what this looks like from the outside... it seems like it does something more complicated than simply preventing entry. I believe that there may have been an influx of beings who have very recently arrived from outside the Earth... and that they are walking among us, right now.

“I also have reason to believe that this presence could be the key to dismantling the spell from the inside.”

She will go on to describe the situation in more specifics. It doesn’t sound like she knows much about the magic itself, and is going off of the word of a human mage, but she is under the impression that the Severing spell may be overloaded, and thus currently vulnerable.

A more important question looms. If it is possible to dispel the wards protecting the Earth from outsiders... should it be destroyed? Or is the safety of the Earth from Hell’s forces more important?

Joker / Jaoel

[pipers_son]

A - Pre Meeting

For all the fact that this is an angel meeting, for angels, Joker lands on the front steps of the church with his probably-human-definitely-psychic charge tucked under one arm and a beat up barely conscious embarrassment to demons under his other. Although at least with Sora, he carefully sets him down on his own two feet once they're inside the church- listen, flying was faster and easier than taking a bus, which would have refused them from Psi bleeding everywhere anyway.

Anyone who appears to be even close to giving him a look for this will get a prompt, "Oi, mate, got a problem?"

Otherwise, Joker finds a bench to sit on in the rows of pews, and sets Psi laying down on another where he watches blankly as the demon almost inevitably slithers off of it to collapse in a heap on the ground. After a second of apparently debating if he should bother to exert the energy required to pick him up, Joker just leans back against the bench with his arms spread. He's too damn tired for this.

...And he does look it, for anyone taking a gander. Angels don't technically need to sleep, being the divine messengers and warriors and shit that they are, but Joker looks like he could do with a long nap. Occasionally while he waits for this whole thing to get starter, he grimaces and wipes at his face, trying to stay away. While he's tried to clean it up, there's blood splattered here and there, especially on his shoes and beneath his finger nails. It's clearly different than the blood smeared on him from carting around Psi. Occasionally, something in his eyes or hair or skin almost seems to shimmer- he's two seconds away from giving up on his "polite" human appearance and becoming full on holy warrior.

But it's fine. This is fine.

Meeting Time

When it's clear that Pru has gotten through the majority of the reasons why they're here and what the hell is going on, thus making it Question Time, Joker wearily raises his hand.

"Alright, so this is all well and important, but why do the demons and the Rose Queen give a good-" A pause where he was clearly going to swear and then remembered he's supposed to be a Professional (tm) divine entity. "Why do they care about this spell? What's in it for them if they keep it goin' or destroy it?" He looks around to see if anyone else has a better idea than him.

...After a second, he also nudges Psi with his shoe, but he's not expecting anything there.

Closed to Lapis

[periphrasing]

Peridot is out walking Pumpkin when, again, something truly strange happens.

After the incident with with that weird little kid a few days prior, Peridot refuses to walk Pumpkin without a leash anymore. Sure, everything had turned out okay in the end in that instance, but geez. One scare was bad enough. Her dog's license to free-roam in the park has been revoked. As for Pumpkin herself, she seems mostly unfazed by the change.

Things are proceeding pretty much as they always have otherwise, with Pumpkin enjoying the crisp Autumn air and Peridot... Peridot is bundled up and grumbling about the cold, and seasonal allergies, and how annoying and slippery wet leaves can be. She has a huge scarf wrapped around her neck, which she is turtled down into it to avoid the October breeze.

And that's when it happens again. Pumpkin stops and stands stock still, her nose twitching in the wind. She smells someone again. Somebody even more important than the last somebody. Vitally important.

"What?" Peridot asks her wearily, knowing full well the dog can't answer her. There's a tense pause, where Pumpkin still doesn't move. Peridot frowns at her... and then suddenly the little dog lunges, yapping and straining desperately at the leash with surprising strength. Peridot has little choice but to stumble after her, yelping with surprise, trying to maintain a hold on the leash. "PUMPKIN-- STOP! HEEL!"

The leash gets torn from her hand, and the dog is off like a shot. Wherever Lapis is, Pumpkin will find her, and then she's going to run around her in circles while yelling happily at her.

[mirrortide]

By now, Lapis has come to associate barking dogs with her ass about to get chased down the street. It's a very useful flight mechanic when that barking is a giant fuckoff huge dog that also barks outside your window when you're home.

Thankfully, this barking creature is not that same dog. This one is tiny. Excitable. Something does click in the back of her mind that yes, this is a good dog. Which is further reaffirmed by the fact her snake peeks out of the collar of her jacket to investigate the barking creature.

She's also swearing a snake sweater, or sneatter. It's adorable.

But Lapis takes this as a cue to bend down to pet said dog. Her oddly fidgety snake is unusually calm in its presence? She's not going to question it.

"Hey there girl. Did you get away from your owner somehow?" Judging by the leash trailing after her, yes. Yes she has.

CLOSED TO BLUE DIAMOND & RIN

[starseedling]

Steven doesn't want to go so soon.

He's only just reconnected with his dad, and it hurts that he has to be rushed off so quickly to go into hiding... again. The Sanctuary isn't safe for him anymore, and the motel won't stay safe for long. He can vaguely understand the necessity, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to fight it.

His dad told him they were going to a friend of his's house, where he could be protected. His gut has been turning the whole time, thinking about it. What if this place gets attacked, too? More people could get hurt, and it would be his fault.

Yet, what else is there to do, besides turn himself in? He couldn't do that before, and he extra can't do that now. Not when he knows his dad is here, waiting for him.

Steven approaches Blue's house like an easily frightened child approaching a haunted house, squeezing Greg's hand tightly.

[diamondsare]

It looks ... ordinary, save that there's no pavement or cement anywhere, all crushed pebbles or bare earth instead. The home is in good repair, the small bit of lawn is mowed, what little ornamental plant life there is tended and orderly, a faint scent of barbecue in the air - though that might be the neighbors. There's also the smell of chlorine that suggested someone, be it the people in this house or neighboring homes, has a pool. It seems utterly mundane.

The woman seated on the front steps however isn't. She's visibly a demon, and a rather tall one - they're a bit distinctive even when they're shaded a bit blue at the extremities, if the horns and batwings alone aren't a giveaway though there probably aren't too many he's met that also have feathery peacock-like tails. But demons are better than fae, right?

Maybe. Hell, souls, damnation, etc.

She stands when Greg and his son are spotted, a frown on her face. She'd been intending to not even be in this city by now, and taking this boy suddenly to Hawaii as well was awfully tempting. Instead of saying anything to them as they approach, she turns enough to open the door and lean in a bit to notify others. Her husband and her son specifically. "Company's here."

Company. Not the likely bait to a whole lot of dangerous trouble while a demon army is also bearing down. Just company.

Crow Hunt; closed to Rose Queen minions & close-ish cr of AU Childermass

[atouts]

As of the 12th, there will be a growing presence of murders within Portland. What's that, you ask? People dying? No, no, not that kind. Murders of crows, although someone dying isn't entirely out of the question just yet. Unusually, they aren't even all crows at that! Ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies; if it's from the family of Corvidae, it's not impossible to spot one within these flocks.

And with these odd flocks comes three particularly large crows, leading the chase through Portland at the head of them. Normally, only one of these crows are with any given flock. More rarely, the whole trio.

In any case, it's almost like they're searching and for what will remain a mystery... right up until they start landing in trees, on buildings, on street lamps and cars around, well, you.

Pearl -- if others want to join in her fight it's Open

[myownpearl]

It wasn't noticeable at first or perhaps Pearl was just sidetracked. Her mind on other matters, so of course she didn't pick up on the growing numbers of crows. She started to notice them when she was riding down a particular stretch of road--the telephone poles were especially populated. It sent a chill down her spine. She needed to get in touch with Childermass because she could only think of one person they might be after.

Pearl turns into an empty parking log and is just about to reach for her phone when a large shadow swoops down in front of her. She yelps and pulls the handlebars to avoid it. The bike skids and she nearly crashes it--but manages to control the slide and brings the bike to a stop. In the chaos, the birds swarm around her.