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. ] |
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epidemiology2015-11-21 01:41 pm
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You mortals always getting yourselves bent out of shape about something.
[ there's amusement in her voice, like she's enjoying the reaction. ]
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Who's getting bent out of shape— you're getting bent out of shape—
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[ nah, let's just troll the shit out of him. were they doing something? running from a heated, screaming, magic-tossing mob? ]
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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. ]
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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. ]
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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. ]
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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.
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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.
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[ 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. ]
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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.
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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.
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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. ]
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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[ 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.
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I guess these things deserve to be handled on a case by case basis, don't you think? No one rule applies to all, when it comes to saving people or dooming them. But that's the kinda bridge I prefer to cross when I get to it, not before.
[ he looks up, just casually taking in his surroundings and tilts his head to the side. ]
As for our employers — well. Who knows what their real agenda is? That's what I'd like to know before I consider anything else.
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[ not that Loki hasn't thought ahead and placed her pieces. it's been in the back of her mind since Anwick, and it was then that she set to work. there was always a reason Loki was somewhere, whether it was to be used for her own multiversal imprint, or something generally more foul.
she couldn't stand back and let the reins get away from her. ]
Not before this is over, at least.
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[ he sighs. on one hand, the desire to investigate — and eventually expose, there very little doubt in his mind at this point — ALASTAIR is strong. he does not trust their employers and he'd like nothing more than to trash their room, metaphorically speaking, and uncover their dirty secrets.
on the other ... he's gotten invested in Chantes and its people. getting his priorities straight in this situation has been ... trying, for Dean. ]
And they've got so busy trying to figure out what the hell's going on here that no one's actively trying to figure them out.
[ he looks down at Loki and gives her a lopsided grin. ]
That's what I call an effective distraction technique.
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Either that or they've too much influence to care, and if that's the case ... ah, well, it wouldn't matter if anyone did figure them out, would it?
[ but Loki doesn't include herself in "them." ]
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he frowns. ]
Wouldn't matter, huh? Try me.
I don't care how powerful they are, or how much influence they got, and I may not be a god, but I'm determined enough to be a right pain in their asses.
[ seriously. if they're as bad as Dean suspects, he doesn't care that he's a simple mortal. the fact of the matter is that he can be a very annoying mortal. ]
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Your tenacity is impressive, but ... it's not a matter of power, or being a pain, or whatever you Midgardians would like to call it—it's about destiny. What do you think destiny is, Dean? Chains and shackles are just metaphors. It's not something you break, it's far more subtle than that.
It lives in the minds of a million different pieces, resonating with the whole of the universe. It's in the expectations that are put upon you, what you believe to be your role, and your responsibility; was it given to you, or did you give it to yourself?
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he doesn't answer for a long moment after Loki's question. he knows the answer — everything that made Dean into the man he is today was ...
well, basically, it was all foisted off on him when he too young to know better. but that's not something he's willing to share with anyone. least of all, himself, tbh. ]
... I was raised into it. But I stayed by choice, not because some bored asshole with a pen decided to write it into some book of destiny.
[ his tone is mild however. ]
You're really pissed about these expectations people've put on you, huh.
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[ her mother. it was her mother that forced them on her. first was Ragnarok, then came the onslaught of everything else. Asgard's laughable response still grated against her: they'd rather be in shackles than embrace a future of not knowing, not something the gods were usually gifted with. ]
Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.