⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 3

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[hippocarnival]

I've been... having a lot of dreams, but I don't think they're just dreams. And after we met some of them started being about you?

[He realizes this is just going to down deluded if Gon isn't remembering what he is, but he has to ask after all of that.] When we were kids, and going to school, and living somewhere in Japan. That's where you said you came from, right?

[otoko]

[He is silent for a moment, recalling a conversation he had with a ghost not long after meeting Yuuya himself. And he frowns.] ...I did come from Japan, yes. A place called...

[He searches his mind-and in the absence of one name, grasps for another, eyes searching the ground.] ...Maiami, I think.

...It was 'Maiami'.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya nods. He'd been struggling to remember the name himself, but that--that sounds right.] A lot of people are remembering things that didn't happen here, but... but I think I knew you? And we were friends, and that might be where we came from first?

[otoko]

If that is the case though...then what does that all mean for us now, however?

[Bit of a key question, he feels.]

[hippocarnival]

... I don't know. [That's been the hard part, because it feels like the more he remembers of this other life, the less he remembers of Portland. Did he ever really remember much of Portland, or are they... really fake memories?]

Mr. Strange is investigating it, and he'll tell me if he finds anything.

[otoko]

Mr. Strange? ...Who's that?

[hippocarnival]

He's a mage in the circle. I've been talking to him about my memories because he's looking into what's going on too.

[betheman]

....A mage from the Circle..?

...I heard mutterings about that before being shot at by mages...

[hippocarnival]

What? [He sits up, wide eyed.] Why were they shooting at you?!

[Why is everyone trying to kill you, Gon??]

[betheman]

...Something about 'being a vampire'...

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya scowls, his fingers curling into fists.] That's it? What's their problem? Even if you are a vampire, you don't hurt anyone! It isn't fair to judge you based on that!

[otoko]

Th..that may be so Yuuya, but even I, the m.... ...Even I must admit, [he coughs, correcting himself,] Vampires are not looked upon fondly in most media and lore...

...I would go so far as to assume that to anyone aware of their existence... ...we are very much a kill-on-sight creature...

[hippocarnival]

That doesn't mean it's okay for them to hurt you! [He stands up abruptly.] It doesn't make it right! And they shouldn't be allowed to keep trying, there has to be some way to make them leave you alone.

[otoko]

[...Gongenzaka just watches his friend in silence, words blurring in his ears with faint memories, and his own eyes slightly glazed over. Eventually he just moves his hand, setting it on the other's shoulder.] Yuuya.

...I'm alright, with how things are, for now, aah? ...Right now, those people aren't here.

[He's just happy to be alive, at this point.] ....Just...

...Make sure this 'Strange' doesn't try to kill me either..

[hippocarnival]

[Gon's calmness forces some of Yuya's anger to dissipate, but he still looks sullen.

Under that, though, there's determination.]

I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. [He'll fight Strange, he'll fight the wizard police, he'll fight himself.]

[otoko]

[It is a statement that somehow has him chuckle, as if he remembers himself saying the same once.] ...Then there should be no problems, aah?

[hippocarnival]

... No. [There will be if Yuya tries to fight anyone, because he is a scrawny teenager who will not win even with telepathy. But right now, no problems.

He sits back down.] I'll still visit you here. Do you want me to bring any games next time?

[otoko]

Auh-some games? ...I would love that! Perhaps duel monsters, or some sort of other game..?

[thefuckisduelmonstersgon]

[hippocarnival]

Yeah! [Yuya won't realize until he leaves that he had no idea where to find 'duel monsters'. But it sounds familiar.] I'll find something. It's pretty boring being stuck in bed, so I'll bring a bunch.

[otoko]

Hmm! I'll be waiting then, Yuuya.

[Not much else to do after all.]