[center][img]https://images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/9VNc0PShCsBZTPLizLytdKicOWm18zBLbjSaekXYQmc/https/i.imgur.com/8FMvh2h.png?format=webp[/img]
[img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/710908524602851461/1177007458569424977/rumburak.png?ex=6570f09d&is=655e7b9d&hm=c11b4f1ccfb409d103f805b6d508371d626f69a375d515170c7c3f7453133268&=&format=webp[/img][/center][right][b]Interactions:[/b] The Calamitous Congregation of Cohorts [/right][right][b][code]The church[/code][/b][/right][hr]

From the moment Auri shouted at them, Jack’s optimism for this entire [i]thing[/i] going good started to crack at the seams. Everyone followed her to this lair, and the entire time, Jack couldn’t help but wonder just how in the name of god they were going to survive this. They all had lived they had to maintain, and they hated each other to the point that it seemed like surviving as individuals was ideal. Adora almost beat the shit out of Sloane. He would’ve stepped in if that happened, and Sloane likely believed he would. Anya, and everyone else there found it stupid. Sloane losing her “collection” might have been connected to Father Wolf, in the sense that neither the thief nor their killer left a trace. 

It wasn’t easy. Jack consigned himself, mentally, to being the one who kept them together as much as possible. If they couldn’t bend, then he could. 

Once they got to the church, Jack pondered it quietly. He never liked religious places like this, and he never met a higher power, but Jack always imagined they wouldn’t find him to be the most pleasant individual. And by the looks of things, the rest of the group didn’t seem all too amused. Especially not when Auri, Stormy, and Britney immediately left them without a leader. Of course, Jack knew what they were waiting for, but [i]really?[/i] The Void Heart didn’t trust her, and it would’ve been better if she stuck around a bit longer. But this worked out. Jack was playing Double Agent right now. He had to ensure that both the remnants of the coven [i]and[/i] his two targets were equally oblivious to the plan.

But now he could give them something to talk about. That child had some attention to him. But the rest of them were bickering again. [i]Again.[/i]

Jack walked up to Layla and her apparition and whispered, [color=6644ff]”Wait a moment after I address everyone, and then walk outside. Wait for me, and we’ll leave.”[/color] 

And so that was what he did. Jack walked towards everyone else who spoke their minds and inserted himself into the conversation. They were talking about how Auri was a shitty leader, and how they should elect a new one. It was understandable in Jack’s opinion, he knew that Auri was planning something and needed absolute secrecy. This meant that it simply looked like she was absent. Jack was hopeful, deep down, that they’d understand once the secret was out, that they understand that still waters ran deep.

[color=6644ff]”Our “leader” has been making it difficult to trust her, lately. If we wish to vote on someone else, perhaps we should do so once we all have the [i]time[/i] to. As Tayla said before, some of us don’t have the time to meet constantly. We’re all adults, mostly-“[/color] He added, nodding to the kid at the front with Sloane. [color=6644ff]”-And we have lives. Family, [i]children,[/i] that we can’t neglect, even now. So, I’m going to suggest something else for us all to think on that does [i]not[/i] require Auri’s input.”[/color] Hopefully, this would bring them just a bit closer together.

[color=6644ff]”With my purple Lux, I can get across St. Portwell in seconds. I can transport people to and from anywhere I need to, during that. I’m volunteering to use that to keep all of us connected. Instead of having to drive somewhere, you can contact me, and I’ll bring you here, or to somewhere else. We can also use this to our advantage to avoid being tracked down by the PRA, or the Wolfpack.”[/color]

[color=6644ff]”And lastly, I am willing to arrange a schedule to teleport directly to anyone’s location on a regular basis. Your homes, your workplaces, wherever you feel the least safe, to be there in case something dangerous happens. That way, we lower the chances of being killed off individually. And if someone is actively in an emergency, they won’t have to send a message, since I’ll already be on my way.”[/color]

He was offering to set up regular check-ins with whoever felt more comfortable knowing someone was about to show up at [i]exactly[/i] the same time every evening with the ability to whisk them away from danger. The idea was simple on paper, and opened up opportunities for them to communicate more. If someone lost access to the internet or their phone, they could just go with Jack to talk in person with someone. Or, if someone was looking for them, they could get to a designated spot and Jack could discreetly get them out. This gave everyone an extra resource to pull from in spite of adult obligations.

[color=6644ff]”That offer is open to [i]everyone[/i] present, and everyone, regardless of where we stand with one another. I want to help all of you, and prevent as many of us being buried as humanly possible. I have more time to myself than most of you combined, it will not be difficult. 

[color=6644ff]”Think on that. Auri may have something for us to investigate once she is done [i]wasting precious time…[/i][/color] He was trying to work the crowd a little, but Jack was admittedly a little disappointed. Auri needed to lead these people.

Jack walked up towards the front of the church, where Sloane was taking to the boy. Something about him resonated with Jack. [color=6644ff]”When we were all children, Ashley Stone was the reason I had a home. I remember very little from before I met her, but she created the Sycamore Tree coven, along with two others. It was my home, and the coven itself… It was family to me,”[/color] Jack spoke fondly of the old days, fonder than he did of most things. It was a side of him he didn’t often show. 

He reached into his coat, and pulled out a pocket notebook. He sat it down on the bench behind Clancy, as a piece of his magic hand flaked off. 

[color=6644ff]”Were it not for Ashley, I would have never found a place to call home, a place to feel welcome. That was not [i]why[/i] the coven formed, but despite all the mistakes she made, she left this world warmer than it was when she arrived. I owed her my life, and her murderer [i]will[/i] pay.”[/color]

He pocketed the notebook again, leaving behind a single sheet of paper that he subtly folded up, and kept in his hand. [color=6644ff]”My name is Jack Hawthorne. Sometime soon, in the future, I’d be glad to speak with you more. But for now, I need to go and ask our [i]competent leader[/i] why she is taking so long.”[/color]

Jack walked past Sloane, almost close enough to bump into her. But instead, he slipped the folded note into her hand. When she opened it, it would be written in a wispy, black substance that was from neither a pencil nor pen. 

[code]We are sealing the Void Heart. Pretend you do not know this. Auri, Britney and I have a plan, but we could not risk the Heart knowing; I am pretending to deceive all of you on his behalf, as we speak. I am telling you this because everyone is growing impatient of this reunion, and trust is scarce.[/code]

[code]Auri is difficult, but clever in her own ways.[/code]

Jack opened the door, and loudly said, [color=6644ff]”Are you finished playing with magical butterflies?”[/color] The doors shut behind him, and the writing on the paper seemed to fade away like smoke from a candle.


Moments later, Jack teleported outside the church doors, where Layla and the Void Heart were waiting. He quickly tore open the fabric of reality, opening a black fissure wide enough for people to walk through. 

[color=6644ff]”This is our chance. Let’s go.”[/color]

[hr]

[right][b][code]The Shadowzone[/code][/b][/right]

[center][youtube]https://youtu.be/-BKs8JmHYsg?si=Rn7xFHjY9qcOJtjk[/youtube][/center]
[center][img] https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/698937512181366794/1196902086433067148/MmdDSEFUenhUSQ.png?ex=65b950ee&is=65a6dbee&hm=e6713389dfcca915cec3cd784f1e3d995bb258c2cef8b3b74fa6c708e5dfe0f3&[/img][/center]

Magic was the gateway to a boundless, infinite myriad of possibilities. One person could exist in every reality, the dead could return to the land of the living, and worlds could be created from the will of human beings. In all his years, Jack had learned this lesson time and time again, and to always take advantage of it.

Jack, Layla, and the Void Heart arrived in a land beyond Shimmer. And yet they stood in a house that had Jack’s personality all over it. Bookshelves containing esoteric paranormal knowledge stood from ceiling to floor, curious objects could be seen on shelves, and the [url= https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.cwl7LgsXh7Isu8e1i2BBiwHaFj%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=7ac0e1dc6f139c58791d674580ecb9424f4b639feb03d362a72bf400cb28e2b5&ipo=images]living room[/url] they were dropped into felt chilly. There was no question that someone lived here, and yet there was total silence. Not even the sound of electricity humming through wires, or the sound of bugs buzzing outside. It was like they were in a place that humans had no place being in. It was unnaturally peaceful.

[color=6644ff]”Welcome to the Shadowzone. My home, away from Shimmer. I apologize if the atmosphere is unsettling. We’re in a place that wasn’t meant to be occupied by mortals. You’ll get used to it with time. Make yourselves comfortable, we are alone. You are my guests here, for as long as you need.”[/color]

Jack did not take his boots off. Rather, he walked over to a couch and sat down. [color=6644ff]”Entropy does not exist in this reality, so you won’t grow cold or hungry- [i]either of you-[/i] but I always make it a point to offer food to people who sleep under my roof. Shortly, we’ll eat and discuss what we do in the future.”[/color]

This was the moment where the Void Heart’s guard needed to be at his lowest. [color=6644ff]”And a word of advice- Do not look outside the windows, or open the doors. Most mortal minds aren’t capable of comprehending what is out there, and the damage cannot be undone. You are safe behind these walls. Do you understand, Layla?”[/color] They both had to be fooled. He’d apologize to Layla for the deception once it was safe too.

So now, all he had to do was stall.