[indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6Yi4gad.png[/img][/center][right][h1][color=f49ac2]Edict[/color][/h1][/right][right][sub][hr][color=f49ac2]Mentions:[/color] [color=f4eb93]Britney Williams,[/color] [color=8670AD]Kali Mahendra,[/color] [color=CD5C5C]Linqian Han,[/color] [color=6B8E23]Luca Olivera,[/color] [color=silver]Sloane Faris,[/color] [color=goldenrod]Sully McPherson,[/color] [color=00FF98]Stormy Carson,[/color] Auri Auclair | [color=f49ac2]Location:[/color] St. Portwell, Oregon: Flowers and Canvases [/sub][/right][hr]
[/indent]One may ask the question: If a tiger could change its stripes or its colors, would it? Or was there pride in the orange, black and white that made them so striking and so efficient at remaining hidden by the jungle. In their environment, the color may change based on evolution, but the tiger itself as an individual could never have a say in the color they end up. It simply is. So, for such an immediate backlash, especially as he was really only making cursory rubs at the different spheres that crowded the room. 
Edict couldn't help that he loved the feeling of touching them; of rubbing against it all and seeing what rippled and what caved in... This Kali shit wasn't good. Brit showing up had left Edict totally vulnerable, and knowing what he did about Kali made him sure that there was going to be something-
He grunted slightly, not having much time to get into any other cracks he was feeling. Luca had split right open seeing Brit, but in the same moment he saw an opening, Kali slipped in behind him mentally. It was a dark room, maybe a dark house. The whole thing quiet, but Edict knew there was an intruder. The gun in his hand shook as he went from corner to corner clearing the building step by step until the basement stairs peered up at him with eery darkness unmatched in the rest of the house. 
[color=#D01417][i]"Everyone else isn't on their radar... but [b]you[/b]."[/i][/color]
Edict raised the gun on instinct, and seeing the outline of the darkness begin to writhe behind the fog below caused him to panic. He screamed, shouted, fired the gun several times...

But then Britney was there... 
[i][color=f4eb93]"But, what in the world are you wearing? Halloween ain't for another week; take that shit [i]off![/i]"[/color][/i]
Edict couldn't help the reaction of what he had just seen, and tears began to roll down his face as the surrounding peoples continued to shift and shuffle. Linqian was the first to complain, drawing the attention to the action itself before following up with a comment about his and Britney's previous relationship. She didn't seem vulnerable at all, which was fine. It was all fine; he just... Just wanted to feel them. He couldn't explain that the prodding and knocking was just for the sake of it... That was just as creepy. 
[i][color=CD5C5C]”If you ever want anyone to drown your sorrows with, I’m here.”[/color] [/i]
He'd probably think about it...

The chance he had to crawl into Luca's rotten abode similarly faded as he ran off, replaced by another fucking new sphere he had to try and feel in order to recognize. Sloane didn't give him a chance to do so, however. He felt that she had sat and let him prod, which made her reaction much more surprising.
[color=silver][i]“Your choice.”[/i][/color]
At this point, he was still leaking tears as a reaction: The same way the human body sweats to cool, his eyes had to leak to get the things they saw out of his head... But his nose stuffed up, and as he took a snort inward, he felt his hands shake a little.
[color=f49ac2]"Sloane... Come on now. I'm not here to hurt anyone, alright?"[/color]

And then that new foreign energy broke in, and it was exactly who he assumed. One of the Jock Squad, just like Sully... Fucking Stormy. Who else to start shit with Britney? But, before he could step in to defend her, Auri raised her voice again to try and get a grip on the situation. He knew Britney wasn't going to want him white knighting for her regardless of his inclination to do so, so rather than pushing it any further, he smiled and laughed. There were still tears leaking from his eyes like a sieve, but his expression seemed to shift and change to reflect his actual annoyance that was beginning to bubble up past his restraint.
[color=f49ac2]"Like this, Sloane... All this? We're all on different pages. All it takes is fifteen minutes, and everyone in this room can be calm, collected, and ready to work together using me as a link. But nobody trusts Greyson. Nobody wants to act like Greyson can help. Priest? No, but... My life is a lot different where I am now. People count on me to mediate and moderate... They call me [i]Edict[/i], like a holy command. But-"[/color]
Edict shook his head and tightened his jacket slightly. His eyes lingered on Britney as he started to walk around her before turning to face the group. 
[color=f49ac2]"-I'll just remove myself. If it's so detrimental, if nobody's willing to use the resource, you can come find me when you need some money or something. Just like the old days. Better to not hang around with feds and narcs anyway."[/color]

Realistically, he wanted to get distance between himself and Kali... The goal at this point was to work outside his range, not make a stink, and try and get what he could out of this visit. He had clients, after all, and their needs had to be met first. He'd scarcely complete anything with a Fed that could dopple him running around nearby. It was all too much, and rather than make any sort of worse impression, he figured he'd just bail. Reset, essentially, and let the people who wanted to seek him out do so on their own time.
[color=f49ac2]"You've got my cell number, Auri. Give it to anyone who wants it."[/color]
And he pushed past Stormy, staring at him trying to figure out if he had something to say in Britney's defence before he left. [i]Nah.[/i] Auri had it covered, or she didn't. It was her problem, and he knew Britney wouldn't want him involved... Instead, it was out into the breezy St. Portwell street. His driver wasn't expecting him, so the car didn't pull out of the space to come claim him. Rather, he moved across the street and down a few hundred yards to a small library's front stoop. It was closed at this point, so it was the perfect place to stop and have a cigarette, which he still had from Eve. He sat down on the step, leaned back with the cigarette in his mouth, and took a big deep drag before breathing the dragon's smoke back into the air.

[color=f49ac2][i]Precious fuckers.[/i][/color]

[indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/pc6Dokb.png[/img]
[hider][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuEtL7gxoM[/youtube][/hider][/center][right][h1][color=C67C12]Leon[/color][/h1][/right][right][sub][hr][color=C67C12]Mentions:[/color] Greenwood Coven, Alizée Altieri | [color=C67C12]Location:[/color] St. Portwell, Oregon: Veni Vidi Veni Parking Lot [/sub][/right][hr]
[/indent]Leon immediately kicked himself in the ass for letting Alizée go on about her very special way of negotiating things. He had been behind her when the blast went off, and when Alizée was tossed, she impacted his knee and drove him down to a slide as the gale ceased.
[i]Shit.[/i]
He was feeling the effects of the booze still. His legs were weak, and he was spinning around in his own brain fluids even as the fireworks began. The one with the webbing was behind them, and very soon they were dealing with the full surround, leaving Leon in an incredibly strange position. On the one hand, Alizée and he had more than an understanding; it was a kinship developed through years of physically fighting one another and coming to agreements. They felt similar about things, and the whole French thing helped with trust and unity. He loved her like he loved his little sisters, and nothing was going to keep him from protecting her.
But on the other hand, this was stupid. He had no fill-in, no real idea as to why she was even at this bar in the first place. She was being more than reckless; she was being wild. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume she was just looking for a mark and managed to find the absolute worst case scenario... But it wasn't going to get resolved unless one side or another broke off.

[color=C67C12]"Alizée!"[/color]
Leon broke his silence as Alizée began to push her powers forward. Trying to step, he found that his whole right leg was bound to the ground by the strong net. Magical garbage... But, his companion was getting ahead of him. He had to break out, had to stop her, had to diffuse the situation before anyone else showed up and made things worse... [b]He had to get sober.[/b]
[color=C67C12][i]Fuck it.[/i][/color]
There was a low rumble around Edict as his fingers began to snap from position to position; somatic components meant to trigger emotional responses that would in turn loosen the seals within him and allow a greater level of power to flow through him. By virtue of her abilities, Alizée usually won their little spats, but usually she was paying attention to him. This time, he figured he'd be able to do something. He'd be able to protect her from herself.

The first seal was the Spirit seal, its essence filling the inner chamber in which the power culminated. Lelou didn't protest, knowing full well that whatever was coming meant a stretching of the legs. Some time out. He didn't love the prospect, but he and Lelou had to make compromises for one another in order to function without struggle. The give and take was always a tenuous alliance... But, there was no concern as the spirit seal loosened right up. It filled his physical form with magical energy that he figured he was going to need.
[color=C67C12]"How many times have I had to tell you: If you're hungry and desperate, you come to me! Don't go hunting like this, Alizée! Drop her now!"[/color]
He knew what the best defense was against his companion; feed her until she's satisfied, and hope you last. Unlike others, he knew Lelou was plenty of food, and going off his previous assumption that's all he assumed she was here for. 
The Earth and Water seals opened further, pouring into the neutral Spirit energy and coloring it a deep golden hue that dictated the further physical transformation of Leon.

His hair faded, rapidly whitening to match Alizée before burning back into a matching color to the energy within and growing further down his neck and back. His size increased rapidly, legs beginning to buckle and turn to digitigrades as he pushed up over the seven foot mark. His upper body; shoulders and chest and arms, began to bulk up more than his already substantial musculature allowed. He didn't let the transformation get much further here: This was to maximize durability. He was making himself [i]juicy[/i]. Finally, Lelou had something to say.
[i][color=a36209]Grip and rip: Break it! You need more! Let me kill it finally![/color][/i]  
He felt a lashing pain as the Fire seal did its job in preventing an overflow that would drive him berserk, but a small influx did flood in. It was fine: Mixed into the cocktail, it was just a bit more strength he'd have to be careful of. By this time, Alizée had backed off into a somewhat defensive position where the Void was able to whirlwind its assets about in a blanket of protection. With his body saturated, the energy being used quickly sapped the alcohol from his system and sobered him up. The web snapped as he flicked it off his leg, and in a fell swoop he would attempt to rush Alizée in order to give her something far more concerning to think about.
[color=C67C12]"Drop the fucking Ginger!"[/color]
He went low like an Olympic wrestler, squatting and launching himself forward at a low angle hoping to grip her by the legs and disrupt her channeling. If the void decided to focus on him, the unfortunate victim could at least attempt an escape with her companions. They could ask questions later; for now, they had to pull off. Things were beyond too hot.

If he were successful in getting to Alizée and taking her out at the knees, he'd wrap his hand around the back of her head to minimize the chance of deadly injury before power bombing her into the concrete parking lot... As [i]gently[/i] as possible, of course. He didn't want her hurt, only to stop and reconsider her actions.