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Wednesday, August 17, 2016
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About Derek
- Derek Landy
- Derek Landy writes the Skulduggery Pleasant series because getting a proper job is so overrated.
2,545 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1801 – 2000 of 2545 Newer› Newest»Hope you had a super birthday Noelle!! C:
Huh. Haven't commented here in ages.
Well, I'm alive. My gerbil Coco passed away on Monday....Not sure how I'm handling.
Aww... I'm sorry Zaf... :((
Rip Coco
Aretha is sooo cute ^.^
I'm sorry to hear that Zaf :(
haha well I am glad your birthday was good and that Aretha is cute. I remember you saying something about your mom being a psychologist and known? What's her name? General curiosity as I also study psychology.
Rest In Peace, Coco.
She does transpersonal psychology, and she is finishing up her dissertation at the moment
*leaves cookies for all*
*on a really big plate*
:D
We went skiing and boarding today and it was incredible.. we went at sunset into the night, too, and the sunset over the valley was stunning
Noelle is also very cute, and Aretha would like to extend her thanks to Noelle, and add that she is quite a lovely snowboarder.
I see, that's pretty cool. My mom studied it at uni :D And I'll be doing things similar to that as well.
Yeeey, snowboarding is an gut :P I like watching the sunset and the night sky and such...they're really pretty.
Also happy belated birthday, Noelle.
And thanks for the cookies, Kas.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAV!!!!!! 🎈🎂🎉🎂🎊
(Sorry this is a day late!)
You mean similar to transpersonal psychology? Or just psychology in general.
*:D* Snowboardinggg
Umm well I'd say both. Yeah, definitely both.
*eats some cookies I suppose* thanks
*missed all the birthdays*
I hope you guys had a good time, though.
Necessary
Oi?
Hmm it is rather quiet, I'll have to wander here in UK time.
And...Well I did say goodbye to Coco. Except we can't bury him yet due to the ground frozen. So we have him in the freezer. Sounds weird..But I mean....Blizzard happened. Snowball is happy though. Playing and all
Eh, it's always gonna be quiet, Zaf, just a matter of luck if anyone else is on
Day 5 of the flu..
Sorry to hear that. Feel better soon, Noelle
Sup dudes
nothing. Everything's hollow.
Hello
Been a while
Hi. Yes indeed it has. How are you doing?
I'm great thanks
Yourself?
Haha yeah ok. How are you finding uni life and such?
Uni life is stressful but great ^.^ so many nice people and I'm vP of the pagan club now
Haha I am glad to hear that you like it. And damn that's a pretty big position. A lot has happened to me since. I have started knowing who I am finally. Who I am here and who I am there and everywhere.
(Interesting
So who are you really then?
Everything and nothing.
Oh?
Interpret that how you like. After all, your reality me is not my reality me.
What's with this acting all mysterious?
I am vague with sharpened edges. Plus I am feeling poetic.
Right...
so much happening in your life?
Can't tell if there's supposed to be a comma after the so but...hmmm yeah there's quite a lot of things. New things, old things, all kinds. I am either going to study forensic psychology or forensic anthropology at uni.
What unis you looking at?
Liverpool and Chester. Where are you?
I'm down in Portsmouth
oh damn that's a long way.
(It's like three hours from my place
But it's a good uni
Ugh I have to go to the library tomorrow to print my work out
It's so fucking massive
I get lost
WHOS WATCHING SPG LIVESTREAM
Oh hai Mark :3
Goodnight stars
Goodnight air
Goodnight voices everywhere
Madie passed this morning
How do I deal with this
*walks in and waves*
*repairs the sadly neglected benches*.
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman...
Lights up on Washington Heights, up at the break of day...
Bangkok, Oriental setting and the city don't know what the city is getting...
Something has changed within me, something is not the same...
I'm stepping out my dear to breathe an atmosphere that simply reeks with class...
Close every door to me, hide all the world from me...
Well, ya got trouble my friends, I say ya got trouble right her in River city...,
*here
DROPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF A FORGOTTEN SPOT IN THE CARRIBEAN
I'M THROUGH WITH PLAYING BY THE RULES OF SOMEONE ELSE'S GAME
BY PROVIDENCE IMPOVERISHED, IN SQUALOR
TOO LATE FOR SECOND GUESSING, TOO LATE TO GO BACK TO SLEEP
Oh.
Niemand ist hier....
you aren't wrong XD
Wishing all the lurkers a good Easter.
ey b0ss gibe me dat 420 plez
:) And a good Easter to you too, Kas.
ay good easter also where's dat stuff? I need my 420 plez
And I find myself here yet again. Just want to know how everyone is doing.
Since you two are here, how are you, Fera and Stardust?
And... has anyone heard from Hope, Sophia, or Jaimie? I... Well, not Jaimie, I guess, I think she's alive. But I haven't heard from Hope for over a month now, and Sophia for almost a year.
(But yes, has anyone also heard from Jai, Gem, **Noelle and Annika and Ieni and Trip and everyone...**?)
hehe butts
Trippp
hi kas i am alright yeah. actually been doing better than the past 5 years so that's good :D kinda getting on track with stuff. ummmmm jai, i talk to her on facebook occasionally, same with gemma. i talk with keiron quite often and he's doing ok too. haven't heard of hope in a while either, but seeing how the situation is over at japan and korea, i hope she is ok. sophia i have zero idea XD
Jai is still alive
Since I know Derek won't post it: Contest for Resurrection.
guessing this just completely died eh ?
I'd say this blog is more of a white walker than a traditional undead
Except I suppose without the unending war on the living part.
[quickly hides large scythe]
War on the living? What war on the living? I'm totally living! Yeah
yas
Thank you for the link, Moss.
Well I mean, most of us aren't participating in an unending war on the living.
Personally my war on the living is a bit lacklustre and tends to stop and start at irregular intervals.
How are you all?
Pretty good. I'm going through my exams, so it's quite stressful, but hey, always look on the bright side eh? You?
Well, the past couple of weeks have been kinda shit, but it's starting to look up again.
Well that's good, I hope that what's been messing with you is gone for good. In the end, it's all relative, eh.
I mean, the situation is all but over but I am very much still damaged by it. I'm working on that though.
I hate existence itself lol
*group hug*
*Crawls in and hugs Moss*
*Then shuffles to Trip and jumps into his arms -knocking them both down because she is heavy- and snuggles*
haha Adra is heavy funny joke
[hugs Noelle]
[hugs Trip too]
*Hits trip*
*laughs more because it's like being hit by a feather*
*hugs Fabi*
Bich
Excuse me
I throw a hard punch, boi
I'll believe that when I feel it :3
Queen I will punch you if I need to
You can try m9 but all I can say is good luck
I'm gonna accept that challenge buddy boy
Oh yeah, buster?
YEAH BOI
Ur toast
I am a toast? *looks around, looking at bread hands* oh yeah!
Aww Kassy thanks for asking for me. Yes i'm doing fine. Jai and Keiron are fine too.
Frank, Jai and Keiron all met down in England yesterday :( Keiron didn't take me with him. Mostly because it would have been awkward as he was staying with his family.
At least I met Frank. He will always be remembered as my favourite birthday gift :P
Also when I first came on I met cassidy in real life at comic con and became friends with her and her friends but since me and Adam broke up no one from that group talks to me :-/ Saw them all at the Fall Out Boy concert that me and Keiron went to in August/September and they all kinda ignored me which was nice of them.
So I've met 2 bloglandians that I didn't previously know! :D
Anyway, how is everyone else? ^.^
*lightly butters toastFera* I worry about the implications of saying I want to eat Fera.
Well, Adra, you know what I say to your challenge?
I'm not really the violent type and I don't really want to fight so maybe we can come to a peaceful solution?
I'm good thanks, glad you had fun :)
Fine. You owe me a cuddle next month, then. And we shall call it square.
*Peers closer at Trip; holds out her hand*
Em and I just played Minecraft for a while
It was a lot of fun :)
It's almost 4 and I haven't slept because I'm reading this terribly written trilogy but I can't sto
I finished it
10000% done with humanity I have no faith
I don't know trip, you can eat me if ya want to :D Kill me !
Haha thank you Gemma though I'd think I make everything one bad party once I turn up :P kinda like the Joker XD
*Slides her blade from the stomach of Eamon Crane, a previous Elder at the English Sanctuary- he was in power in the early 1800s, from a period of 1802 to 1833*
My darling Eamon *She reaches a hand forward, soft fingertips brushing along his ancient and decrepit cheekbone* It's been a long time since we have talked. In fact, the last time I saw you, I was not quite like who I am today, was I?
*The older man stutters as he looks at her* We did what we had... to.
*The woman smiles softly, and kneels down* You imprisoned me for twenty years. I spent a long time looking for you.. And you're lucky you evaded me in the 20s. *Presses the knife back into his stomach, and twists it sparingly- she can feel his intestines snap around the weapon* *The groan that slips from his lips is music to her ears* I'm sorry, Eamon, but this must be done.
*She pushes his body onto a symbol on the ground- she used it once before, in 2015, in an attempt to save someone close to her* *But this time, she is using it to punish the ex-Elder* *His eyes close immediately as his energy and soul are sapped away from the shell of his body, and transported somewhere else*
*Wipes her blade off with a handkerchief, then tucks it away* *Steps over the body as she leaves his office*
*Later that day, Marlene is sitting in an underground bar in New York, drinking a 150 proof vodka and cranberry* *She is watching the ring go on about twenty feet away- two men, slightly inebriated, are swinging punches at each other in a closed-off area* *Both are covered in each other's blood, and are busy beating each other up*
*Marlene watches from the bar area, sipping her potent drink* *Her clear eyes are piercing, watching the fight- the smaller of the two evades a kick and in a few moves, has the larger on his back, unconscious* *There is cheering from around the bar as the smaller man celebrates*
*The cheers continue to go around, and a man- a larger one, with lots of muscles- steps into the ring, looking for someone to go up against* *Marlene takes one last draw from her glass, and drifts over* I'll accept.
*The man- Elias Turner- looks at her, and laughs* I was hoping for more of a challenge than someone of the likes of you. *He could be speaking about the fact that she is a woman, or he could be talking about how she is petite*
Then this ought to be an easy win for you, hmm? *Marlene shrugs off her jacket, and hangs it on the edge of the arena* *She jumps over the cords, into the rink* *She applies a dark lipstick to her lips, before turning back to Elias* Same rules as with the previous fight, Mr. Turner?
*He is still chuckling to himself* Alright. You've got yourself a deal.
*The emcee then calls for the fight to begin with the ring of a bell*
*Before he can move, Marlene ducks in low, darting forward and punches him in his throat, sending him gagging, backwards*
*Elias' eyes grow as he swoops under her right hook, and sends an uppercut to her abdomen* *Marlene has her arms close to herself, and is able to shield herself from the majority of the blow. In return, she moves in close with her fists close to her chin, and jabs high once, then low twice*
*Elias stumbles backwards, but jumps back forward, managing to crunch his fist into her mouth*
*Spitting out blood, Marlene holds her ground, and grabs his outstretched arm, twists, then uses her knee to kick his legs out from under him* *Twists, and flips him over her hip* *With a final push, she slams his face into the ground, grinding his nose against the floor* *Grabbing his hair, she twists, and begins to repeatedly smack his head, over and over and over, until he unconscious*
*Cheers erupt around her, but she ignores that, and pushes his body over onto his back* *Leaning over, she presses her lips to his, before standing up, and backing from the rink*
*Moving quickly, she leaves the bar and, just as the door shuts behind her, she hears screams as the onlookers realize that Elias is dead*
*a man in a long anorak is adjusting a streetsign. He steps back, seemingly pleased as slashing rain hits the seemingly unchanged piece of municipal property. His head whips around, face shielded by the coat's long hood. He runs up to Marlene and hands her a crumpled envelope before dashing away down the street*
*As the man turned to run Mralene was certain that she saw a flash of purple hair as he spun*
*Finding it odd, but Marlene unmistakably knows who the man is* *She stands there for a minute, then opens the envelope, to read what she assumes is a note*
*the man vanishes into the weather*
*The note is scrawled in a frantic handwriting: stand by the sign for three seconds*
*Her eyes narrow* *To herself* I don't have time for this, Trip.
*She will walk to the sign, and crosses her arms*
*After the three seconds have elapsed, it keeps raining.*
...
*Marlene checks the time on her phone- she should leave before any Sanctuary detectives appear* *Turns, and twists a small bracelet on her wrist, activating a symbol* *It begins to charge up, and blue light radiates from the ground beside her as a portal symbol etches itself into the earth*
*The portal forms, and Marlene walks through it- she appears back home, glancing toward her bedroom- where unmistakably, the rest of her family is sleeping* *They can't know that she is here- she has been gone for two weeks, and the last thing she needs is her personal life to get in the way of what she needs to do* *Slips down the hallway, past her red room, and into their weapons closet- there are many beautifully made knives and swords there- of which she takes both of her long swords- but she is more interested in her own personal collection*
*Opens a certain case and brings out her barreled Colt, then her Desert Eagle* *Packs enough bullets into her bag to last her for a while*
*Once she has her weapons, she will quickly check on her son and daughter, who are fast asleep* *Kisses each of their heads, and then steps from their room, shutting the door quietly* *She needs to get out of there before she gets caught*
*Leaves through the portal again, and away to a safe house in the middle of Russia*
No Frank, you did not make it a bad party. You were amazing. Such a star keeping the dance floor alive with my little brother. :)
*There is a knock on the door of the safe house- Marlene doesn't move from her seat, and listens to the door open after being unlocked from the outside* *In steps Leon Paris, his hair black as night, his gaze intense as he stares at Marlene* *He takes off his coat, and takes his time hanging it up on the coatrack, then slips his scarf on the hook* Get me a drink.
*Marlene pauses, then stands up, moving across the room to the sleek and new kitchen, and pours a glass of whiskey for Leon* How was your day of screwing over our people?
*Leon takes the drink from Marlene as she hands it over to him, taking a gulp* You would know a thing or two about that, now wouldn't you? If I recall, it was you who destroyed our planet two years ago. *He looks at the glass of whiskey* I'll have to thank Hydra for stocking this here.
*Marlene, rubbed the wrong way, crosses her arms, teeth gritting* I did what you asked- I killed them. I want to know when I'm being let out of the deal, here. I want to go home.
*Leon looks at her, a scowl etched onto his features; she shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably under his gaze* You're done when I say you are done. *He stands, making a circle around her* And you're done when you've successfully fucked over your life beyond recognition. Just like- *he pauses, his fingers sliding down her neck, and resting at her shoulder* -you did to me.
You son of a bitch. I'm going to- *Twisting, Marlene draws her blade from her coat, and raises it-*
*Her heart stops*
Not... So... Fast. *Leon has, in his hands, a small doll that looks familiar to Marlene* I'm not afraid to use this if I have to. *He lifts his hand, regardless, and splays his fingers in front of Marlene*
*Marlene begins to scream, her legs folding under her as her body feels like it is on fire*
*Leon, after about half an hour of torturing her, becomes bored with her screams, and releases his hold over her; he then places his foot on her chest, keeping her pinned against the floor* I'm going to leave, now. I have your next victim here *He sets a manila folder down on the table* And you're going to do it. And when you're done, you're going to call me. Understand?
*Marlene grits her teeth, refusing to say anything to him* *And then she watches as Leon takes a pin, and begins to slowly poke it through the doll's shoulder*
*White, iron-hot pain shoots through Marlene, and a harsh, feral growl escapes her clenches teeth* Fine.
*With a smile, Leon removes the pin* Good. *He moves back to the door, and puts on his coat, then scarf* *And he leaves*
*The next day, Marlene is in Saudi Arabia, wearing modest clothing to fit in* *She is sitting across the street from the entrance to the Saudi Sanctuary, sitting outside at a small restaurant, and sipping some tea* *Her eyes are trained on the building, like a hawk*
*One of the Elders, Irene Zaire, is walking out with her "non-conspicuous" team of Cleavers* *Marlene has a knife underneath her clothes that has Elder Zaire's name on it, but not today* *Today, she is just learning the routine* *The Elder climbs into her car, and with that, Marlene stands up, leaving money on the table, and walks down the street after the car*
*Unbeknownst to Elder Zaire, there is a tracking device under the car*
*Alastair will be out searching for her* *he will ask Niccolò to search for her name, and scry for her*
*Marlene's connection to Alastair would be hidden, due to a few symbols on the doll* *So too, her name is more or less hidden from any sight* *The best that they could do, perhaps, is see through the scrying glass that she is in the Middle East*
*As the day draws to a close, Marlene returns to the safe house, and the symbols begin to glow- and then the house is more or less off the map* *She watches the small dot that represents Elder Zaire move around in her home* *Marlene sighs, and pours herself a few shots to take* *Getting drunk seems like a nice solution*
*then they will go to the Middle East* *they will try the sanctuaries of different countries, and search for her by smell*
*About ten shots in, Marlene is feeling very brave* *She removes her cellphone, and calls Leon* *Like any kind of pretentious asshole, he makes her wait on the line before picking up* Paris.
*Marlene's voice is slurred* You can do your own dirty work, Leon. I'm done with being your servant. I'm not doing this shit anymore. *A few moments later, the phone hangs up without any word from Leon*
.... Damn.
*Marlene retrieves her knife, and goes back to drinking*
*then they will trace her scent to where the house disappears* *Alastair will look around to see if it may be still there but invisible somehow, and Niccolò will look for traces of magic to see where it went if it has disappeared*
*Then perhaps the one in Riyadh would have a powerful mark on it- and the restaurant that she sat at as well would be especially potent* *They could follow it back down the street, and into the alleyway that she previously had her portal set up in* *The remnants of it are left against the wall, stained like charcoal*
*they will find it, then, and Niccolò will draw a new one over it, to take them to wherever she went*
*Then indeed, they may find the empty space* *It is similar to something used before- and the house moves through multiple dimensions and spatial areas on Earth, constantly shifting*
*Then it will begin to glow- and should Alastair have learned anything from Adra, he should be able to activate the symbol, so that it glows*
*They will be deposited into the house, at the front door* *Marlene is still sitting at the table and, the moment they appear, she turns and runs*
*Alastair will call out for her, and try to get in* *Niccolò will just take Alastair's shoulder and walk them through the door, if they can*
*Marlene moves to the second floor of the house, and grabs her rifle* *Stations herself on the balcony overlooking the main sitting area, and she waits for them to move into the room, to speak* *Her eye is strained down the scope of the rifle* You two need to leave. Now.
*Alastair will look to Niccolò* You can go. *but he isn't leaving* *So Alastair will just try to talk to Adra, while they remain in their places by the door to the room* Adra, darling, please- I'm not going to hurt you. All I want is to help you. ...Where did you go? Why are you here? Let me know what I can do to help you.
*She doesn't move- she is keeping him in the crosshairs* *He needs to leave before Leon gets here* *She doesn't want Leon to hurt Alastair* Please, Alastair, leave. You're going to get yourself hurt otherwise.
*Despite being absolutely tanked, her hands are steady on the weapon*
When have I ever cared about that? I just want you to be safe. Whoever is keeping you here- please, let us take care of each other. Tell me what's happening- I'm sure we can find a way to handle it. I adore you, and I miss you- all I want is to make you safe and happy. Let us help you.
*She takes a breath out, and moves the rifle by a fraction- and with an exhale, the pulls the trigger, shooting just behind Alastair* *The bullet from the gun might graze the hair on the side of his head* I'm fine. I'm here on alchemist business- politics. I don't need help.
If you had wanted to leave, my love, you would have let me know, and we would still have our connection. If you genuinely want to kill me, I will let you. But please, if you don't- please talk to me. Let me help you. Don't try to protect me by keeping me away, if that's what you're doing.
*Her heart is squeezing painfully in her chest- likely from all of the vodka shots she had* *But he has a point* *She decides to give in marginally to his requests* Alastair, I can't. Even though that would make all of this easier- Leon Paris will kill our family and some of my old friends if he discovers that you have been here.
Is he more powerful than anything else we've ever faced? Even if he is- I believe we and our friends can keep our children safe, and I'm sure your old friends too, if you tell us who they are. We can stop or reverse time itself if we need to. And I will not let you face this alone, so long as you don't really want me dead.
*Of course she doesn't want him dead* *Of course not* *But because she is unbalanced, she doesn't feel anything right now* I don't know if he is. But he's killed my people before, and I'll be damned if I let that happen again. *She cocks the gun again* Please. You need to leave. *She's desperate* Listen to me. Please.
Adra, I can't leave you. Give us the names of your friends, so Niccolò can protect them. And if you really want me to go- then tell me what I can do to actually help you that's better than being here. I want to listen to you, but I can't do that if you are going to place your safety before mine, or if you think you can't be helped.
*Her grip on the gun tightens, and wavers* Leon Paris was dictator of Gaia for many years. He ordered an ethnic cleansing initiative of my people. Those who survived- Priya, Eritan, others- are currently held captive by him. He's a special kind of dark alchemist- since we last met, he has studied balanced and unbalanced states, and he has the ability to manipulate that it will. Back in the day, he was known as the Puppeteer, because he knows how to marionette anyone with these voodoo dolls that he has. *Bites her lip* He knows how to steal energy and other alchemical life forces.
*She takes a deep breath* He has a doll for you. And Cara. And Alek. And Niccolo. And Trip. Easily, he can kill you all, and has threatened to do so, if I don't kill people for him.
*Marlene's lip wobbles* I didn't want to become like this again, I swear. I'm so sorry.
Oh, my darling, you have nothing to be sorry for. This isn't your fault. I should never have let him do this to you... *he glances to Niccolò* I know you can't steal his name, but could you, maybe, damage it? Keep it from being able to do magic?
*he thinks it over, and gives a small nod* I could try- Adra, with all you know, you might even be better at it. But I think I could.
*Alastair will look back to Adra, then* Do you think that would work?
*She bites the inside of her cheek* I could certainly try, but I don't know the extent of his power. Any one of us would be incredibly vulnerable whilst performing such an-
*Marlene takes a step back, her words caught in her throat* *Lowers the gun, and she opens her mouth to scream, though no sound comes out*
*Leon steps out from the hallway beside Marlene, and joins her on the balcony* *His stare is icy* So kind of the two of you to join us this evening, but I must say, a house warming party is hardly necessary. *He has one hand pointed towards Marlene, and a gentle blue haze is lifting off of her body and moving into him as he speaks*
*He lifts his other hand, though, motioning for the two of them to keep still* No, I am not killing her, but I will before either of you can even think of teleporting or using magic. So I suggest you stay where you are. Because, you see, I think I'm going to need to clear a few things up with you pair.
*they are still, and silent*
*then Roshanne will appear between them, with a ghost at her side* *she will lift a gun to Leon's head, and fire* *she wasn't called by Niccolò and Alastair, and doesn't know the details of the situation* *but she has a general idea, and is making her best judgement call*
*In the moments that pass between Roshanne first appearing and firing, Leon would have sucked up the rest of the energy from Marlene, and twisted his wrist, and the light blue tendrils intercept the bullets* *On the floor, Marlene's body jerks from the impact*
*His mouth twists into distain* I expected more from you all. Well... I was going to perhaps explain myself- to try to come with a compromise, but I see that that isn't going to work.
I'll have you know that she is still going to work beneath me, because she owes me at least that much. But I suppose if you want any more information just ask her.
*He kicks his boot, and sends Marlene over the balcony ledge, and directly through glass table below*
*The blue energy curls up his arm, and he steps back, and is gone*
*the ghost will rush through the house to catch her*
*Alastair is beyond angry at Leon and Roshanne, but he has to make sure Adra is safe before anything else* *he will rush over to the balcony to take her from the ghost, and bring her back inside, setting her down* *brushes her hair from her face, looking her over carefully* Adra, my darling, are you alright?
*Adra is incredibly drunk, and confused, and weak* I'm fine. *Slowly, the whiteness of her hair begins to seep back, replacing her original black color* I feel tired..
*presses a kiss to her forehead* Do you know what he did to you?
I think so.. *Splays her hand against the table, but nothing happens* *Lets her hand fall* *She might just be inebriated* *Makes a small sound of displeasure*
*takes her hand* I am so sorry... What can I do for you?
*Adra breathes out slowly* I don't know. I don't even know what I am supposed to do at this point.
...
I'm very drunk. *Offers that like an explanation, though it wouldn't do much of anything to help the situation*
Do you want me to fix that for you?
*Frowns a little, then shakes her head* No.
*Glances around* Can we go home? I don't want to have this conversation here. *She's sure this will become an argument- one she doesn't want to have in front of her friends*
Yes. Of course. *he glances back at Roshanne* I don't know why you came here, but just call next time. I'll let you know when we have this sorted out. *then Niccolò will step forward and bring them home*
*Once there, Adra goes upstairs into their bedroom, where she takes a glass of brandy from the vanity* *She takes a few large sips of it* *She can't possibly get more drunk*
Leon is going to come back. He's expecting me to do my job, and he isn't one to bluff about threats.
Adra, I'm sorry for- everything that just happened. You know more about this than I do, and I will do whatever you think is best, as long as that isn't to stand by and watch you suffer.
*Runs a hand through her hair* I don't know what that is, Alastair. As far as I know, Leon wants me to kill people for him- people that threaten his rise back to power. I don't know of any way that could help you feel better.
*his voice is soft, still* *he just loves her* Alright. Then we can try to figure something out. Do you, or does anyone else know how he makes his dolls? If we could try to find a way to sever connections with them, it would remove the immediate threat.
From what I can tell, the dolls aren't just symbols of the person to which they impersonate. Because we're talking about Leon Paris here, I wouldn't be surprised if each doll had a little piece of their person's energy inside of them. But this is a newer development in Paris' abilities. Last time I saw him was when I escaped-
-Salvatore laughing after Adra as she escapes down the hallway, away from him. His thumbs are hooked in the loops of his trousers, and he walks at a leisurely pace behind her. Her blood has coated the end of the tire iron that he is gripping.-
-from him in 1899. Back then, he only had a few abilities, though they were infamous for their power. One of them is *she touches a symbol on the wall*
*Nothing happens*
Taking magic.
*pauses* If someone's mind were not inhabiting their body, would he still be able to hurt them, or just their physical form?
Alastair, I don't know. I've never encountered this kind of alchemy before, so I wouldn't even be able to explain how Leon does it. I'm as completely in the dark as you are. *Takes her glass again, and drinks some more* *Drinking helps*
Alright. *he pauses again* *wishes he could experiment with that on himself, but it wouldn't work for too many reasons* Is there anyone else who might know more about his abilities?
No one that is alive. Anyone who might have known was probably destroyed along with Gaia.
*Adra moves across the room, and opens the windows so that the night can come in* *She doesn't bother with the main lights* *Peers out, then, far below at the ground*
*he will walk over to stand next to her, looking out* Is something out there?
No. As far as I can tell... no. *Takes a step back, and goes to refill her drink* *Her walk weaves as she goes, but she has yet to fall over* this blows.
Yes... *closes his eyes, trying to think* So we don't know whether moving the mind from the body would work. We might be able to stop him from using magic, but we would need him to be very distracted for a few minutes.
*Meanwhile, in another world entirely*
*Kindred Wander sits in the kitchen. The pristine surfaces shine, the sunlight that spears through perfectly transparent windows bouncing off them and down her optic nerves. A light breeze blows crisp air through the modest room*
*Kindred's grey eyes gaze out of the window into the garden. As she peruses her hosts' topiary, her thoughts drift to the boy she left three worlds back. She doesn't miss him, so much as regret that he isn't with her. She can't help but worry about whether he's safe. Her gaze drifts down to her nails; she scoops the dirt that was trapped there. The grime falls to the shimmering floor below and Kindred can't help but feel a little bad about desecrating something so lovingly tended to as these tiles.*
*A man walks into the room and beams a glorious smile at kindred. He looks like Trip, if you squint. He's about an inch taller, perhaps three or four times more muscular too. Across his head was a lattice of scars, forged into some runic language Kindred couldn't read. He gracefully planted a mug of blissfully familiar tea before her, before taking a seamless sip of his own.*
ParaTrip: I'm sure Adra will be along in just a monent, she just had to attend to something. I haven't seen you in over a year, you had that guy with you, *he clicks his fingers, snaps blasting across the table* you know, uh-
Kindred: Shrug. Yeah he's uh, he's around. *she looks down at her tea and sips*
Shrug should be in asterixes but there we go what can you do in this cruel, unforgiving life sometimes?
*Adra speaks* All of this is to say that, of course, he doesn't try to kill us in the process. *She has a knife in her hand- one from her pocket- and she twirls it around in her hand* And that he doesn't know how to control us with his puppets.
..
I think we should arrange a meeting with him.
-
*ParaAdra enters the room, then, walking to her husband, and kissing his head briefly* Kindred, how are you, my dear? I apologize for not being able to greet you before- I was finishing up some paperwork.
*Kindred smiles, the uncanny valley making the scene before her a little unsettling. Nevertheless, she is glad of a change of subject*
Kindred: Don't worry about it, it's good to see you as well. I'm doig pretty well, actually. I've seen a lot of stunning things on my travels, really grew as a person. I've learned a lot. Yourself? *she drinks again, now painfully aware of how much her dirty hands are staining the tablecloth*
*ParaAdra doesn't mind so much for the tablecloth- it can be washed* Well. Cara is entering preschool soon, and she's grown a lot. And, of course, we have another little one on the way soon. *Smiles; she isn't showing at all, but she knows* What brings you here, my dear?
Kindred: Oh, you know. All things must come to an end I suppose. You can only see so many fantastical things before the only thing that seems special is something actually familiar. *she laughs, almost bitterly. ParaTrip lets out a small chuckle in agreement. Kindred can feel his contentment, his sheer joy at his domestic situation waft over the table. She can recall the last time she felt that way*
*ParAdra looks between the two of them, confused* I... I'm afraid I don't understand.
What will we say?
Kindred: I suppose I didn't explain it all that well last time, did I? I went on a sort of journey of self discovery across the dimensions. I nicked one of Trip's artifacts and went out to see the multiverse. It's finished now, thiugh. I'm going home.
*Kindred feels the waves of warmth from ParaTrip become entangled in mild concern, not something she was hoping to illicit*
ParaTrip: So if you are returning home, presumably without Shrug, for whatever reason, how will he return?
*ParaTrip's sense of genuine concern for this boy overwhelms Kindred a little*
Kindred: He's making his own way back. I'm sure.
Ask him why he is having me kill people for him -he's more than proven that he is himself capable- and perhaps come to a compromise. *Her hands clench* He stole my alchemy, and I would very much like to have it returned to me.
*ParAdra gives her a stern look* Kindred, tell us where he is, and what happened.
Kindred: It's nothing sinister. We just split up. We grew as people and just so happened to grow apart. He insisted I take the stone and vanished one day in the night. That was a long time ago. I saw him on a couple of worlds after that. He seemed to be making his way all right, we didn't talk all that much. *she looks down at ger tea*
Trip, my Trip, once told me that an emotional alchemist must be honest with themselves. If you lie to yourself about your feelings, only damage can ensue. I knew how I felt. I couldn't lie to myself about it.
*Now all she feels from ParaTrip is sadness, the kind of guilty sadness only felt by those doing well while others tell them that they are doing poorly*
*ParAdra, as ever, leans over and takes Kindred's hand* Where is your Trip?
Where he always is, I imagine. I haven't really gad the chance to talk to him while I've been away. Why'd you ask?
*ParaTrip's expression turns grave*
ParaTrip: We've been worried about him since the business with Cruciatus. He's only visited us a couple of times and he seems to have taken the outcome poorly.
*Kindred feels saddened at the memory of the dark time. The scene around her seemed so far removed from the shattered relationship*
*ParAdra nods* Yes.. That, and the fact that I think, at least for you, it would be good to see him. It might help you feel better.
*pauses again, thinking* Do you think- even if we can't get rid of his magic, is there any reason why we shouldn't be able to bind it? If we could keep him without magic, even temporarily, we could work out something more permanent.
It isn't that I don't think talking to him would work- I'm just afraid that he'll still want to hurt you, and I don't want to risk any more harm coming to you.
*ParaTrip sighs sadly in agreement*
*Kindred lifts her mug to sip her tea. The temperature in the room seems to have dropped a few degrees. She fumbles her grip on the handle and the tea spills out over the formerly pristine table*
Kindred: I'm so sorry, oh my. *she stumbkes over to the counter to look for something to clean with*
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