lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 2

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Knotley may have the most direct path, but he doesn't have the home team advantage-- he doesn't know exactly where Doll is and the halls are unfamiliar. But it doesn't take long for him to sniff out Doll's blood and turn the corner to find this angel in his path again. He stops and narrows his eyes.

'No, something told me you'd be this irritating,' he says, keeping his distance for the moment and sneering. 'Seems to be an angel thing. Listen-- if you brought her in, you know she's not yours. She can't even potentially be yours. She's mine, she contracted with me. You don't have a leg to stand on here.'

Aw, he's losing his touch. But ah well- he knows one thing he hasn't lost his touch in, even with all the utter ridiculous nonsense that's gone on in the past month. Joker stays right where he is, refusing to budge, and doesn't look away.

"Thought contracts with minors weren't legally binding," he quips, because that helps quell the boiling anger in the bottom of his throat that could make enough venom for him to spit. "Anyway... I think that's assumin' we're goin' with the old rules." Something in his gaze turns sharp, even while he keeps smiling. "But I haven't heard His voice in a bleedin' long while, and I think we both know that an awful lot is changin' around Portland. Maybe yer contract doesn't matter as much as ya think it does... Especially if the girl never wanted it in the first place."

'Some of us still behave civilly without Daddy whispering in our ears.' He's a fan of the old ways-- it made things a lot simpler, before people started talking about 'shades of grey' and 'reclamation of morality'. The good old days of being damned without hope of redemption are the days he really longs for. Especially right now.

'It matters more than you think it does,' he says, then gestures up and down at Joker. 'Look at you. You look like you pawned your harp for a doorway to sleep in. I make sure she doesn't starve, I make sure she's warm. Oh she doesn't know it--' he says, pointing at the door. '--She likes to think that she's doing just fine on her own, but we both know better. She's a seventeen year old girl, and she's still feeding herself doing cartwheels on the sidewalk. You think that's how it works?

'You think that's how it'll work if you take over? What bank are you going to rob to make sure she's taken care of? To make sure she doesn't start selling pieces of herself to feed the both of you?'

"I've worked with worse," is the almost glib answer, although it's betrayed by how the bright red of his hair starts to burn slightly at the edges, a holy light that's ten seconds away from warping his deceptively human form into something white hot and divine. There's an ache in his back, wings that want to unfurl, but he keeps that held back.

"In fact, I know folks in the exact kind of position as her, but without any of your lot around, a deal with a devil she never got a chance ta refute, they turn out just fine. Rough and strugglin', but better than ya would ever care ta think." Which reminds him to have a talk with Ginko at some point, in fact, but Joker shoves that thought to the side for now. Instead, eyes burning...

"I'll manage. We'll manage. So ya got a chance ta let the contract go and take off before a certain someone comes around for recruitment, or I can take care of all yer worries there permanently."

'You'll manage isn't good enough!' Knotley doesn't like being threatened, especially when it actually carries some weight. This isn't the first time Doll has been shaken down by Anath's scouts for his location, and if he doesn't get her somewhere out of the public eye it won't be the last. This is a gigantic waste of time.

'She deserves more than that, and if this wasn't about an angel shaking down a demon, you'd agree with me. But if you think I'm the bad guy here, oh--' he shakes his head with a disbelieving laugh. 'I was the one who saved her life and subjugated the animals who nearly killed her, I was. I didn't see any of your kind running to her when she was picked up for human sacrifice, I guess none of them really cared until I came along.

'But hey, if you want to smite me, go ahead,' he says, spreading his hands out. 'You should remember though that us demons aren't known for our healing touch. You have no idea what's keeping her alive right now. So if this really is about her and not me? I think you'll err on the side of caution and not put a hole in her stomach.'

"And I was the one who saved her life when you weren't around because ya were too busy bein' a coward about Anath!" Joker snaps back, voice losing its comfortable British twang and instead gaining a strange otherworldly reverb. Behind him, right between his shoulder blades, the air shifts strangely, reality ready to be pulled back at a moment's notice to reveal his true form.

"How about this- you let her off the hook and run outta Portland, or I'll do a lot worse to ya than smiting." And he knows that, too- not from centuries of being alive in a human's world, but from a different life, one that had experienced dark cruel things and been made to carry them out himself.

~~Literally the custody battle from hell.~~

'You want to count the times I've saved her to your once? Because that's a talk we could have all day.'

But it's not a talk they're going to have right now, because even Knotley can feel the divinity brewing behind Joker's back. He's running out of time, and he's fresh out of arguments to make this interloping angel reconsider his apparent and sudden love for Doll. It's very inconvenient and frustrating, but he's played nice with heaven, he's tried diplomacy, he can go to sleep knowing he did his absolute best.

He narrows his eyes at Joker and looks down the hallway. This conversation has been going on for a while, and strangely enough no one has interrupted them. Well, strange to everybody but Knotley, who looks back at the staff of the clinic as they all stand at attention and watch the conversation. Somehow he knew he'd need to keep them at bay for a bit, but having them under his thrall is going to prove useful.

'Alright, fine. Have it your way. She's off the hook,' he grinds out. 'Can you get the lights, please?' he calls out to one of the staff. They obediently walk over and flick the switch, dimming the hallway. 'But once all this shit blows over, you can bet your crooked halo I'll be back. It's personal now, Red.'

Knotley draws back into the shadows in the hall like an oil spill, glaring all the way, and the clinic staff collectively hits the floor.

Joke's on him. With how shit things are, who knows if any of them will even be around, if Portland will still be standing? But even if it is.... Joker grins, bright and sharp.

"Cheers, mate. I'll be waitin'."

Patiently, he waits until the darkness of the hallway is a regular sort of dim, with nothing demonic or monstrous waiting in its shadows, before he walks over to flick the lights on himself. Just in case. Busywork keeps his brain occupied as it bubbles and hums, feelings- triumphant? Repentant? As if he's righted a wrong he missed out on the first time... Joker tries not to think too heavily about it as he carts two hospital staff under his arms and makes his way to Doll's room. He arranges the folks against a wall politely, collapses into a chair at her bedside, leans back....

And just grins up at the ceiling.

He grins so much that it feels like he might split his face, one hand reaching up to cover his eyes as he tries to keep himself from laughing. There's not even a reason to laugh as much as he wants to, shoulders shaking from the force of restraint, but he wants to.

Lord help him. He's lost his mind. Yet in the wake of what's just happened.... He feels like he's done the first right thing in his whole life.

⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 2

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