⇨ 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

[kingsroads]

Oh God, oh no, he's made him cry, this is not how things were supposed to go at all, how can you guilt trip someone into giving up their free will when they're crying? Strange just freezes for a moment, like a deer in the headlights, still trying to keep a tight grip on Bud as he does so. This sprite isn't going anywhere.

Eventually, he snaps back into action and starts trying to get himself untangled from the vines. "I will, after you listen. I'm sure you already know that your mother kidnapped those changelings because of you. Listen to me and let me explain and I'll tell you how you can fix things for everyone."

It's a guilt trip, not a pep talk. Strange doesn't care how he does it or what he says, he just wants to find a way to convince Steven to go back to the Rose Queen that doesn't involve the child's blood on his hands.

[starseedling]

Steven freezes, his eyes going wide. For a moment, he's just completely overwhelmed with that, paralyzed with the implications.

because of you

It's not like he wasn't already aware. He's been horrified by that reality this whole time. Yet, blaming himself and having some stranger come up and accuse you of it are two totally different things. His voice dies in his throat, a tear breaking free over his cheek.

"W-Whuh..." He starts, but his voice fails him. "What do you mean... fix it?"

[kingsroads]

Still keeping a tight hold on Bud, Strange continues to try and wriggle out of the vines, wincing as one of them cuts through his trousers leg, making him bleed slightly.

"I'm sure that even you noticed the oddness of the past few weeks. Part of it is due to the fact that there are people here who aren't supposed to be here, trapped in this world by a powerful spell. I--" And Strange cuts him off here. I'm one of them, is what he wants to say. But saying so would mean acknowledging that his life didn't really mean anything and he's not entirely sure he wants to do that just yet. He starts talking again, as he continues to wriggle his leg free.

"I know a few of them myself. The Rose Queen said that she'd break the spell keeping them here. The problem is, she's missing a few components. The spell draws upon the familial bond between the spellcaster and someone else--mother to son, for example. She needs you to help break the spell."

[starseedling]

A few components.

Steven still looks stunned as his gaze lowers down to look at himself, his arms nervously wrapping around his body in a hug. That's really what he is, in all of this, isn't he? He's just been getting passed around, because his mom wants him for things that doesn't have anything to do with who he is or what he wants.

He never meant anything to her, beyond being a tool. He knows that. So why does it still hurt so much, every time he's reminded of it?

"What would she do to me?" he asks, in a small voice.

[kingsroads]

"I don't know," Strange has to admit, as he gets to his feet, finally free from the vines around his leg. "I'm not important enough for her to have told me the specifics."

Something which pisses him off more than he realizes. He should be important enough. He should know the ins and outs of this damn ritual, not a brief outline. Nightshade trusted him some, but obviously not enough as he'd like.

Now that he's on his feet, Strange opens his hand and lets Bud go. "But what I do know is that when it's cast, it'll fix everything. The people trapped here can go home, and the fae can leave this realm. You'll make plenty of people happy, just by helping out."

[starseedling]

Bud whizzes back across the room to Steven as soon as she's free, landing within his cupped hands, which he protectively holds to his chest. His eyes are still set on Strange warily, however - he may have freed Bud, but he still can't possibly trust this.

Not that it keeps it from trivially causing him a lot of guilt - and a lot of fear. Based on his existing experience, the idea of being involved in any kind of ritual with her is horrifying. What would it involve, exactly? Punishing him more? Killing him?

His tears are gradually becoming tears of frustration, as he snaps back at the mage out of frustration and anxiety.

"You don't get it," he says, his voice shaking. "You don't get what... what it was like... what..." He sniffles, choking on his words. "She wouldn't let me go. I know she wouldn't."

[kingsroads]

How exactly to phrase this...because Strange knows that no solution will sound good. It's okay, Steven! Turns out that your mom isn't really your mom and the family bond's needed, but also what's needed is someone who's actually from a different universe and guess what, that's you!

There's no good way to phrase this without giving Steven an existential crisis and frankly, Strange is having enough existential crises right now for the both of them. So he pauses for a moment, mulling over his words, trying to find something that might be reassuring.

"I can only imagine what sort of trauma she put you though and...and I'm sorry you had to go through it." He's a kid, after all. "If the spell works properly, if everything goes according to plan, you wouldn't have to worry about her not letting you go. She wouldn't be able to hurt you to begin with."

Mostly because you'll be in another universe, but details details.