⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 4

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 22nd - 31st, 2017
Where: In Portland, for the last time.
What: The seasons change as the Winter Court seizes a surprise victory, claiming both the Tree of Life's pendant and the blood catalyst needed to take control of the Severing Ritual. Meanwhile, interdimensional problems are about to get more weird. Check out the conflict results for the attack on the Circle as well as the Beast's attack on the Summer Court here.
Warnings: Individually marked!

DAYS OF WINTER↴ As the end of October nears, so does the grasp of winter. On the night of the 22nd, it will freeze overnight, and the temperature will drop for the following days. As the night grow long, world-wide magic slowly reaches it apex, set to reach it on the night of Halloween. With so many factors at play, knowing what to do with that moment of power may be a challenge. ► FULL CIRCLE: The Angels succeed in their planned attack on the Circle, managing to get to the living quarters of the Council members with the help of Ashleigh Mischief. The plan goes without much resistance from the mages or from the demons attempting to claim the ritual object for their own. Of course, when the fae make a surprise attack on the Angels after they flee the scene, it has the surprise result of the Winter Court ended up with the pendant in their talons. Threads for this attack can be done in this log. If you need mod direction at all, let us know, but otherwise feel free to NPC demons, angels, or random Circle members as you require. ► THE QUEEN'S GARDEN: Realizing that the Rose Queen is distracted with attempting to claim the pendant, the Beast will summon her co-conspirators to raid the Queen's gardens. The ultimate plan seems to be to get the Beast far enough into the gardens to kill the Queen, while also rescuing as many changelings as possible along the way. As it turns out, this doesn't go well. While they do manage to penetrate the gardens with Childermass's help, the Rose Queen, Ignatius, and Nightshade happen to all be there. Seriously outnumbered, even by the Beast's terms, it will take everything the group has to just make it out alive, sustaining heavy injuries as they go. In the end they will manage to rescue Greg universe and four additional changelings that were imprisoned there, but any damage done to the Summer Court itself will be negligible. Threads for this can also be played out here! ► REFLECTIONS: As the ritual draws closer, the line between this reality and the one you came from will also be becoming less clear. Regaining memories is not required, but it will naturally become easier to occur, especially if you're already started receiving them. It's a good time to start making connections, while you still have the chance. ► THE SEVERING: One way or another, the Severing is going to make an impact on both this world and the lives of those trapped inside of it. The Angels are going to be making an attempt to interrupt the Winter Court's ritual, as will the Summer Court and Anath's forces. Whoever comes up on top will be the ones to decide what to be done with it. Yet, with news that the Severing continuing could cause irreversible damage to the planet's spirit, it could feel like there are no perfect options. There will be an event header put up for this by the mods closer to the end of July. (NOTE: canon powers will returning while the ritual is in progress, so keep that in mind for planning - both sets of powers will be active.)

Comments

[hippocarnival]

Yuya sighs. Well, he'd have to ask Pru then, after they've had a moment to recover. He has more faith in the angels than Strange does.

The sight of the blood makes him frown, though. What a mess. "I guess the circle isn't going to let you stay and recover." Now that he's betrayed them. "Is your house nearby or do you need emergency care?"

Worst comes to worse, he can convince the housemaid to look the other way while he brings a bleeding, scruffy man home. He probably shouldn't take Strange to the Sanctuary.

[kingsroads]

"My apartment's on the other side of town," Strange remarks, with a sigh. Because really, it's been that sort of a day, might as well have it continue to be that sort of day. "And the fae teleported us here so my car's also on the other side of town. I've got my wallet though, so I've enough for the bus."

He experimentally prods at his black eye and winces slightly as he does so. "I don't think I need emergency care, though. I can walk it off. Besides, Lord knows worse looking people have probably shown up on the bus before."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya doesn't look remotely convinced that Strange is going to make it across town on the bus covered in dirt and blood and injuries.

"I live a lot closer. You can come and clean up and... bandage yourself. It's not a problem." Instead of riding the bus like a beat up hobo. "I don't want you finding out it was an emergency later."

[kingsroads]

Thankfully for both of them, Strange finds and verbalizes the obvious problem right away. "Yuya, I'm around twice your age. If your parents are home..."

He trails off, with a frown. If his parents are home, then how exactly is Yuya going to explain all of this in the first place? Oh, hi mom, don't worry about this beat up middle aged man I'm bringing back home, everything's fine.

[hippocarnival]

"I don't live with them. Not here anyway." He shrugs. It stings a little to say that, but... He's been remembering parents who there, parents who didn't give him up. It doesn't hurt like it did.

"Bob is always out late tonight, so I just have to talk to Mary. She's our maid. She's really nice, though, she'll understand!" Yuya is probably underestimating how alarming this is going to look, but he sure seems confident he's got this handled.

[kingsroads]

"In that case, lead on. I won't say no to painkillers, after all. Though I'm still not so sure about this." God help us all when Strange is the practical one. He still thinks that this whole situation is going to play out a bit more alarming and a bit more worrying than Yuya realizes...but this might give him enough time to bullshit up a cover story.

But hey, when Yuya heads out, Strange will gladly (if warily) follow in whatever direction he's walking.

"Does Mary know about your abilities?" Because that might be a good enough cover story.

[hippocarnival]

Strange will have plenty of time to come up with a bullshit cover story that Yuya will just agree with. Yuya stuffs his hands in his pockets to lead Strange out of the Circle's headquarters and to his house. It's definitely closer, but it's still a few blocks away. He's not bothered about being out at night, though.

He nods. "Everyone around the house does. It's why he got custody of me... but I don't remember the details that well anymore." Because those other memories are butting against them, taking up the forefront of his mind again. It seems like a little happier of a family, though, with friends who had his back through anything. How could he not want that again?

"Uh, I haven't been telling them anything about the severing or my memories or the animal fair, so don't mention that!" Or, really, anything that's happened the past month.

[kingsroads]

"Good Lord, you went to the animal fair as well?" Strange feels a profound sense of exasperation as Yuya mentions that. Why couldn't this kid keep his nose out of things for just a moment? A little part of Strange's self-reflection points out that this is probably how Norrell and Childermass feel when he goes off to do something stupid, but then he remembers he's got no idea who this Norrell fellow is.

"But no, I'll keep your secrets safe. I doubt they would understand anyway--most normal people don't."

[hippocarnival]

He went to the animal possessed by a ghost, but he won't mention that part. Instead, Yuya just laughs at Strange's exasperation. "Yeah, thanks. I don't think she..." he trails off as his phone buzzes very animated. He pulls it out of his pocket and starts scrolling through his texts.

Then he starts typing quickly with a more severe expression. "They'd only be confused and worried anyway."

[kingsroads]

To Strange's credit, he doesn't look over Yuya's shoulder as he starts texting, though he is immensely curious as to who the boy's texting and what's going on.

"Look, if you need to be somewhere, I can fix myself up back at mine," said with a gesture to Yuya's phone. Obviously whatever this is, it's important.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya looks up, holding his phone a little closer on reflex. He doesn't want to leave Strange like this, but... they only had so much time, and he had to re-acquire his crowbar, or something else made of iron.

"Sorry... I don't want to ditch you." But maybe the long ride home will keep Strange away from the Summer Court for the rest of the night. That's for the best, when he doesn't want to have to fight Strange.

And because he's sure nobody else going on the raid would spare him.

"Wait--here." He clicks off his phone screen and starts digging into his pockets. He offers Strange his own bus pass. "So I know you don't get stranded, okay? You definitely need to make it home tonight."

[kingsroads]

Fun fact: when you're an absolute garbage fire of a person, other people usually aren't nice to you. As such, Strange has no idea what to do when Yuya offers him his bus pass. That's...sweet. And kind. And a whole host of other things that Strange has no idea what to do with because he hasn't encountered this sort of kindness in literal years.

"Thank you," Strange says, in a tone of voice that's grateful, but still a little bit confused. There's no reason for Yuya to do this. So why's he doing it in the first place? He manages to recover some form of composure as he pockets the bus pass. "You do have my number, right? I'll call you later to return this."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya grins as Strange takes the bus pass. "Yeah! Don't worry, I didn't delete it," He laughs, scratching his nose. "It's a monthly pass, so use it as much as you need. We can figure out returning it later."

They'll find each other again somehow. Yuya just really doesn't want it to be in the Rose Queen's realm. As much as he's deferred to Strange over the past month, this is one thing he's going to try and keep a secret.

He steps back in much brighter spirits than before. Things will work out. "Good night Mr. Strange, make it home safe!"

He turns on his heels to bounce off, back the direction they came. There's a bit of time before they're set to invade, while the Summer Court's forces are recovering in Portland--but he has to find Lambert first, so he knows his time is short and he needs to get moving now.

[kingsroads]

"Good night, Yuya," Strange calls out after him. "And best of luck with whatever came up."

Because he's obviously doing something, right? To leave that quickly, that rapidly, something must have come up, though Strange has no idea what it would be. Still, he'll have plenty of time to talk with Yuya about it later--it's probably some teenage stuff to begin with, nothing he needs to worry about.

Strange heads off in the opposite direction, towards the bus stop.