Crisis in Waveton: IC Thread

[Darinas]

CHAPTER 1
SESSION 1

Downtown

Waveton had always been such a fascinating city in Dennis Machiel's eyes. It just always seemed like it was tearing itself in two, as if two completely different facets of the town were trying to co-exist while struggling for control. Urban and rural; ancient and modern; in a way, that feeling actually matched the current situation of its supernatural population.

"You're alright, Sir?" the driver suddenly asked. "You've been looking through that window for a while, now..."

The Inguma sighed. "I am fine, James, thank you. I was just... lost in my thought."

It had been around two month now since the Truce had been established. For almost twenty years, this town had been the theater for a secret war between two powerful supernatural kinds: the Begotten, living nightmares from the Primordial Dream, and the Hopeful, recently-arrived hope bringers. Machiel still remembered how it began; back then, the Begotten had been the true masters of Waveton for several years, freely feeding and controlling humans behind their backs. Then, without any warning, these strange people who seemed to come straight out of a Magical Girl series had shown up and started taking entire districts away from them. The following struggle for control had torn the city apart. Back then, it seemed like this could have only been stopped by one side anihilating the other. And yet, here we were, with a Truce signed.

Only question was, how long would this last?

Machiel had no idea, but he was determined to make it last. While there was no denial that Nobles had infilcted damages to the Children, that was nothing compared to what their struggle had done to the city- and neither of them wanted this. Nobles were well-implanted by now, and driving them out no longer felt possible. Peace now seemed like the best option.

The car finally arrived in front of the company, and Machiel got out. After briefly saluting the vigils at the entrance, he went to his office. As he was passing in front of Cecilia, his secretary, greeting him, he immediately noticed something was... off about her eyes. He had no difficulty figuring out the cause, and as a result, he wasn't remotely surprised to find someone in his office.

"Hello, Dennis," Isabella greeted him as he opened the door. The Dark Mother's high priestess was laying on his desk. Compared to her usual garbs, she was dressed in a surprisingly conventional way: no fancy cultist robes, no amulets, not even her usual mask; just grey trousers and a small top that left her pale-skinned navel and arms bared. Admittedly, this made her look more youthful and attractive than usual, but Machiel already knew she was at the very least in her sixties, probably more; being a powerful Beast could do wonders with your aging process.

"Good morning, Isabella," Machiel sighed again while taking off his coat. "Before we begin, please tell me what you haven't been too harsh with poor Cecilia. You know I hate when you use Nightmares to make her let you in, don't you?"

"She will be fine, I assure. I merely commanded her. She should recover in a few minutes."

"Good. Now, what do you want to ask me so hard you would come without an appointment? Hopefully you aren't here to provide more complains about the Truce's terms?"

Isabella scowled. "Trust me, if I had to explain to you all the reasons I dislike this truce, we'd still be here by tomorrow. But no, that's not why I am here."

Machiel shook his head. Ever since the Truce had been signed, Isabella had made no secret of how unhappy she was about it. As part of the terms, the Nobles had placed restrictions on multiple rites practiced by Begotten Cults, which she had perceived as offensive.

"I am here," she continued, "because you asked me to investigate further on what is disturbing the Primordial Dream lastly. And that is what I have been doing these last week. I think I might have found a lead."

"Oh, really, now?"

"Ever heard of the Trash Tigers?"

The Inguma frowned. "A gang of prominence in the Slums, I think. Mostly human, not controlled by either us or the Nobles as far as I know. What about them?"

"Well, it seems there might be more to them than meet the eyes. I've been triangulating the various points in the town where Darkspawns seem to be increasing in numbers and where the Primordial Dream seems the most fragilized. Guess on whom territory these conditions seems to meet the most?"

As she was talking, she dropped a map on his desk. Machiel sat, and starting reading it.

"This is... most interesting. So you think they are involved in this?"

"Very likely, yes. But it looks like investigating their territory won't be an easy task. They have a reputation of being agressive, and they are the second strongest gang in the area. You might want to call the Nobles as support for this one. At least they will have some use for once."

"... Thank you for this information, Isabella."

The high priestess saluted him before leaving the room. Once she was gone, Machiel thought for a moment. He agreed with her, albeit not for the same reasons. The Trash Tigers had been active for a while now, and their activities had almost certainly contributed to spreading the Darkness' Taint. He was ready to bet the Hopeful would want them dismantled; this made the situation a golden opportunity to have Nobles and Beasts not only work together toward a common goal, but maybe also reinforce the chances of a durable peace.

He would have loved to lead this by himself, but his position here kept him busy. Besides, he felt it was best to involve young Beasts and Nobles for this task; after all, they would be the next generation. That was when he remembered someone; a young promising Begotten his cultists had been keeping tablet on. Maybe that was the opportunity to put him through the test.

Pressing his interphone, Machiel called his secretary.

"Cecilia? I would like you to send a message to someone for me, please. His name his Ernest Slender."

 

[Hiddenhope]

"Boop!" Annabella Ryder pressed a handkerchief against the boy's noise. "Annie stop that." The boy, who was about 2 years her junior said and tried to bat her away.
"It's show and adopt day, a day where even you Mr Snotty might get noticed by a loving family and be happy forever." She rubbed the handkerchief against the boy's, who's real name was Kenrick Taylor, nose.
Annabella Ryder was an orphan who lived in Everspring orphanage, located in the downtown area of Waveton.
The brunette stuck her tongue out as she finished making sure that Kenrick's noise was spotless. "There, you pass Annie's inspection! Now you are fit for adoption!"
Kenrick replied with an 'ugh'.
Annie just laughed, which showed her braces before running off, with her arms stretched out like an aeroplane.
The 14 year old girl just loved teasing and cleaning up her fellow orphans, she didn't see them getting adopted as missing friends but as a way of giving her friends a chance in life.
"Annie" A voice called out. Annabella stopped eventually the momentum caused her to take a few steps, she flapped her arms in an attempt at slowing her self down.
"Yes Miss Walker." Annabella walked normally to the head of the orphanage. Miss Walker was now pushing 80 years old, but the woman always seemed to be happy when Annie was around.
"We are running low on a few sweets, and you know how everyone gets when we run low on treats. How about you be a dear and go and buy some more." Miss Walker handed Annie a few bills "I trust you know where to go?"
"Yes Miss Walker, I make sure that everyone has the right amount of candy to fight off the sadness!" Not every child got adopted, there were some events where no one got picked up and placed into a loving home. That's why the candy was there, to help everyone cheer up.
Annie ran out of the orphanage on her quest to get sweets. The girl sorta suspected that there was no candy shortage, Miss Walker was just sending her off on tasks so she wouldn't be around when the parents came.
Annabella didn't really mind though, she didn't want to get adopted. If she was adopted, then she wouldn't be there to help everyone else get adopted!

 

[ChaoticSky]

Sarah stood by the door way to her home, saying goodbye to her parents. The girl rose up on her tip-toes to give her mother a kiss and a hug, her eyes drawn to the 'tattoo' that curled along the older woman's cheekbone before descending along her jaw and disappearing below her neckline. A loosening of arms and Sarah stepped back. Her father looked on with concerned eyes... he was happy to help, but he didn't get it like her mother did. She gave him a smile and a firm nod, and that seemed to reassure him like always. Maybe because she copied it off that guy in that action movie?

Either way she turned on her heel and left without another word, shutting the apartment door behind her. From there it was a short trip down the hall then an elevator ride down to the ground. The walls of the elevator were mirrored and Sarah took a moment to check her appearance. Long, blonde, freshly brushed hair framed a cute face with bright, expressive blue eyes, while er skin was a little pale but not unhealthily so and free of blemishes or imperfections. She wore a sky blue dress little bows running down the skirt and a bigger one on her chest, with a black hat on her head and a little purse under her arm. Self consciously she tugged on the hem of her dress... it was shorter than she preferred, but her mother had got it for her and it probably would help her hunt, so she had resolved to put up with it.

For now anyway.

A ding and the girl straightened up from her inspection as the doors opened. Then she was off, practically skipping through the lobby, pausing to exchange 'good morning's with the doorman, before slipping out into the pale morning light. Sarah shaded her eyes for a second, letting them adjust, before turning and heading down the street to the Metro entrance, just a couple lights over from the condo building she lived in. On arrival, the girl fished her card out of her purse and swiped it through the reader, then went through the turnstile and moved up to stand beside an inattentive man scowling at his cellphone so as to not draw attention while she waited for the train.

Downtown was too well kept to be a good hunting ground most of the time. Still, the older parts could get pretty rowdy around the bars and such, but not this early in the morning that was for sure. The train arrived and she boarded it, heading for the rear-most car, which was noticeably more graffiti-ed than the ones closer to the front, one of the windows had a crack in it, and the security camera was noticeably absent. Sarah smiled to herself and sat on a seat (after checking for stains), pulling out her phone to entertain herself for a while...

Once the morning rush was over, there would be more vagrants and hooligans, and there was a good chance that someone would pique her Horror's hunger if she stayed here long enough. It wasn't fullproof of course, but if she got bored enough she'd just get off somewhere more dangerious and try wandering around there.

 

[Darinas]

Chinatown

Heather Anthon stepped out of her car. She couldn't repress a smile as many men and a few women turn their head in her direction; she loved it when she was the center of the attention. The Princess of Mirror had worked hard today to make herself look pretty, and apparently it was paying off. The red blouse, the black leather skirt, the pantyhoses, the sunglasses, each part of her outfit had been picked with as much care as possible; even her underwears were high fashion- though most likely nobody would get the opportunity to see that. She wasn't fond of going around in her mundane state, but whenever she had to, she tried to make her appearance as memorable as possible.

Still enjoying the gaze of people, she gracefully walked to the Chinese Theater and entered. She got herself announced, then entered the meeting room.

Ai and Eugene were waiting for her here, both sitting on a couch with cups of chinese tea in front of them. The former was dressed in her usual, beautiful traditional chinese garb, while the latter was once again just wearing his priest black outfit with a collar. How boring... Eugene always was a bit too stick-in-the-mud to her taste. A shame, he could have actually look cute had he put some care to it. Then again, with his vow of celibacy, he probably had little concern for this.

"Good morning, Heather," Ai greeted her with a smile. "Would you care to join us?"

"With pleasure." Ai's smile always somewhat disturbed Heather. She never knew if the Knave was genuinely trying to be nice, or if she was just mocking her. Then again, she always was infaillingly polite. Dropping her purse, she sits at the table, in front of another cup waiting for her.

"Nice outfit," Eugene commented with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "You know our mundane states are meant to attract less attention, right?"

"I do, and I still don't get the point. I mean, why would you want people to not notice how awesome you are?"

The priest shook his head with a sigh.

"Anyway,", Ai continued, "We aren't there to discuss about fashion or the point of Dual Identity. I asked you both to come because I recently received news from Dennis Machiel."

"Oh, God," Eugene said. "Please tell me he wasn't sending another request from Isabella to alter the terms of the Truce. We really don't need this at the moment."

Ai chuckled. "Don't worry, that's not it. It's actually more an... opportunity he wanted to offer."

Heather frowned. "Opportunity? Of what sort?"

"Apparently, Machiel is planning, for whatever reason, to send a group of Begotten take care of a gang in the Slum known as the Trash Tigers."

Eugene groaned. "I heard about them. Not particularly nice people, to say the least. A few years ago, they screwed up during a mugging and killed several people. Pretty sure they made at least one orphan that day. My Nation tried the best they could to disturb their operations after that, but despite our best efforts they're still operational."

"Well," Ai pursued, "it seems like Beasts want them down as well, now. And Machiel suggested we sent some of our own as well to help in the effort. According to him, this would be a perfect opportunity to try forming bounds between our two communities."

"If they don't end up killing each other instead," Heather snarked. "You found someone interested?"

Ai's expression darkened somewhat. "Unfortunately, I cannot really afford to send anyone at the moment. My own Nakamas have their hands full with the Tong returning in Chinatown. So I was hoping one of you would have people qualified for this."

"I could try," Eugene answered, "but that would take some time. "We have some issues with Darkspawns lurking around the Cathedrale lastly, and I would rather not leave our only Blessed Place undefended. Heather?"

The Princess of Mirrors smiled again. "I... might have a few Nobles for the job. Two, to be specific. None of them exactly are Champions, but they know how to fight. And they have other skills that could be of use."

"Then I guess you're our hero of the day," Ai answered.

"As always. Just give me a sec so I can contact them..."

Heather snapped her fingers, and in a spectacular flash of light, completed with a "beep", a sleek device with an ipod-like screen materialized on her wrist.

"You know you could have just used your regular phone, right?" Eugene commented.

"I could have, yes. But where would the fun be in that?" Passing her fingers on the Charm, the Princess of Mirrors activated a holographic screen and started looking for her contacts. It took her very little time to find the name "Anabel Smith".

She immediately typed a quick message: "Need your services. Please either call me back, or join me to the Chinese Theater in Chinatown. Heather Anthon."

"Alright, shouldn't take too long for this one," she said after sending the message. "Now, to call the other one. I do have the phone number for this one, so if you excuse me..." Going through her contact again, she found the name "Dusk Vespertine" and entered the number.

Metro Underground

It had been days since it had not eaten. It was hungry and nervous; the ones from the Light had been on their guard lastly, and made it difficult for it to feed. Right now, it was reduced to hiding in the shadows of the subways, waiting desperately to find a defenseless prey.

That was when it noticed her. A female child, sitting alone in the rear-most car. No Noble in sight, no parent to watch over her. It almost seemed too easy. All it had to do was approach her while in the tunnel, grab her, and disappear in the Darkness.

With an avid look on its face, it crawled on the subway's window and started squeezing its way inside. For now, there still were a bit too many people. But soon, they would leave, and then it would be free to catch its prey...

 

[SlipshodSliver]

Ellison Anthon was resting in the bathroom.
He wasn't relieving himself, mind; he simply wanted to lessen the risk of untransforming at an awkward time, and this was the only place in the new office where there wasn't a security camera.

"Finally did it," He said to himself. Anabel Smith had been operating for some time, but now the small office he had registered in her name was finally finished. Security system. Desk with a desktop pc and radio on it (both built by him), with investigative gear in the drawers. Corkboard. Filing cabinet, slowly being filled. Nightstand. Water cooler. Cheap framed pictures and calendar. Trashbasket under the dartboard. A bathroom. And now that the couch and lamp had been delivered, the office was finally complete. There was no such thing as freelance police or MiB (as far as he knew), but freelance detective would do.

Ellison still couldn't believe he had done it. He had managed to fabricate a new identity - Anabel Smith, a professional in search of the truth who radiated intelligence and cool. The identity was the most ambitious building project he had ever undergone - false documents, an id (but not yet a driver's license), a small hole-in-the-wall apartment, and now a detective office. Ellison had expected to play her as a Remington Steele - a front under which he could operate - but he hadn't expected Anabel's license to feel the way it did when he held it, and he certainly hadn't expected it to actually become Anabel Smith. This was better though; a bit of discretion and (s)he could operate much more easily in public without anyone being the wiser.

Ellison heard a beep and pulled out a small hinged device. Black, it was mostly keyboard with a touchscreen that would be impossibly thin for a mundane device, but then this wasn't a mundane device. He turned the screen on. "Need your services. Please either call me back, or join me to the Chinese Theater in Chinatown. Heather Anthon."

Case in point; even his own sister didn't know. Working for Heather Anthon was both a good start and a source of income not directly tied to Ellison. "I'll meet you there." Ellison pulled out Anabel Smith's P.I. license He focused. Let's build the case. The black and white of the laminated card wrapped around them, fitting Anabel with an undershirt, suit, pants and tie. Her hair grew out into a black-tied ponytail and turned lavender. She flicked out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. She put her Data Wizard away and adjusted her tie (Not that it needed it - it was just the thing to do). She checked herself in the mirror above the sink briefly, gave a serious nod, and exited the bathroom and the office.

Anabel Smith headed to the Metro. She dropped a token into the turnstile and waited for the train to come in. As soon as she did, she did what she always did - Car in the back. Fewest people most of the time. She smiled on the inside when she realized that there was no camera and only one person and took her seat.

 

[ChaoticSky]

Sarah paused in the mobile game she was playing as the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Lifting her eyes from the screen she saw... a blobby black thing pressed against the window across from her and starting to ooze though the cracks in the glass. A flick of attention was enough to realize the thing was family, because of course it was, but at the same time she really didn't feel like letting them muscle in on her hunt.

She looked around to make sure no one was watching and then crossed her arms petulantly, pouting to match. “I was here first cousin.” she complained. “If you want one your going to have to either be quiet about it or wait,” she informed the creature, giving it her very best glare. “I'm not going hungry just because you had to make a mess.” Then she paused, blinking as an idea appeared in her head and she started talking excitedly “Or! Maybe we could share? You could have them after I'm done or you could let-me-watch-and-”

Then the doors swished open and a woman walked into the rear car, sitting not far away from Sarah herself. The girl bit her tongue and looked towards the creature, wondering if it would go after the woman.

 

[SlipshodSliver]

Anabel is still seated, putting her right hand into her pocket and her left hand over her right wrist. Her Levinbolt Pistol materializes in her pocket, and her hand grips it. Her flashlight materializes under left hand and right wrist. "Ma'am. I'm going to ask that you go to another train car. This one's not safe."

 

[Darinas]

The creature froze in confusion. The prey had noticed it, but much to its surprise, it had not reacted with terror and fear as it had expected. In fact, she seemed to try communicating with it, as if talking to one of her own. Why wasn't she afraid? Why wasn't she crying, or trying to run like they always did?

While it had once been human, the creature had long lost most of its sentience, being now only driven by animalistic instincts, and it couldn't really understand most of what the girl was saying. Upon hearing her, however, it noticed something in her voice, and her mannerism, that felt... familiar. Could it be this was another creature Darkness, like it? The monsters stayed confused as she kept talking, not sure how to react...

That was when it heard another female voice; distording what served as its head, it turned around to see the source, and a mix of hatred and utter terror filled its primitive mind: a servant of the Light was standing there, a weapon in her hand. No! Not now! It was weak and starving; it couldn't take this one on. Panicking, it desperately tried squeezing itself out of the train car only to stumble and find itself have-stuck in the window's cracks.

 

[ChaoticSky]

Sarah twitched slightly when the woman suddenly flipped from 'human' to 'family' with a sensation that felt the way a sparkler going off looked. It was one she was unfortunately familiar with. Nobles. And boy did she hate how they did that. It was super annoying! How was she supposed to know who was family and who wasn't if they kept hiding it like that? They weren't any more human than she was, no matter what they might claim. So why pretend?

At the woman's warning she could only sigh. Part of her wanted to scoff, she didn't need help, but family are supposed to look out for each other, even if the Nobles were more like that one Uncle who only came over to mooch, Sarah could still appreciate the sentiment. She also knew that there was no way she was going to talk the woman into just going away and leaving her and the blob alone.

Of course, that meant her day was ruined. Oh it was terrible. She wasn't going to get anyone to hunt at this rate. Her Horror curled tighter in annoyance.

Sarah signed again and carefully placed her cellphone in her purse. Not in any particular rush. Nor did she gave any sign of moving from her seat. Instead she simply turned to look at the other, “Hello cousin. Fancy meeting you here!” she greeted with saccharine cheerfulness. “Would you like some help?”

 

[SlipshodSliver]

Cousin? Is she supernatural as well? Anabel pulled out her pistol and flashlight, pointing it at the monster. She spoke calmly, "If you have a way to dispatch that thing quietly without risking yourself, go ahead ma'am."

 

[Darinas]

The Noble and the child were talking. It wasn't sure what they were talking about, but they appeared not particularly disposed to fight each other. To make things worse, the wretched being of Light was now pointing her weapon at it. After its failure to entirely squeeze out of the train, it made a desperate attempt to cross over, using the shadows outside to find a way to the Dark World. To no avail; not enough Taint was leaking in this area, and Noble's wretched faith in the Light was disturbing the pathway. Despite its best efforts, it couldn't escape this plan to return home.

 

[EmbreFrosste]

The entire cafe felt like people waking up; the morning rush left it filled to the brim with sleepy college students and office workers getting breakfast, and happy, energized, and fed customers on their way to start their days in equal parts. The air of the place alone was enough to energize Dusk for a whole day, but she still bought something since she was using one of their tables.

A certain ringtone broke Dusk’s concentration as she sat in the cafe nursing her morning coffee and practicing her drawings. A facepunch-worthy smirk formed on Dusk’s face, as she quickly downed the rest of her iced coffee and picked up her assorted implements and grabbing her guitar case in a single swift motion. Immediately regretting her decision to down the icy drink, Dusk walked out of the cafe, opened up her phone, and said, “‘Sup, sunshine, found a cure for brain freeze yet?”

A short talk later, Dusk found herself no longer needing to be out of earshot of random passerby once she hung up, and rejoined the flow of people walking around. It was at this point though, that Dusk found herself in front of the Everspring Orphanage. Show and Adopt day. Dusk was barely making enough money for herself, so she couldn’t take one in, as much as they deserved some help. Still, Dusk could feel the anxiety, anticipation, and sadness without even needing to see one of them.

Dusk had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and simply decided to find a good place to lean against a wall nearby and watch the people pass by. Either way, it seemed like she had some recruiting ahead of her based on what she heard, and she might as well think of a plan.

 

[Templum Domini]

((Collab Post between Templum Domini and Darinas; Crossover between Strife in Lake Superior and Crisis in Waveton))

Thompson Estate Study

Kyle Thompson would go to his study, and open the desktop computer that lay there, before opening an encrypted website whose coding was crafted by Princesses, Magi, and Demons (Not the Abrahamic kind, the Cyberpunk kind). This was used when he delved into matters that, though not immoral, per se, were unacceptable. And said matter was calling Dennis Machiel, the 'Apex' of Waveton. He would send a quick message to the guy, saying: Thompson Here; I need to talk about a business proposal. Can't meet you face-to-face. Get your webcam ready.

Machiel Inc.

Dennis Machiel was looking through the papers of his company. Every now and then, just working on his everyday job as a CEO was somewhat... relieving for him. He enjoyed feeding as much as any Beast, of course, but with all the supernatural things he had to deal with in his life, from his fellow Begotten to Nobles and the Darkness, it felt good, sometimes, to just practice an activity that reminded him part of him still was somewhat like a human being. As he was reading, a message popped on the screen on his computer. Machiel frowned as he recognized the name: Kyle Thompson. That was the name of a young man from the twin city of Breezeton, a Mage if he recall correctly. An orphan who had recently inherited a fortune from the death of his parents. He also had the reputation of being a playboy who enjoyed going to parties; basically a sort of male counterpart of Heather Anthon - though he doubted Kyle could possibly have an ego as big as Hearther's. Machiel had had the opportunity to talk with him before, obviously, but for the most part, they had not exactly been close friends or anything similar, and in fact he suspected the Mage was uncomfortable with his kind. What could be the reason behind this message? Opening the mail, he read it. A business proposal? Interesting... after thinking for a second, he typed a message of his own.

"Doing this. You can call in about 10 seconds."

He sent the message, then adjusted his webcam. It had been a while since he had the opportunity to talk with Family outside the Nobles. This should be... interesting.

Thompson Estate Study

As Kyle activated his webcam, he would clear his throat, trying to suppress the discomfort he did feel. He would then say, "Mr. Machiel, thank you for giving me your time."

A pause, before he continued, "Long and short of it is that Mayor Fitzhue is planning to start the Second American Civil War with Breezeton as a flashpoint. Sounds outrageous, but what I said is the truth. Will you believe me?"

A sigh from the young man, who obviously looked somewhat...flustered. "I am trying to get Mayor Fitzhue overthrown in a way that does not explode social tensions within the city - the same social tensions that he plans to use to create Civil War - and that way is the November mid-term elections in the US. I already have a candidate in mind, a Princess by the name of Alouette, but she needs support in her future campaign." A frown as Kyle's tone grew firmer. "Support from powerful quarters who can protect her from the Association of Dairy Farmers, the Lake University of Technology, and the Breezeton Neighborhood Watch that keeps watch over them both."

Another pause for effect. "But the most important thing is to remove Mayor Fitzhue from the equation should defeating him in an election fail...or succeed. Even then, I don't want him dead as it would force open the social tensions I mentioned. No, I want him taught a lesson."


Machiel Inc.

Machiel listened patiently to Kyle's explanations. He raised an eyebrow at the mention of Mayor Fitzhue's projects. A Second American Civil War? In 2018? That sounded ludicrous. Then again, these were Mages they were talking about; ludicrousness and defying reality practically was their hat in the Family. And from what he had heard, the social tensions in Breezeton were at their worst lately. He repressed an irritated groan when Kyle mentioned the Dairy Farmers and the Lake University. Both of these organizations had the reputation of being as obnoxious as one another, and had been practically tearing the city apart. He didn't particularly believed in that whole "teaching lessons" thing Isabella always was preaching about, but it was situations like that almost made him believe such a culture was justified. Almost.

Strangely, it appeared Kyle had read his mind (something that, considering he was a Mage, could very well have been literally true), as that was exactly his next point. He had not said it out loud, obviously, but the implication was here. Machiel allowed himself a small smile as he felt the Crooked Man shiver with anticipation. Kyle knew how to entice a Beast's Horror.

"This is most... interesting, Mr Thompson," he started. "Still, I admit I must raise concern regarding a few issues. You mentioned this candidate you want me to support is a Princess, correct?" He joined his hands. "As you might already know, we Begotten... haven't been in the best relationship with the Hopeful these last years. In fact, we have been at war since around the 90s; only two month ago did we manage to strike a Truce, and we are still struggling to have it respected. Now, I am not sure how different exactly Nobles in Breezeton are compared to in our own city, but... don't you think your friend would express some reluctance about receiving help from one of the Dark Mother's Children?"

Thompson Estate Study

Kyle's reply was, "That's the best part; she doesn't have to know. To her, you are just another CEO, one who can provide needed campaign funds and lobbying."

Machiel Inc.

Machiel was somewhat surprised by the Mage's answer; that was unexpectedly devious, from someone he would have expected to be more of an idealist. Clearly he didn't know Kyle Thompson as well as he thought.

He considered the offer for a moment. Usually, the Inguma wasn't particularly interested in human politics; they always felt like petty squabbles to him, with both candidates being just as bad as one another. Besides, he already had his hands full with supernatural politics. But here, there was more than that at play; if Kyle really was serious about this entire new Civil War story, then the results of Mayor Fitzhue's plans could have horrible repercussions on Waveton as well; racism and religous intolerance already were strong as it was, and a war would most likely intensify them. Conversely, there were actually strong benefits; aside from a golden opportunity to feed in a way that would not harm innocents, the Nobles in Waveton would probably happy to see him actively support of one of their own outside of Waveton. This could help solidify his position as an ally of the Hopeful, which could contribute to reinforce the Truce and establish a durable peace.

"Very well, Mr Thompson," he eventually said. "Ms Alouette will have my support in the upcoming elections, and I will be happy to help you deal with Mr Fitzhue regardless of the results. You have my word."

Thompson Estate Study

Kyle smiled widely, "Thank you; I trust it is as good as your bond." A yawn, covered by his hand. "And with that, I have to take my leave and sleep..."

 

[Darinas]

Metro Underground

In a new desperate attempt, the creature tried once again to squeeze its way out through the window, putting all the effort it could. This time, it was successful, and managed to slip through the cracks. Clinging to the outside surface of the train, it tried to move and find a spot to hide in. The glass was now offering a weak barrier between it and the Noble, but it still was visible for now; at least, if they had to fight, it would have some sort of edge.

 

[Hiddenhope]

Annabella Ryder descended down the steps from Everspring Orphanage. She didn't walk down normally. She jumped down each step while keeping her feet together. When she reached the bottom she stuck both hands in the air, like she was showing off to an unseen audience.

She held that post for a second before deflating. Girl's messing around didn't attract more then a few curious looks. It didn't bother Annie, she liked to imagine that at least one watched and laughed at her Antics. They just hid themselves so well that she never saw them.

"Do-De-Do-Do" She softly, and tunelessly, sang to herself as she underwent her quest for sweets. That quest was put on halt as she spotted someone leaning against the wall close to the Orphanage. Her girlish curiosity got the better of her and she moved over. Meeting a friend that you never met could change their lives, sweets only make people happy for a while. That's how she justified the detour to herself.

"Hello" She said to the person. Annie moved closer, without giving the person a chance to answer "What ya doin?"
The girl smiled impishly "You know what they say about people doing nothing near orphanages?"

 

[ChaoticSky]

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. With a thought she drew down the Primordial Dream and let her Lair begin leaking into the tunnel around them. The traincar was too bright, but outside... The shadows writhed for a moment, then thick rubbery tendrils burst forth from the shadows under and above the train to wrap around the blob, holding it fast and pressing it against the window before it could fully escape. Honestly it made Sarah feel kinda bad. He was just hungry. Its not like she couldn't relate.

Turning her head to look at the noble once more she tilted her head slightly to the side “You knnooooooow~” she began, “Hes probably just hungry, if we let him have one they probably wouldn't bother anyone else for a while? ...No? Okay, fiiine.” She rolled her eyes at the predictable response.

Then she reached out to that primitive connection between the blob and the Dream and-

Ow! Sarah grabbed her head and hissed softly in pain, she was sure that was how it was supposed to go! Argh, stupid nightmares. She was too hungry for this.“Sorry... gimme a minute.” she half-whined.

At leased the thing was restrained?

 

[SlipshodSliver]

Anabel answered the girl's request with a simple "No," before firing. Her attack broke through the window and hit the creature. Not a fatal strike, but the monster surely felt it.

 

[Darinas]

Just as the creature thought it might get away, something happened in the tunnel. Strange tentrils burst out of the shadow and grabbed it, preventing it from moving any further. The creature shook frantically its body, desperate to escape. As it was struggling, the Noble shoot; her fire broke throught the window, and the monster let out a shriek of pain. Furiously, it tried to break free from the tendrils' graps... and miraculously, managed to squeeze out of their grasp. It was injured, however, and vulnerable to another attack.

However, it was at this moment the train left the tunnel and entered its next station. In a mechanical sound, the doors opened. Unless the three beings present acted fast, people might end up getting inside, and finding the most unusual spectacle...

Slums

"It's a bad idea, man, I tell yah."

"Shut the fuck up, Bill."

John couldn't help but feel irritated by this nonsense. All six men with him were hardened gangbangers. Each of them had at least killed one man, probably more, and taken part in multiple fights before. They were part of the Trash Tigers, one of the most powerful gangs in town. And yet, they were all giving nervous look around them like scared children as they were walking through this deserted junkyard.

"Seriously, John," Bill insisted. "Haven't you heard the stories from the previous guys who met her?"

"You mean these stories about her shooting lightning out of her hands? Cut the bullshit, Bill! I don't give a fuck about urban legends. All I care about is that some silver-haired fucker has been beating up our men lastly, and made us all look like goofs. Boss told us to teach her a lesson, and you can bet your ass that's what I'm gonna do!"

"It's no goddamn legend, man! I saw the wounds on the boys she beats up. They had burn marks."

"So what, bitch is using a taser or something? Give me a fucking break! We got guns and she fights with her fists. This'll be over in five seconds. We just need to find her."

"But even then, why are we looking here?"

John rolled his eyes. "Because that's where she was last seen, nut-nut. Why, you're gonna tell me the junkyard is haunted or something?"

Bill appeared embarrassed by the question. "Well... actually... there are stories about..."

"Okay, that's it! One more of your dumbass superstitions, and I send you look for that little slut alone! Now shut your goddamn mouth and let's get this over with!"

Bill didn't dare add anything, and the men continued walking through the abandoned junkyard, looking for the mysterious silver-haired vigilante girl who had defied their gang so many times...

 

[ChaoticSky]

You know, its not like Sarah didn't practice this sorta thing. Shed done it a bunch of times, but nope, now that she had to actually fight something instead of just punking her hunting targets, suddenly she couldn't pull it together.

And worse she'd messed up in front of a Noble! Her life was over, she was never going to live this down.

 

[SlipshodSliver]

So that's what she is. In that case... Anabel frowns as the doors open. She pockets her pistol and mouths to the girl, "Finish it off, if you can."

 

[G.I.Rose]

"Well well well... Funny how things work out." Levi stood up from under a pile of rubbish that she had passed out in earlier, spending a wisp to transform before she talked, after getting drunk under the table by Doc in 190 proof grain liquor. "I get drunk and pass out in a junk yard, and when I wake up ready to fight someone, there are six people all practically armed to the teeth looking to take me on. But I'll tell you what, I'm feeling particularly charitable, or maybe just hung over, today, so I'll give you an option. Either you stay here and get beat up by me and get a thrashing by your boss, OR you can leave and opt to just get the latter. But trust me, if you waste this chance, you're definitely going to regret it."

She knew there was no way in hell they would actually back down from her, after all, there were 6 of them against only one of her, and she wasn't visibly armed, though she was crackling with electricity so that might do something in her favor. She mentally prepared to interrupt the first person that pulled their gun on her by 'warping' behind them and grabbing onto him.

 

[Darinas]

Metro Underground

People were starting to get in the train. Nothing big, just two or three teenagers, but that was enough to distract the Noble and make her lower her weapon. The creature seize the opportunity, and jumped below, hiding in the shadow between the rails. Now, it would just have to find a safe spot away from humans so it could cross over and return home. Today had not been a lucky hunt, but there would be new opportunities...

As the creature had disappeared in the dark, the three teenagers walked to the emtpy seats. Two boys and a girl, the kind to smoke weed and go to stupid parties. The two boys wear sweaters and jeans, while the girl had a tank top and a mini-skirt that left very little to imagination, revealing the straps of a pink thong. One of them stopped to look at the damaged window.

"Wow," he said. "What happened? Did someone smash it, or something?"

Slums

The gangbangers already were on the verge of panick, and seeing the object of their terror did nothing to boost their confidence. Worse, they were actually seeing her crack lightning from her fists. Humans had an instinctive fear of anything supernatural, and the Nobles' magic was no exception. They started stepping back; when she gave them a chance to leave, Bill decided to follow the advice and make a run for it, soon followed by four of the men. Soon, John was the only one left.

"COWARDS!" He screamed, with a mix of rage and terror. "I guess it's between you and me then, you little cunt!"

John raised his glock and shot; but while he had refused to run away, he still was freaked out by the open display of supernatural power, and this affected his aiming; the bullet didn't even come close to hitting its intended target.

 

[G.I.Rose]

The second that John went to raise his glock, even though she knew he was going to miss terribly from how shaky his aim was, she still steeled herself to tense up and move as fast as lightning to right behind him. While John definitely saw her in the brief window before she wrapped her arm around his neck, he was too slow to stop her from doing just that.

"Alright, so now that the grown ups are all alone, I'm a tad curious as to who it was that sent you out here after me. I mean, I beat up a LOT of corner thugs and lackeys, so I might as well figure out who I should focus on hitting up this week." She made sure that there wasn't any lightning actually touching John, but because of the somewhat 'intimate' position that is known as the choke hold, she didn't have her relatively free hand terribly far from his face.

 

[EmbreFrosste]

Dusk turned to look at the child that came to talk to her. Trying to put her in a tight spot, huh? Can’t say that she’s not wrong, but Dusk was prepared.

“Must be pretty bad around here, if that’s the first thing you think when you see a stranger,” Dusk said in Royal Tongue.

 

[Darinas]

John was completely taken by surprise. Sure, finding out this girl could somehow really crack lightning with her fists was a shock already, but he at least had heard about her being capable of that. Her being able to somehow teleport behind him, on the other hand? That was not just unexpected, that made no sense. He could have explained the lightning with some electrical thing attached to her wrists at least, but how did she do that? Now he was in a rather humiliating position, with the girl holding him and trying to get information out of him. All this mumbo jumbo still really disturbed him, but despite this, his pride and rage refused to let him concede, no matter how awfully close her electrified hand was from his face.

"Suck my dick, you skank," he answered before struggling to break free. Catching her by surprise, he managed to get out of her hold and turned around to shoot her. Once again, however, the chaos of the situation didn't help, and he missed her, causing him to swear more.

"I will stick my bat up your ass and bring your naked corpse to the boss as a trophy!"

 

[G.I.Rose]

"Ho ho, is that a threat? I love threats, in fact, here's one of mine. When this is all said and done you won't be able to shoot straight for a week at a bare minimum." As she talked, and as he missed, Levi went ahead and grabbed the arm he was shooting with in her left hand to brace it for what she was doing, and brought her elbow down as hard as she possibly could right in the middle, incidentally where his elbow was. She was able to hear the snapping noise more than she could feel the arm as she could tell it was broken by the kind of disgusting look it had bent backwards like it was.

"So, how about it. Want me to break the other arm to even it out, or are you done being unreasonable about all of this?"

 

[Hiddenhope]

Annabella was going to interrupt the person she was talking to with something like ‘They say that people who do nothing in front of orphanages have a void in their heart that can only be filled up by adopting a poor lonely orphan.’

But when Annie heard the person speak in a language that definitely wasn’t English she frowned. She remembered speaking that language a long time ago. The girl turned around and mumbled part of what she heard. “The days once bright and sunny have....”

Suddenly she spun on her heel to face the person once again. “I know what you are.” She stared intensely “You.... are...” Annie drew each letter out “.... a secret person!”

“What is a secret person doing here? Doing secret things? I must know!” Annie walked around the newly dubbed secret person

 

[Mihau]

UNIVERSITY

"Wait, do you even study physics?"

Oh, well, he was busted. Not half bad this time, though. Full 26 minutes. That was the second best score he ever got with physicists. They were the hardest, maybe tying with mathematicians. Now to escape, smoothly, and proceed with the day like nothing happened. Easy. Ernest ran a couple of possible responses through his mind within a second.

"Whatever you say, Mark. See you at the lecture."

Ernest walked away briskly. Was the guy's name really Mark? It didn't matter. He could imagine how the conversation would go from here. "Do you know this guy?" followed by mutual shrugs. None of them would think it was important, later, because, well, it wasn't. It was an excercise and a game, like most things Ernest did for fun. His extraordinarily average looks were both a blessing and a curse. The blessing part meant he could repeat it a couple times a week without drawing much attention.

He started that game about three months ago. The rules were easy. Sit down at a table full of students of a subject you knew nothing, then engage in a conversation about that subject, for as long as you could before they unmasked you as a lowly IT guy. The technicalities of the process were a lot harder than in that one xkcd strip, sometimes the conversation strayed to an unrelated subject, and of course he had to account for the time he sat there saying nothing. Anyone could sit there doing nothing. Talking was the hard part. But it was getting easier, still. Fitting in, mild deception, improvising, all the parts of him which wanted to sit in a black armchair stroking a long-haired white cat got their excercise that way.

Ernest's dorm room was messy with a special kind of mess in which you knew exactly where everything was, right until you tidied up. To counter it, Ernest never tidied up, aside from picking up old clothes and the occasional making up of the bed, when he was feeling in mood for high culture. He sat on his bed (unmade at the moment) and opened his laptop, a decent piece of equipment, but, of course, unconquerable to his metaphysical beast machine of a computer which he held in his Lair. As always, the first thing he checked was the Network.

The Network was, technically, a primordial cult, but "network" just fit it so much better. It was just students he initiated posting information they and their friends had collected on anything out of the ordinary. Occult, gang activity, the more serious university gossip, it all went through here. The Network spanned only the uiversity and the surroundings at the moment, but it was enough. For now. Nothing important happened at the uni without Ernest knowing.

The Network communicated thorugh a forum, called affectionately the Network Network by Ernest and noone else. He flicked through the more interesting snips of information his operatives collected. The city-wide dumpster fire that was the war between the Begotten and Hopeful ended recently, but fortunately that didn't make the city any less interesting. Some silver-haired girl was running around the slums frying thugs with lightning shot out of her hands. Atavisms didn't work that way, so it couldn't be a Beast. That meant that unless a Mage was having fun doing vigilante justice she had to be a Princess. He didn't knew any other supernatural that'd wear outfits that over the top. They also impertinently refused to follow genre tropes, which made them impossible to track through easy signs, such as having friends with color-coded hair, running out of the classroom without giving any explanation and talking to toys and animals. The latter two happened sometimes, apparently, but Nobles knew how suspicious/stupid they looked doing that and avoided it whenever possible. That might have been the reason he wasn't able to find any Nobles among the university students. There had to be some, if only because of statistics. He just had to find an easier to - I wake up in the morning sinking halfway thorugh the bottom, there's a loud distorted screaming in my soul - It was his phone. Someone was calling, an unknown number. Well, this ought to be interesting. This was as good a time to receive a call to adventure as any.

 

[Darinas]

Downtown

Cecilia, Machiel's secretary, rubbed her head. She still wasn't sure why she had let this strange pale-skinned woman enter in her boss office; refusing just felt... wrong, somehow. She had feared this would get her fired, but strangely, Dennis Machiel didn't seem to even acknowledge it; in fact, he had just asked her to call someone for him. A young man named... Ernest Slender. What a strange name. Oh, well, the least she could do was do her job right this time. She dialed the number and wanted until someone answered.

"Mr Ernest Slender?" she asked, waiting politely for answer. "Hello. My name is Cecilia Crawdford, and I work for Machiel Inc. My superior, Mr Dennis Machiel, would like to meet you. He has a... work, of some sort, he wishes to offer you. If you are interested, could you please tell me when you would be available?"

 

[Mihau]

Call for adventure indeed. Dennis Machiel? If Ernest was the type to have idols Dennis Machiel would be one. The man was a legend. He came closest to fulfilling the Magnificent Bastard archetype of all the people Ernest knew. He was also an Inguma, just like him. Not particularly relevant, but it did made him a bit more sympathetic. Of course Ernest was interested, how could he not be?

"Hello, Ms Crawdford, I am most definitely interested in work of any sort. As to when I'm available, I'd say I'm always available, but for the convenience of us both let's say it's tomorrow, any time after 4 PM."

A keen listener might have heard a tiny little click of a switch in Ernest's head. Whenever he was approaching the "mastermind" mindset he adopted a manner of speech that could be described as something between Artemis Fowl and Havelock Vetinari. He wasn't trying to sound professional, or posh, or anything. It was just fun, and fitting.

 

[Darinas]

Cecilia nodded. "Very well. Then you can present yourself tomorrow at Machiel Inc. in Downtown, at 4.30 PM. Mr Machiel will be happy to see you. Thank you for your time." She hang up and sighed in relief. At least she had done one thing right today.

 

[Kalzky]

"Ho ho, is that a threat? I love threats, in fact, here's one of mine. When this is all said and done you won't be able to shoot straight for a week at a bare minimum." As she talked, and as he missed, Levi went ahead and grabbed the arm he was shooting with in her left hand to brace it for what she was doing, and brought her elbow down as hard as she possibly could right in the middle, incidentally where his elbow was. She was able to hear the snapping noise more than she could feel the arm as she could tell it was broken by the kind of disgusting look it had bent backwards like it was.

"So, how about it. Want me to break the other arm to even it out, or are you done being unreasonable about all of this?"

Mary was having a nice day. Honestly, she was. School wasn't being a pain her ass, she dodged any fights that could have spawned in those oh so "prestigious" halls of learning(why was that good, she could crush them, should crush them feed, hungry.) She had even gotten a halfway decent grade on a quiz. Things were looking up, honestly. A step, another one, and soon enough she could be free to break some shit, release some tension. Mary, however, was jolted from these thoughts quickly when she actually stepped into the junkyard, hands already reaching towards the baseball bat she kept amongst the scrap metal, near the entrance. She readied the bat, stepping out in the open, and witnessing the struggle with rather irritated eyes. A deep sigh escaped her lips, and she waited to see what happened next.

 

[Darinas]

John screamed in pain as his arm snapped in a horrible sound. He watched in horror at his abnormally bent limb, whose bone was now visible. His gun was now on the ground, and he definitely wasn't in shape to properly use it anyway.

"You bitch!" he yelled. "You broke my fuckin' arm!"

Crawling on the ground, he desperately tried to get away from the silver-haired woman who was now standing above him.

"You wanna know why we were after you? Are you fucking retarded, or what? You go around fucking with the Trash Tigers, don't act surprised when they try to strike back. Boss wants your fuckin' head, you little slut!"

 

[G.I.Rose]

"Ah, you see, I was going to say something halfway nice, maybe given you a chance to apologize and NOT ruin that arm entirely, but unfortunately, I think we've gone well past that point in this little relationship of ours. Especially when you have to make it personal like that."

Levi walked up to the man as he tried to scurry away, still as rude as he had been earlier and stomped down on his hand, hard, she knew that she broke bone, but regardless she shifted her weight so most of it was on the hand. She wasn't looking at it, but she suspected he wouldn't ever be able to shoot straight again with that hand, if they didn't just amputate the whole arm.

"Now, I think that we've both said some things we might regret during this 'conversation', some of us more than others, and I'm going to give you a chance to apologize anyway."

 

[Darinas]

John screamed again as the girl crushed his hand with her foot. It was now bleeding abondantly, and he had to hold it with his still valid one to keep the fingers from falling off. The once angry and defying thug was reduced to a crying mess of a man, barely able to form sentences or stand up, let alone fight.

 

[Kalzky]

Mary watched this whole interaction with dispassionate interest, mixed with a small amount of annoyance. She still clutched her bat, not planning on relieving herself of her instrument of violence for the time being. Yet she made no movement for her spot, not sure if she should be involved, even if she ached to just break something. For now, she kept her watch and stayed in her place.

 

[G.I.Rose]

While she still absolutely hated this person beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was still pretty hard for her to look at what he had become because of the light. She felt like she had done stuff like this a lot more before she transformed the first time. It was a confusing turnabout, since she liked to pride herself on being an unflinching bad ass who was always willing to fight. But, as she turned away, not going to call in for some morphine or something like that since the guy had made it clear he wasn't going to feel remorse over the kind of shit bag he was, or stomping his face in because she didn't know if he was a completely horrible person who she just needed to get rid of. Definitely something to think about as she started to wonder if she wound up actually dooming him for gross failure of his goal. Or maybe someone else would be 'made an example of'. Things to think of later.

Of course, as she turned around, she saw a new comer to this fight. "Well, I don't know who you are, but I can tell you one thing. You're a bit late to the party if you were sent to try and kill me like he was, but, for what it's worth, I'm still more than willing to fight."

 

[Darinas]

((collab between Darinas and Mihau))
((Note: This part actually takes place the next day chronologically, but was posted now to accomodate the player. I apologize if this make it confusing))

Downtown

Machiel sat at his desk and went through the papers. The company was doing fine currently; he had been able to mostly preserve it from the ravage of the war, and with the Truce in place, business was going once again. Still, he had some preparation; now that he had his deal with Kyle, he needed to prepare himself for the elections in Breezeton. And for that, he needed to be as well-informed as possible regarding the current situation back there. As he was going through the files, his secretary called.

"Yes, Cecilia?"

"I am sorry for disturbing you, sir, but your appointment of 4.30 PM has arrived."

"Ah, good." With a smile, Machiel closed the file. "Let him in."

Cleaning up his desk, he jointed his hands and waited. He had heard a lot about this Ernest Slender's deeds at the University, and he was eager to finally meet this young Beast who shew so much promise.

Ernest paused before entering the office. He just needed a second to collect himself. This wouldn't be hard. He just had to answer questions to get that "work", whatever it was supposed to be. And Mr Machiel wasn't a demi-god to be feared. He was merely an extremely powerful and influential beast to be feared in most circumstances with the exclusion of, hopefully, this one. He opened the door and stepped in confidently.

The office was built at the top of the building, with a large window offering a view above the whole Downtown. It was a strange decoration, a mix of modern and old-fashioned, with curved beams, white sleek walls and an oval desk, but ancient-looking paintings and candle-like lamps. Sat on his desk, Dennis Machiel, the Apex of Waveton, was waiting for him. He look surprisingly young for someone of his position, barely out of his thirties, with a fairly nice and affable face. But as a Begotten, Ernest could see his Horror, his "True" self, standing behind him: a large, crooked, pale-skinned man in a black fancy suit, smiling with shark-like fangs.

"Ah, Mr Slender," the elder Beast said, a smile on his face. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person. Please, come and have a seat."

Finally meet in person? How long have his actions been observed? Or maybe it was just information based on rumours. In both cases Ernest's deeds have been noticed and appreciated, which soothed the sting being outspied a little. He made a mental note to pay more atttention to potential hostile operatives observing his actions, though, he added soberly, he couldn't expect his amateurish operatives to be better than Mr Machiel's top-tier spies.

Ernest walked to the chair and sat, listening intently. This was going to be interesting, if nothing else.

Machiel look at him in silence for a few seconds, as if to analyse him. He then grabbed a file on his desk and placed it in front of him.

"My cultists have been following your activities for a while, now. These are the notes I kept on you. And I have to say, given what you had to work with... I am impressed by the results. I mean, an entire network of students and scifi amators keeping tabs on almost everything in town? You show promises, young man."

He smiled again, and for a few seconds, his human form's grin appeared disturbingly similar to his Horror's.

"Seems to me you have a good disposition for tasks requiring... subtlety. And as I am sure my secretary already explained to you, I might have exactly such a task to offer you, if you are interested."

Once again, he joined his hands. "Given your hobby, I presume you have been keeping tabs on the war with Nobles?"

"Yes, ever since I started my "hobby", as you called it, though not as much as I would like. I lacked the Begotten contacts to get detailed information and my agents could only tell me so much with their rudimentary knowledge of the occult they had. I was glad my area of living didn't get much fighting most of the time." So it was a matter concerning Nobles. Of course it was. The Truce between opposing supernatural sources was still pretty rough and there was plenty of little problems to solve. The exact nature of his task requiring subtlety was yet to be revealed.

"You were lucky indeed. But I digress. As you most likely know as well, we recently managed to strike a Truce. There are two primary reasons we managed to find common ground; the first was that Nobles couldn't afford to get distracted from fighting the Darkness, given they were getting stronger and more organized. The second is that the Darkness' increase of power coincide with a... disturbance in the Primordial Dream, lastly. As if someone was damaging it. Maybe you felt it yourself?"

He did. Like an itch in a limb he didn't have. "I did. Discomforting."

"Indeed. And while weak for now, it gets worse as every day passes." Machiel's expression darkened a bit. "And as I said, the bigger it gets, the stronger the Darkness seems to get. We have a good reason to think both of these phenomenons, whatever they are, are linked."

"And how do you intend to counter it?" There was nothing wrong in asking questions when he was being explained the situation anyway, was there?

Machiel smiled. "You are responsive. I like that. High Priestess Isabella and the Nobles' Seekers have been investigating on it for a while. We might have actually found a lead in the Slums. It seems like this disturbance is coming primarily from the territory of a street gang known as the Trash Tigers. And quite fortunately for us, said gang also happens to be on the Nobles' black list. You probably see where I am going with this?"

"Both Hopeful and Begotten need them gone, and you want me to help do just that, preferably in a way that doesn't bring more gang warfare into the slums, though what exactly I'm supposed to do still eludes me."

Machiel nodded. "Sort of. But in truth, your mission would go a bit deeper than that. Officially, you would be part of a mixed group of Nobles and Begotten to help take down the Trash Tigers and figure out what they did to cause this phenomenon, but you would have a second, more secretive charge. See... I am not going to sugar-coat it: the only reason we managed to establish this Truce was because of this new, common threat. The tensions are still there, and it is very likely that, once whatever this looming threat is, our people will get back at slaughtering each other once it's gone. And I think we can both agree it's in everyone's best interest this doesn't happen."

He marked a pause, allowing Ernest to nod.

"Then you might understand there is much more at stake. If we want peace to last, Begotten and Nobles need to learn, not only to work, but also to live together. To see each other as Family once again, rather than as bitter enemies. Hence why I would like you to... monitor them. See how they interact, and try to influence them the best you can into forming bonds, friendships, even romances if you want to give it a try. Make sure they don't turn against one another, and learn to see beyond their prejudices. You and them are the next generation, and your actions will define what happen next."

He smiled again. "And, of course, you would report to me regularly to let me know of your progress. So, what do you think of it? Still interested?"

"Even more than before, actually. I feel like this mission was tailored specifically to my abilities and I'm grateful for that."

"I knew you were the man for the job. I am sure you understand how important this is for the future of our town. I am placing a lot of trust in you, Mr Slender." Finally separating his hands, he reached for another file on his desk and handed it over to his fellow Inguma. "These are the coordonates of the Trash Tigers' hideout. Of course, I am sure you could have found out by yourself, but I felt it was more... polite to provide you with them. My secretary will send you a mail with a date to meet your new teammates, as well as whatever informations we'll be able to collect about them. Until then, you are free to go." He stood up and shook Ernest's hand. "Thank you for your time, Mr Slender. And good luck with your work."

"Thank you for the opportunity, sir. You can expect regular reports of my progress." Ernest walked out of the office, and then out of the building. Finally, he was doing something important, something with a purpose. Absolutely crucial, but oh, so fun. He might give matchmaking a pass, though, at least for the time being. And now to get back to the dorm and check all the info about his teammates-to-be. Ernest wondered briefly how many of Nobles were going to be high-school girls. Source material would suggest a vast majority, but even if that was true it was not a problem. He had nothing against high-school girls, he was almost a high-school girl once too, except that he wasn't a girl.

 

[Kalzky]

While she still absolutely hated this person beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was still pretty hard for her to look at what he had become because of the light. She felt like she had done stuff like this a lot more before she transformed the first time. It was a confusing turnabout, since she liked to pride herself on being an unflinching bad ass who was always willing to fight. But, as she turned away, not going to call in for some morphine or something like that since the guy had made it clear he wasn't going to feel remorse over the kind of shit bag he was, or stomping his face in because she didn't know if he was a completely horrible person who she just needed to get rid of. Definitely something to think about as she started to wonder if she wound up actually dooming him for gross failure of his goal. Or maybe someone else would be 'made an example of'. Things to think of later.

Of course, as she turned around, she saw a new comer to this fight. "Well, I don't know who you are, but I can tell you one thing. You're a bit late to the party if you were sent to try and kill me like he was, but, for what it's worth, I'm still more than willing to fight."

Mary kept her grip on the bat, but she lowered slightly. She had no intention of fighting right now, even if she itched to do so. She sighed deeply once more, shifting her weight around restlessly.

"I'm not with him, but it's going to be a pain in the ass to clean up all that fucking blood."

 

[G.I.Rose]

“I mean, why bother cleaning up the blood. It’s not like he’s dead or anything, and it’s not like you have any on you. Besides, it’s dirt. Its default state is dirty.”

Levi just kind of popped her neck, it was clear she was wholly unthreatened by Mary, especially as she was now.