EVENT ★ THE ORDER OF THE CHIMERA

[futurologists]

MEETING MINGLING As characters arrive, the forest clearing is still dark, barely lit despite the evening hours. It makes it all the more difficult to clearly make out the men and women shuffling about in cloaks, but at the very least they don’t treat the ALASTAIR recruits suspiciously. Rather, they seem to be expecting guests already. It becomes quickly apparent that these are no ordinary people. There's something off about them, something a little... magical. Hidden by their hair is their pointed ears, one of the only things that suggests they have goblin ancestry. Needless to say, there are no refreshments, but recruits are encouraged to find each other and try to put the pieces together. There may be clues in their surroundings, tomes and trinkets left about various tree trunks in lieu of proper seating, and the Order members around them. INITIATION Eventually, a silence falls over the crowd as two figures take to the center of the gathering. There’s an obvious familial resemblance between the pair of men, though one hangs a step behind. Chances are, you've seen him before, lurking quietly in the background. This time, he does the same. The more outspoken of the pair steps forward, spreading his arms out to greet the assembly proudly. ”Welcome, old and new friends. My name is Michel. No doubt some of you are wondering what you are here for — don't worry, all will become clear. We are the Order of the Chimera, and today, you are the lucky few who will join our ranks and fight for justice.” The crowd cheers. ”We are special. Gifted. We have goblin blood running through our veins that makes us strong, and that terrifies the humans, so we must live in secrecy. The goblins have hatred for the human side of us, so we must hide from them, too. We're half-breeds. Chimeras: beings made up of parts from different races, something that should not exist. But the Chimera is also powerful. Before, all we could do was take the sun away, but now I've discovered something greater. A spell that will change everything. Magic that will strike anyone who does not stand with us down. We wi—” SHUTOUT Naturally, nothing’s that easy! Before he can finish, the speaker gets cut off mid-syllable by a bang and rise of surprised shouts along the back of the assembly. Despite the scrambling, those who were involved in the town square debacle might recognize what’s happening. The law enforcement must’ve gotten tipped off, because they’re here to crash the party -- and all invited PCs get to be part of the collateral damage. Between the physical skirmishes and Order members retaliating with spells sizzling through the air, it should be possible to use the resulting noise to make a break for it and lie low until the heat’s died down. The hard part is making sure everyone makes it out to begin with, because you can bet that the punishment won’t be a slap on the wrist and a night in the slammer. [ooc notes: there will be a subthread for NPC interactions, though was stated in the event post we recommend grouping up -- the more minds, the better! There's no set tag order, so characters may come and go as they wish. ]

Comments

[selfimage]

I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

[ well, at least she was able to keep both Dean and Thor out of trouble. there was Ahad and Glee, but both of them could take care of themselves. (i.e. there was nothing Loki needed from them for the time being.)

oh, and Thor will probably be figuring everything out soon, won't he? ]

Besides, something reeks, and it's not the trash.

[whereismypie]

[ Dean gives her an odd look — i mean, Loki can totally show up any time now, right?

except that shop talk is also pretty distracting in that he has Opinions about the whole crapshow that just went down. ]

You smell that too, huh? I'm getting some ugly brainwashing scientology cult vibes from these Chimera guys, plus the doomsday solution just ain't my preferred poison, you know?

[selfimage]

Of course you are, they're outcasts. And these particular outcasts are extremists, and I'm beginning to think that no one will listen to them otherwise.

[ dark nails scratch against the side of her neck, and then at the base of her scalp. the spot between her brow knits. when she huffs she tosses up her hands, placing them on her waist as if she has something to justify. ]

We've found our sun culprit, and I doubt that his second scheme is going to go well. There's also the king to deal with ...

[ she trails off. ]

[whereismypie]

Sounds like a vicious circle if I've ever heard one.

There are other ways of getting heard, though. And you know, using creepy demon magic ain't the best one out there. [ said in a scathing tone.

but then he glances over at Loki, a small frown on his face. ]

How'd you know about that stuff with the king? I don't remember seeing you there.

[selfimage]

[ Loki's lips quirk up into a mischievous, smug little smile and she twirls a little hair around her finger, tugging before letting go. ]

You still haven't put it together.

[ she says, mostly to herself. her eyes refocus on Dean. there's a half turn, like she's posing, her hip cocked out and her fingers tossed. ]

Why don't you take a moment to yourself and half a closer look? I don't remember saying I was only a man.

[whereismypie]

[ Dean narrows his eyes, peering into her face, then abruptly pulls back, eyes wide. ]

Jesus—

Loki? Seriously?

[ followed by a loud, explosive sigh.

well, that certainly explains why she's wearing that hell of a headpiece.

seriously, how comfortable can that thing be ]

[selfimage]

[ the little shrug that she offers him turns into hands on her hips. ]

Loki. Seriously.

[ her lips quirk up at the end, as if his reaction is smugly pleasing. ]

You really thought I had underlings here, didn't you?

[whereismypie]

[ his mouth opens and closes a few times, a little like a fish out of water — it's not a very glam effect — and he takes a step.

he might (unwittingly of course) be checking her out too, eyes going from Loki's face, down to her chest, down to her hips and then back up to her face.

swallows a little. ]

Well! That's not confusing or anything.

Look, man ...... lady. I don't know what to think anymore when it comes to you Tricksy types.

[selfimage]

[ she's skinny, made of long limbs and smooth edges. her shape isn't much different from her other form, a nice curve in her hip and a pigeon chest, breasts hidden somewhere beneath her armor, losing shape. there's a mess of black hair that falls over her shoulders, and occasionally she'll absently lift dark nailed fingers to untangle some of it. ]

You mortals always getting yourselves bent out of shape about something.

[ there's amusement in her voice, like she's enjoying the reaction. ]

[whereismypie]

[ this guy just can't control where his eyes land, ok. and he's having trouble just peeling them away from Loki, this is awkward. ]

Who's getting bent out of shape— you're getting bent out of shape—

[selfimage]

Ah, if you really want to know, I can bend in many ways, but! [ she shakes a finger. ] it's my silver tongue that's famous.

[ nah, let's just troll the shit out of him. were they doing something? running from a heated, screaming, magic-tossing mob? ]

[whereismypie]

[ screaming, magic-tossing what

no, that shitshow is so far from his mind right now.

he's too busy trying to shoo away all the dirty imagery conjured by mention of silver tongues and the ability to bend in many ways.

so much dirty imagery.

awkward intensifies and Dean swallows a little harder before forcing out fake smile. to cover up the awkward, you understand, and to let Loki know that he isn't fooled (lies). ]

I see what you're doing there. I do. I see right through you, you know.

[ not really, no. but a man's gotta save face. ]

[selfimage]

[ Loki leans into her hip, arms crossed over her chest as she regards him. ]

Right through me, or my clothing? I suppose it doesn't matter, sooner or later your eyes will bore a hole if you keep staring like that.

[ oh Dean, you're absolutely not fooled, but Loki seems fairly confident. where's the awkward? not here. ]

[whereismypie]

[ you know how it's like — when you've been called out on staring at something (and therefor should not be), your eyes end up being attracted to the damn thing, like magnets with a life of their own.

in this case, we have Loki's chest acting as one such object, to Dean's still growing mortification.

jesus christ, this is so damn awkward. ]

You're having way too much fun with this. We got serious business going on back in town, remember? Friends caught up in a riot with demon magic users, guards crawling everywhere—

[ one must ask oneself who exactly Dean's trying to remind this of. lbr, probably himself. ]

[selfimage]

[ there's a noncommittal shrug from Loki, because Hel yeah she's having fun with this. ]

Tell me where the whole demon part comes in? From the texts I've read, it seems that the magic itself may be something gifted upon them from their gods of legend.

But I suppose that's a tenuous comparison.

[ she twirls some hair around her finger casually.

everything is always casual with her, even when she choses to speak of demons. even when those demons are someone are those that she doesn't want to speak of. ]

A demon told me once that there's little difference between gods and demons—that it was really name alone.

[whereismypie]

[ WTF! Dean might have a personal beef with all things supernatural, but even he knows better than to compare gods and demons.

for one, that would be giving those douchebags way too much importance. no difference between gods and demons — yeah, right. they wish. ]

Demon told you that, huh? Wishful thinking. Those guys aren't gods — nothing like 'em. [ disgust clear on his face. ugh. ] You should know better than that, jeez.

And the demon part comes in when I got to check out whatshername — Agatha? yeah, her house. Lady got a whole book on demon magic. Some nasty-ass stuff, lemme tell you.

[selfimage]

It's not like I liked him. He was trying to make a point.

[ Mephisto and Loki always had a tenuous relationship, both of them both understanding and meaning to find ways to use the other one. Mephisto generally came out on top, much to Loki's chagrin. the last time she had seen him, well ... it was less than pleasant. the point she was remembering was something that felt far in the past, another Loki.

the conversation had been about freedom, and who had more. ]

You still haven't told me what makes it demon magic.

[ the magic, in her experience, was pretty much the same. even the how you get there is just a means to an end. some things were riskier, sure, but the details were just details, at its core, it didn't really differ. ]

[whereismypie]

[ Dean lets out a disgusted snort. ]

Please. Demons have no point to make, and even if they did, it's really not worth listening to.

[ in case you can't tell, demons are the actual worst (seriously, fuck those guys) in Dean's very honest opinion. ]

And makes my findings demon magic was the abundant and liberal use of pentagrams and creepy etchings—

[ he pauses for a moment. then sighs, annoyed, as he pulls the collar of his shirt down, to reveal his tattoo. ]

Something like this.

[selfimage]

[ bad idea, Dean.

Loki, with no sense of boundaries, takes a long, elegant step forward to reach for it, her fingers outstretched. she's lost for a moment, tracing the warm tips of her fingers around the circle of the tattoo, examining the edges and looking for any remnants of sorcery that might be left. ]

Pentagrams aren't demonic. [ she says, her focus still on the marking. ] They're symbols of movement—Venus, is one, but there are others that share it. It's kinda like the points in a pattern.

It's a symbol that brings power, and symbols are important.

[whereismypie]

[ wow ok, that—

well, that's enough to get Dean to swallow whatever reply he might have had to this.

he looks down at Loki's fingers running over his chest, then back at Loki again.

doesn't really even seem like he's breathing, tbh. ]

...

They aren't?

[ did you hear that croaking sound? that was Dean. ]

[selfimage]

No. [ the pads of her dark nailed fingers open up over the points in the star. ] It's points on a map.

If demons happen to use it—ah, well, I suppose that it's their prerogative, but it doesn't make the symbol theirs.

[ her eyes go to his face. ]

Kapeesh?

[whereismypie]

[ goddamn, stop with the tickling and the stroking with the tips of fingers already.

hard enough to think straight as it is.

he blinks down at her. ]

P-prerogative, my ass. But this kinda magic's the only thing they respond to, whether they like it or not.

Anyway, when you see this kinda stuff, pretty sure you're gonna find demons close by. Besides, turning off the sun — you know, apocalypse-style? It's their, ah, aesthetic.

Unless.

[ he clears his throat, focusing back on Loki's fingers on his chest. ]

Unless you got other suspects in mind.

[selfimage]

[ hey, Dean's not exactly pushing her away. Loki does, after a moment, wave her finger at him and tap the symbol in the center as he speaks. ]

There are other reasons to turn off the sun that have nothing to do with demons. You are married to this demonic presence thing, aren't you?

[ she tosses up her fingers in a shrug. ]

Well, there are gods that occasionally want much of the same. Apocalypses aren't just a demon thing. They're not always bad, either. Sometimes they bring the new, and sometimes change needs to happen. When it's suppressed, it'll come violently.

[whereismypie]

[ Dean is definitely not pushing her away — for one, he'd have to be capable of using his brain at this moment. which he isn't, because those fingers on his chest, i mean

until you touch upon a topic he's invested in. the fingers are a still a distraction, but it does make him talk. ]

I got a lot of history with demons. Bad blood, if you will.

But see, the thing about apocalypses — good or bad — is that a lot of innocent people lose their lives in the process.

[selfimage]

What do you do in that case? Leave the old ways to savage those who are born into chains or do you uproot everything, with the possibility of harming others, chasing the hope of freedom?

[ her head quirks a little bit. ]

So, Mister Free Will—stand behind change, or let the rot continue as long as everyone survives? Something tells me that this won't be the only time that you'll be faced with this decision.

Not when it comes to our employers.