[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4teSuW6.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/x8slyeV.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/CoRfSte.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/SQ9vdLo.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/Vhha8Vi.png[/img][h1]Maximilian Cornell, Nakala Phillips, Samson Brown, Akira Shinjo, & Claudette Beaulieu.[/h1][/center][right][b]Interactions:[/b] Leon ([@AtomicEmperor]), Lila [@NoriWasHere], & Luca/Anya/Linqian ([@FernStone]) [/right][right][b][code]The Coven Lair.[/code][/b][/right][hr][hr]

[i]"Agent Brown!"[/i]

Nakala shouted as Agent Brown got put on his ass by the kid! The hilarity of the situation was completely and utterly lost when the kid stepped on his rifle and kicked it off into the distance. Her eyes shot open as she pointed at Samson and commanded, "GET YOUR RIFLE!" Then Samson chased after it, going underneath. 

The [i]last[/i] thing she wanted was the upper PRA leadership coming down on the office for losing their rifle. She gazed at the "Coven." They didn't put up much of a fight, as expected. The teargas did an excellent job of disabling most of them. The ones that did fight or tried something were swiftly eliminated by the PRA's sniper, Sonya Mayfield, and Nakala didn't so much as flinch.

Maximilian merely tilted his head at the child before he nudged Nakala on the shoulder and said, "That kid is Paranormal... a pretty strong one at that."

Nakala nodded and said, "You handle him, Mr. Champion."

Maximilian began walking towards Clancy as if he didn't put a grown man on his ass. While that was going on, everyone else was on the ground or otherwise disabled. Nakala didn't even need to finish her countdown as the sheer threat of a squad of SWAT team members wearing armor waving guns around. "Cuff 'em, and get them-"

That was when a literal fireball blew up and ignited the ceiling, and Nakala dropped her badge out of surprise and looked up at the roof. It was on fire. Her jaw dropped from underneath the mask as she shouted, "Jesus!" 

"Whoa, shit!" Samson shouted as he was on the ground, having gotten his rifle from underneath the pew, but he dropped it out of surprise.

"Agent Philips..." Nakala heard Meifeng's voice on the other side of her earpiece. "What in God's name is going on in there... ?"

Nakala was silent momentarily as she said, "... The building is on fire."

"... Why is the building on fire?" Nakala could just [i]feel[/i] Meifeng facepalming.

"No clue, but the situation is under control!"

"I'm sending Trevor in with a fire extinguisher; evacuate the building immediately. We already have a [i]loooooot[/i] of explaining to do," Meifeng commanded. "Let's not give ourselves more to explain, shall we?"

"Roger," Nakala answered with a nod before she reached behind herself and pulled out her compound bow; she pulled back the string and created an arrow made out of water, "Get them out of here!"

"On it!" Maximilian shouted, before he noticed Leon and went over to him, grabbing the back of his shirt and effortlessly picking him up and hoisting him over his shoulder as if he weighed as much as a five-year-old. He then walked over to Anya, grabbed her by the cuff of her collar, lifted her, and carried her out towards the door as if the two of them weighed nothing. Akira Shinjo and Claudette ran over to Linqian, and together, they managed to pick her up and carry her out as a team effort. Samson ran over to the nearest person, Luca, put his rifle behind his back, and picked him up, doing the fireman carry as he ran towards the door.

Nakala let go of the arrow and released the arrow made out of water, which exploded and... did not do much to the raging fire above them. It was effectively splashing a bucket of water on it... so she needed a lot of water. She released a few more arrows, which made the same progress as she hissed and just gave up... She ran over to the nearest teargassed, Lila, grabbed her by her arm, and dragged her outside.

[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/CTw50k0.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/f9M4emQ.png[/img][h1]Sonya Mayfield, & Helena Page.[/h1][/center][right][b]Interactions:[/b] Tayla ([@silvermist1116]), Linqian ([@FernStone]), & Jasper ([@NoriwasHere]). [/right][right][b][code]The Coven Lair.[/code][/b][/right][hr][hr]

"Oh my God!" Sonya had to contain her laughter when she saw Samson fall on his ass. "We're [i]never[/i] going to let him live one down, are we?" 

She tried to wipe her tear... but then forgot she was wearing a fucking gas mask. She looked at Helena, who appeared to have a stony face and didn't respond. This prompted Sonya to say, "Oh, you're such a sourpuss, Page!"

This was when some psycho decided to try and yeet a [i]bible[/i] at the line of agents! Sonya almost laughed at the scene as she aimed down the sights and aimed directly at Linqian's center of mass. Sonya let out a "Pew" before she pulled the trigger, let out the taser dart, and nailed the rebel in the chest. That was when she saw the other one use an abstraction (Jasper) and darted her sights around. She took a deep breath, and at the top of her shot, she squeezed the trigger. The dart slammed him in the shoulder.

"Ay!" Sonya said, briefly letting out a Spanish accent before she looked over her shoulder at Helena. "Like shooting fish in a barr-"

That was when the fireball engulfed Sonya, and she loudly screamed in pain and fell off the roof... however, Helena's glowing ethereal birds went into action and caught her. It wasn't a pretty sight... Helena cringed as she saw Sonya had third-degree burns. The fireball didn't do much to Helena because she wasn't directly in front of the window like Sonya, but she got scaled. Helena sighed, pressing her earpiece, and said,

"Agent Mayfield needs immediate medical attention!"

Her bird apparitions gently lowered Sonya to the ground.

That was when they noticed some girl watching from the tree... Helena made sure to gather a majority of her glowing birds in front of her. Until they formed a massive flock, all staring at [i]her...[/i]

Hopefully, she'll take the hint.


[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5i9hRIF.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cCZ6KjE.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/l2hYxKL.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/gnXxYCo.png[/img][h1]Meifeng Liao, Cindy Keagan, Leon Vahan, & Trevor Obott.[/h1][/center][right][b]Interactions:[/b] E-dick ([@AtomicEmperor]). [/right][right][b][code]The PRA Mobile Command Center.[/code][/b][/right][hr][center][hider=Song playing on the radio][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylmCbkzSZ_k[/youtube][/hider][hr][hr][/center]

[i]"♪ Speeding 72, we’re faster getting nowhere, baby; we could go there, shining on a secret avenue, hear the burning rubber fanfare, maybe there’s a show there... ♪"[/i]

The song on the radio played, which Trevor was (obnoxiously) singing along to, doing a little dance in his seat as he sat in front of his laptop. Meifeng was sitting in the driver's seat of the command center, texting her husband (some of the most disgusting [i]filth[/i] known to man), Leon was sitting by the door with his rifle in hand (using his abstraction to create extra eyes around the battlefield), and Cindy was in the passenger seat next to Meifeng (texting some normal stuff to her son).

... Then the explosion rocked the building, and Meifeng almost dropped her phone. That was when she immediately pressed her earpiece to get in contact with Agent Phillips inside. She was praying,[i] praying,[/i] they controlled the situation (they didn't), but as it turns out, after a brief chat with Nakala... one of them set the building on fire. The church. It was on fire. Meifeng smiled at the sheer hilarity of it all before hopping out of her seat, running over to the fire extinguisher, and shoving it into Trevor's hands.   

"Go in there, hand this to Phillips, and do not do [i]anything[/i] stupid!" Meifeng commanded, wagging a finger in Trevor's face. "Do not so much as look at any of them. I know you, and I [i]know[/i] your [i]'Little Trevor'[/i] usually takes precedence over what's up here!" 

She jabbed him in the temple with a finger and made Trevor wince.

"Roger!" Trevor shouted as he sprinted outside.

Leon hopped up and pointed at Edict, making a break for it, "One of them is getting away!"

"I got it!" Cindy shouted as she pulled out her Glock and opened the door. She held the pistol in both hands as she sprinted as fast as a somewhat overweight, forty-something-year-old woman could. She dropped to one knee, aimed to the best of her ability, and pulled the trigger, and a taser dart flew out... nailing him directly in the ass before he could get away. Cindy hosted her pistol as Leon walked up next to her.

"Nice one," Leon said.

"Hmph, this old lady's still got it," Cindy confidently said.

The two of them walked over to Edict on the ground, and Leon pulled out handcuffs as he turned toward Cindy, 

"Will you do the honors?"

"I would..." Cindy answered as she pressed a hand to her back, "But my back's been killing me today."

Leon pressed a foot on Edict's back, and turned to Cindy as he asked.

"You hurt it in the Army, right?" 

"Oh no, I was pregnant with Cameron, and I did [i]something[/i], and my back ain't been right since."

"You went to the VA, and [i]said[/i] you 'hurt it in the Army,' right?" 

"Hell yeah, I did," Cindy laughed. "Like I was going to miss out on that thirty percent; I'm about to get back surgery done in January."

"Oh, right?" Leon said as he put Edict's hands together. "How is Cameron?"

"He's in remission," Cindy answered. "I used to stress about it, but I think he'll have a happy life."

Leon put the cuffs on Edict and squatted down to pull him up to his feet. "That's great to hear, he in St. Portwell?"

"Of course," Cindy chuckled. "We're going to the Halloween festival next week."

Leon began walking Edict back around to the church.

"Sounds corny," Leon chuckled.

"It'll be fun; at least he'll have fun," Cindy said.

Their conversation continued as they walked Edict back to the church.


[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6D400qM.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/O6LA4nR.png[/img]
[/center][right][b]Interactions:[/b] [/right][right][b][code]The Church of Ass.[/code][/b][/right][hr][hr]

Adora was not having a good day.

Adora had no clue what was going on, and her anxiety was through the [i]roof[/i]... this was not the best situation for the girl, especially since she was practically a human compared to some of the others here. Unfortunately, she was having such a horrible time with the tear gas that she didn't even [i]know[/i] what she was feeling. Whether it was an anxiety attack coming on or she was going to drop down was a mystery. Adora had no clue what anyone else was doing - because she was too busy vociferously vomiting, spewing all of her breakfast all over the floor... and herself. Her shoes and hoodie were ruined, and...

... The fucking roof caught fire.

Adora didn't pay any attention, but she just heard a boom, and then she blinked, and the building was on [i]fire[/i]. Okay, fuck this. It was less than an hour of forcing herself to come here, and Auri and whoever sold her out to... whoever the fuck these armed goons were. Honestly, the only thing on Adora's head right now was getting [i]far[/i] away from these people. So, Adora covered her face, got up, and [i]bolted[/i] for the nearest window, hoping to jump through it and take the glass carving her to bits...

... Then she tripped on the nearest pew and busted her head on the pew in front of it. Falling unconscious...



[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6P8qTaC.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/32sPLv7.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/fDwfx5e.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/CCFW7gp.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/5GEuuHz.png[/img][h1]Nikki Watanabe, Amanda, & Victoria Blackmore[/h1][/center][right][b]Interactions:[/b][/right][right][b][code]Last night... The Blackmore Manor.[/code][/b][/right][hr][center][hider=So Silent - Zack Hemsey][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKw2OlWO59k[/youtube][/hider][hr][hr][/center]

Drake's Dodge Charger stopped in front of the garage of the Blackmore Manor... He sighed defeated, ran his hands through his hair, and walked up the pathway. He stuck his keys in the door and opened it... and he turned his head towards the first thing he heard was Amanda and Nikki playing on the game console, and they briefly paused as they looked at him.

"... Drakey!" Amanda shouted, "Come take the controller; Nikki is [i]shitting[/i] on me."

"I told you I was good at this game, Amanda," Nikki softly said.

"Yeah, and I called you a fuckin' [i]nerd![/i]" Amanda laughed.

"... Girls, keep it down!" Victoria could be heard from the kitchen. "If you wake up the girls... You said be helping me clean!"

"Oh, right," Amanda laughed.

Drake went right past them and straight into the kitchen and saw Victoria mopping the floor... Drake stepped over to the refrigerator to grab a can of Bud Light. He opened it up...

"... [i][b]HEY! I'M CLEANING HERE![/b][/i]" Victoria hissed as she pounded the mob against the ground... before Drake just chugged the beer and grabbed another one. She narrowed her eyes as she asked,

"Drake..." Victor trailed off, "... What's wrong?"

Drake didn't respond to Victoria, and she gently placed the mop against the table as she walked over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What happened at the meeting?"

Drake was silent.

"[i]You can tell me.[/i]" Victoria stated.

[color=3874f4]"I..."[/color] Drake choked out. [color=3874f4]"... Punched Sloane."[/color] 

"Wha-what?" Victoria tilted her head as she asked. 

[color=3874f4]"She asked me why I wasn't there to save Jade, then called me a bastard and... I couldn't handle it."[/color] 

"This..." Victoria shook her head as she turned her body and threw her hands in the air by the elbows, "This is why you should have stayed your ass here. I knew this was going to happen. [i]Someone[/i] was going to overstep, and... and..."

Victoria then pointed the finger at Drake and said, "... You [i]can't[/i] be acting like this, Drake. I understand [i]everything,[/i] but... [i]come on![/i]"

She turned her head as she rubbed her temples, "You just [i]assaulted[/i] Ms. Farris because she said something stupid!"

"... You should have told me you were gonna clock Sloane!" Amanda said. Drake turned his head and saw that she had poked her head into the room with Nikki at her side. She gave him a thumbs up and said, "She deserved a lot more than just [i]one[/i] litt-"

"You're not helping!" Victoria chided her; Victoria went back to massaging her temples as she said, "Look... you need to stay the hell away from the Coven. There is a [i]reason[/i] why they broke up!"

"Believe us, we saw [i]everything,[/i]" Amanda said with a dramatic wave of her hand. "I ain't surprised none of them changed much."

At this point, the two little Blackmores were awakened... and they made that clear because they were loudly crying. Victoria sighed, resting her hand on her face. 

"Look... just..." Victoria started, "...Just don't drink yourself into a coma tonight!"

She took off up the stairs to tend to her children, and Amanda grabbed Drake's hand and pulled him into the living room. "C'mon, big bro! Let's take your mind off things..." She pushed Drake into a seat and said, "... By playing a game about punching people!"

Drake looked at the screen... before the logo for the game appear and a dramatic announcer character shouted<

[i][b]"NOMADC ODYSSEY! [sup]FIND YOUR HEART![/sup]"[/b][/i]

Amanda shoved a controller in her hand as she dangled something in her hands... the keys to Drake's car! She smiled as she said, "Immagrabussomepizzabye!" 

Then darted out the door.

[color=3874f4]"... HEY!"[/color] Drake shouted before Amanda was gone.

"I promise she won't crash it... again," Nikki chuckled. "So, see if you can beat me, Drake." 

Drake put his game face on as he tried to enjoy a night of video gaming with his cousin and sister.

Just like the good old days...

[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/rlW8ayU.png[/img]
[/center][right][b]Interactions:[/b] [/right][right][b][code]The Shadowzone.[/code][/b][/right][hr][hr]


Whatever response the Heart was expecting out of Jack never came. The room they stood in lit up with a green glow, and Void Heart would feel his body and hands begin to feel as if they were burning away. His strength would start to slip from him, as if the floor had just become kryptonite. He and Layla could see glowing patterns reminiscent of shields along the floor and the walls. Those were the symbols used by Stormy whenever he needed to seal something.

It was, indeed, a trap.

[hr][hr][center][hider=Get Out Alive - Three Days Grace][youtube]https://youtu.be/eE29TpRjPOE?si=L0KcDQxV6eU3SFJA[/youtube][/hider][/center][hr][hr]

Auri hopped out of the closet and didn’t even waste time aiming the butterfly staff at Void and barraging him with a [i]sea[/i] of lightning-fast butterflies that would hit like little bullets. Out of her back came two butterfly wings, ready to dodge any attacks from Void or Layla.

[color=A299FD][b]”Shit!”[/b][/color] Void hissed, hand reaching to shield his face. The butterflies seared his skin, leaving cuts that seeped smoke. With a snarl, he tried to reach out and grab Auri, but every movement felt like lead as Stormy's magic played hard on his being.

[color=A299FD][b]“You bitch, I fucking knew it! You both'll rot in hell!”[/b][/color]

The potted plants around the room went unnoticed as various roots and vines were spawned from them, creeping toward Layla to wrap her up. Starting from her legs up to her upper body.  Britney calmly came out of the closet, raising a hand in the air, and said, 

[color=f4eb93]”This is for your own good, Layla!”[/color] Britney said, [color=f4eb93]”[i]Trust[/i] me!”[/color]

Layla gasped, immediately struggling against the vines entrapping her. Her panicked eyes moved from the vines, up to the bombardment of butterflies engulfing Void, then to Britney, whose hand was raised in a calming manner.

[color=7ABBFF][b]“Wh-what are you doing?!”[/b][/color] Layla cried out.

Void hissed in Layla's mind. [color=A299FD][i]“Isn't it obvious? They're trying to seal me!”[/i][/color]

[color=7ABBFF][i]“But Jack said-”[/i][/color]

[color=A299FD][i]“Jack's a traitor!”[/i][/color]

Layla's eyes widened in realization, her voice cracking as she tried to plead with Britney, [color=7ABBFF][b]“No, you can't do this!”[/b][/color]

[color=f4eb93]”I’m sorry! Down the line, you’ll understand!”[/color] Britney shouted.

Layla trembled, staring up at Britney. [color=7ABBFF][b]“N-no, you don't understand! If you take him,”[/b][/color]

Tears pricked her eyes as she struggled. [color=7ABBFF][b]“I'll be all alone!”[/b][/color]

Layla summoned her hands, working like a toddler to get the vines off. The phantom hands were shaking, creating scratch marks on the floor from her rushed movements. Once free, she made a beeline to Void.

Void hissed, moving away from Auri, trying to run as one hand smashed through the glass of the curtained window. He could feel more strength leaving him, his eyes burning as he glared.

He wouldn't last long like this.

Layla instinctively moved in front of Void, pushing him back towards the window with pale hands, ignoring the numbness, while her tear-streaked face faced the coven leader, Britney and Jack.

Her phantom hands swelled, capturing the butterflies and crushing as many as she could in her grasp before they hovered as fists in the air, like a boxer taking their stance.

[color=7ABBFF][b]“Just let us leave!”[/b][/color] She shrieked, trying desperately to push Void out the window.

The two would only have to jump through…

[hr]Earlier that day…


The Void was a strange place.

Stormy and Britney were simply left here to do what they needed to do with a simple instruction: Don’t open the doors, and don’t go outside. At least that shadowy dude had the foresight to leave a few potted plants inside for Britney’s consideration.

There would be a meeting at a park soon, so the two of them had to get everything ready as soon as possible before the target of this plan was brought in. Stormy had brought something special for it. A flask with a special mixture of otherwise ordinary things that came together to make invisible ink. This was the same stuff he used to seal dozens of apparitions back in the days of the old coven, and with Britney here helping him, they had all they needed.

The Void Heart would have no idea that the floor of this uncannily [i]normal[/i] house was covered in countless symbols, until it was too late. 

[color=f4eb93][i]Okay… we’re in the Void…. Stay cool.[/i][/color] Now, when Jack suggested they set up a trap in the [i]Void[/i] of all goddamn places, Britney thought that he was mad. That he was crazy. That he was literally [i]insane.[/i] Then the more he talked about it, the more it made sense, and [i]somehow[/i] he managed to convince Britney… though, the faster they did this and got out of here, the better. With invisible ink from Stormy, Britney ran across this creepy house like a mad woman. She traced her sealing symbol, [url=https://i.imgur.com/mc0UqML.jpg]a fancy tree[/url], in every corner of the house… because they had no clue what the Void Heart was going to do (Or what Jack was going to do to be honest) and she hoped that Jack wouldn’t mind if the Void was sealed into one of his… decorations.

 [color=f4eb93]”Stormy!”[/color] Britney shouted across the house. [color=f4eb93]”Remember, this won’t work unless the Void Heart is [i]out[/i] of her body! Otherwise, he’s [i]technically[/i] already sealed.”[/color]

[color=00ff98]”I know, don’t worry,”[/color] Stormy used his ink to inscribe much larger symbols across the floor, working around the old, somehow still intact furniture despite it winding up here. This place was full of things that looked like they belonged in some cheesy dark academia movie. Large rocky crystals, bookshelves, skulls from supernatural creatures, you name it, were in here.

Stormy’s sealing symbols took the shape of, to no one’s surprise, shields. All over the walls between the tree symbols, despite them being invisible, and on the floor. Once the sealing was done, the invisible ink would vanish within hours, so hopefully, Jack wouldn’t kill them for vandalizing his “home.”

[color=00ff98]”Of all the places to lay a trap, I definitely didn’t expect this one to be up for  consideration.”[/color]

[color=f4eb93]”[i]Trust me,[/i] I tried to come up with an alternative…”[/color] Britney rolled her eyes. 

[color=f4eb93]”We just gotta hope that Voidy behaves while we’re out here…”[/color]

She kept the idea that hurting Layla was a valid option to get the Void out to herself… that type of thinking was why she was so vilified in the old Coven in the first place. They just needed to seal the Void Heart in here, and then they could leave him there and forget about it.

[color=f4eb93]”Maybe we should pick a hiding spot to spring out on the Void Heart?”[/color]

[color=00ff98]”I was thinking that I’d hide in a closet somewhere and leap out to root him in place when he drops his guard. That was the point of bringing them both [i]here[/i] wasn’t it? False sense of security, easier to surprise.”[/color]

[color=f4eb93]”And what’s the plan if he stays in Layla?”[/color]

[color=00ff98]”We [i]force[/i] him out. Or rather, I will. We’re trapping the whole house, and I can cut off as much of it as we need to make him get away from Layla. The same magic I used to ward off apparitions during the old days is going to come in handy now. He won’t expect my spell to drain his strength, so he’ll panic and fly away. Layla won’t be affected, and she doesn’t need to be. Simply put, if I have to, I’ll just light a fire under his ass.”[/color]

[color=f4eb93]”What if he takes her?”[/color] Britney asked.

[color=00ff98]”Where will he go? He won’t be able to open the doors, because we’re here to keep him trapped. He won’t be able to run back to Shimmer, because he won’t have access to his Abstraction once I start using magic. No Abstraction means he can’t move freely, no free movement means we have him in a cage,”[/color] Stormy said, confident in the plan. 

[color=00ff98]”Once they’re here, all we have to do is lay low long enough for me to get my hands on him, possibly [i]literally,[/i], and then you can leave the rest to me.”[/color]

[color=f4eb93]”I get it,”[/color] She started, [color=f4eb93]”I’m just worried he might try and hurt Layla… that’s the one thing I want to avoid if possible.”[/color]

[color=00ff98]”I guarantee he will,”[/color] Stormy said, [color=00ff98]”But he won’t be able to. He’ll be [i]powerless,[/i] Britney. I can assure you that.”[/color] 

Britney nodded.

[color=f4eb93]”Let’s set up and get out of here, quick,”[/color] Britney added.

[color=00ff98]”Right.”[/color] Stormy entered the kitchen, quickly dropping his invisible seals across the floor. It was a small one full of curious foods from all over the earth, and likely other places beyond Shimmer, but there was a storage closet that Stormy made a note to hide in.

It wasn’t long. [color=00ff98]”Let’s get the upstairs, too.”[/color] Stormy hopped up the flight of stairs and started sealing off everything. He started with the door to what appeared to be a study. Rows of bookshelves lined the inside, and a very comfortable-looking chair was inside. 

On the walls were maps, some labeled with descriptions of regions of the Void, as if they could be mapped somehow. Others depicted places Stormy had never heard of: The Silent City, the kingdom of Yurama, Pathway Nine, and more. Decade-old pictures of kids spending their childhood together were scattered across a messy desk.

There was vast knowledge and storied history kept in this room. A window into who Jack Hawthorne was as a person. That explained the sword on the wall, which held Stormy’s attention the longest.

A straight blade with an ornate guard in a scabbard made of sycamore wood. The Sycamore Tree coven’s crest was burned into its side. And an old leather sling was wrapped around one end. It hung on a wooden plaque, with an inscription written under it.

[b][code]Reza Cabrera[/code][/b]

[color=00ff98]”…I never thought I’d see that thing again.”[/color]

Britney’s jaw dropped as she walked over and muttered, 

[color=f4eb93]”... Reza…”[/color] Britney walked over and traced her fingers over the inscription… [color=f4eb93]”He was one of the best of us… I watched him die…”[/color] She sighed.

[color=f4eb93]”... I wish we could have done more to protect the people like him.”[/color]

Stormy’s eyes fell to the floor for a moment. Reza was a fighter who kept the coven together by sheer force of personality. He was downright legendary back in the day. 

[color=00ff98]”Saved my life a few times. We wouldn’t have been a real coven if it were for people like him.”[/color] A smile crept up on his face, as he thought back on it. [color=00ff98]”It’s nice to see that sword again. I’m surprised Sloane didn’t get her hands on it.”[/color]

Britney laughed as she put a hand on her hip.

[color=f4eb93]”You know Jack wouldn’t let that happen, heh.”[/color]

[color=00ff98]”No, I think not.”[/color] For a moment, Stormy couldn’t think of anything to say. The coven fell to ruin in the Stygian Snake’s wake. He once watched Reza run towards the Stygian Snake head-on and tear its head off in a single swing. If only it were that simple, though. A lot of them looked up to him for strength. 

Good times.

[color=00ff98]”I never did track down his family. He never told us anything about them. You think he has one? Or that they ever found out about his death?”[/color]

[color=f4eb93]”That's an adventure for another day…”[/color] Britney mused as she just… Reached for it, she grabbed onto it’s hilt…

… And saw everything.

Reza massacring the Stygian Snake’s hordes and how the sword was functionally a piece of him. All were experienced in mere seconds. Britney held onto the sword and examined it for a few moments. Before she turned to Stormy…

[color=f4eb93]”... We can use this,”[/color]

Concern etched over his expression. [color=00ff98]”Hold on, Britney. I know that sword’s one of the most powerful artifacts we ever got ahold of, but shouldn’t we ask Jack before we start taking things? That’s important to him, and it’s all he had left of Reza after everything that happened.”[/color]

Britney snorted, laughing,

[color=f4eb93]”I’m not going to bring this to the meeting,”[/color] She snorted. [color=f4eb93]”Our good friend the Void Heart might see it and think something’s up.”[/color]

She slapped a hand on her hip and said,

[color=f4eb93]”We can ask Jack at the meeting; let’s hurry up. This place is creeping me out.”[/color]

[color=00ff98]”You know what? Sure, he’ll probably understand. Let’s get out of here.”[/color]

[hr]

However, another vine had entangled itself around Layla’s foot, trapping her before she could escape. Britney raised one hand as she said, [color=f4eb93]”But, Layla! You won’t be alone!”[/color] She kept trying to wrap as much around Layla as possible so she could not escape. [color=f4eb93]”... You’ll have us!”[/color]

Layla struggled to breathe as vines constricted around her, eyes frantically searching Britney. Britney didn't understand. And Void was about to pay the price…


The Void Heart wasn’t nearly as lucky as he might have thought. Breaking the window and then running to a portal [i]outside[/i] the house where it would be risky for the others was a clever move on his part. But something he failed to calculate was that he was in Jack’s domain. One did not come into his house and expect to pull a fast one on him [i]that[/i] easily unless they thought he was stupid.

Jack disappeared inside the house, reappearing between Void Heart and his way out. He admitted to Layla that being outside posed a risk, particularly to one’s sanity, but only because Layla and Jack were different people. Jack reached out with his magical hand, and it shot toward the apparition like a harpoon from a canon, grabbing him as if he were nothing more than a foam stress ball.

[color=6644ff]”You blind [i]fool.[/i] Did you think I’d let you escape me so easily? After the life of [i]AGONY[/i] you subjected my friend to!?”[/color] Jack hissed at the Void Heart, reveling in the fate they were about to subject him to. He had been waiting a decade for this.

[color=A299FD][b]“Let go of me, you bastard!”[/b][/color] Void spat, phantom hands weakly pulling at the grasp Jack had him in.

[color=A299FD][b]“Alizée was [i]MINE[/i]!”[/b][/color] His metallic voice cracked, eyes tight. [color=A299FD][b]“How dare you! She became perfect with [i]me[/i], no you assholes!”[/b][/color]

Immediately, Jack teleported back inside with the Void Heart, keeping the bastard out of arm’s reach to avoid his energy-sapping touch.

[color=6644ff]”After everything you coerced her into doing, after the [i]madness[/i] you drove Alizée to, nothing could ever convince me to save your life! DO IT! [i]NOW!”[/i][/color]

Void struggled hard, eyes twisted in madness. [color=A299FD][b]“You'll all [i]REGRET THIS[/i]!”[/b][/color]

A faint static built up in the second or two it took Jack to bring Void Heart back into the house. The strange sound ramped to a thousand percent as the sanctity of the area was broken, windows shattering as bullets began to rattle into the living room from outside. Six clear white boxes ripped open in all corners of the room, and several others expanded across the place's windows. As if they were old televisions, they slowly but surely began to fade into color, reflecting the image they looked at. 

It was a jarring, illusory field, contextualizing only as the two individuals stepped through one of the screens. The man wore a clean black suit, hair pulled back into a ponytail and piercing blue eyes darting about. He held his right hand in the shape of a gun, the gem on his cufflink glowing bright red.
The woman sported a massive blonde afro, similarly suited to the man in a pinstripe pant suit with a sly smile across her face.

[color=e0c4ff]”Ladies, Gentlemen and All in Presence, puh-leeeease put the floating sac down and step away!”[/color]

As she yelled, she mirrored the man’s posture, except in her hand was an actual and factual gun, complete with wispy purple smoke curling from its snub barrel.

[color=de3b1b]”A visitor from last night? And our dear Jackie!? Oh, Void Heart, you certainly draw a fucking crowd my friend…”[/color]

[hr]
Furio and Clarissa watched as Leon and Edict walked across the park toward the gazebo. 

[color=e0c4ff]“Break his balls a little bit?”[/color]

[color=de3b1b]“Yeah, I mean, he played it off, you know those wise guys.”[/color]

The two of them spun around a bit in the distance, and Clarissa started to laugh with a little bit of a snort. Still on the steering wheel, Furio stuck his fingers up as his face pursed with confusion. 

[color=de3b1b]”What, yes Leon… There’s nobody there! My guy, like…”[/color]

Furio scoffed, clearly not keyed up to the microphone transmitting their walkie-talkies. 

[color=de3b1b]”God, we give you the Queen of the Wolves, and you fucking waste it!”[/color]

[color=e0c4ff]”Hey, easy… You know that’s a blaspheme. Take slow, deep breaths; remember our thirteen properties.”[/color]

Furio watched Edict as he stuck his finger down at the ground and watched it trail upward toward a road on the other side. His hand slid off the wheel, and a smile cracked as he took a deep breath. [i]Fucking kid…Good for something, maybe.[/i] He remembered the name in the book and the address at the time. It wasn’t up to date now. 

Five or so minutes passed by when Leon reported in again.

[color=C67C12][i]"Furio, VL on the move. Probable Purple influence."[/i][/color]

[color=de3b1b]”Oh? Understood, on the move.-”[/color] Furio confirmed, cocking his head to the side. He was met with his wife’s beautiful wide smile. The sunshine of her love. [color=de3b1b]”Get your beeper on sweetheart. Time to boogie.”[/color]

The two of them slipped out of the car, and Furio locked it behind him and slipped the key into his pocket. This was a process that they’d gone through a hundred times in their days; Clarissa clutched the metal of her pistol in the palm of her hand, and with the thick portion below the thumb, she cocked the hammer back. Her focus on the sound projected a sixth sense that echoed across the park field and back to her like a radar feed. 
She compulsively flipped the thing in her hands with very subtle movements, tucking her thumb between the trigger and letting the hammer slam back down. Another echo each time she searched for the swirling of a pinhole in the middle of the Shimmer.

The two walked briskly to the gazebo before Clarissa saw something she was interested in. Her hair bounced like a cartoon sun as she took off into a jog toward the location of interest, a nearby tree blocking the line of sight that gave off a strong fizzle on both sides. Either a teleporting Squirrel was using a hollow in the tree.

Furio smiled as he watched Clarissa take off like the bloodhound she was. He’d been by her side to watch the progression of her senses into a honed blade, and whenever she had an instinct, he trusted her explicitly.

Rounding the corner of the tree, Clarissa took a deep breath. It was safe to check at the very least, and she looked around for any nearby pedestrians before smiling and reaching into her pocket. She flicked the gun’s cylinder open, the hand in the pocket sticking a speedloader into the space and twisting away. It made a satisfying click as it closed, Furio coming around the corner just as she pointed the gun at a space in nowhere.
 
[i]Technically, a tree.[/i] 

It was a funny thing about Furio, the way his mind worked.

[i]How dare these Gerber fucks force his Lady to shoot this innocent tree in the light of Eden. Why would you be here? Why would you need to teleport here of all places?[/i]

All that went through Clarissa’s head was the pleasure of the recoil against her palm as the bullet ripped through the hole she knew was there. 

The impact zone expanded rapidly into a flat white screen which she carefully poked her head through. Typical outer Void, but the conditioning was working well, so most horrifying things were visible but imperceptible. Silhouettes in the foreground of an otherwise bleak and dark background.

But up on the hill, there was a house. She had to be quick. Her head pulled back out of the portal and looked up at Furio.
[color=e0c4ff]”Alright, Baby, here’s the deal. I’m gonna pick it up in here, you’re going to get ready to dive, ‘cuz a dive’s a jump. When you see my hand come through, you book it as hard as possible.”[/color]

Furio nodded. He wasn’t so conditioned, but he knew the score. No eyes, no ears, no mouth. His cufflink began to glow bright red as he channeled a conjure element spell. Shaping solid iron from thin air, he rapidly fabricated a solid helmet to block the outer horrors. Leaving only the slightest strip to see when she was back, Furio backpedaled and thought about everything he hated that day. 

It was already a long list. Furio waited, waited a moment longer, and then… The hand. In an instant, he took his last breath and welded the mask shut to the open air. He sprinted, diving into the portal head first. His outstretched arm grabbed Clarissa’s, and for a moment, he felt the cold dark around him, penetrating his suit coat and gripping at his flesh before he felt the vague warmth of a new location. It was still in the Void but some kind of sanctuary. He opened his nose holes first, getting a rush of noise as the portal closed behind them.

Clarissa patted Furio on the shoulder, and he dropped the helmet from his head as he forcibly pulled the atoms apart between the seams. It put up much resistance, typical of these areas, but not enough that he figured he couldn’t overcome it. Everything was made out of atoms, held together by tiny magnets that can just be flicked and blocked and split at will. He’d studied for years, having the chance and the opportunity afforded to him by the Richoux clan. 

[i]He hated to admit that he needed those pompous fuckers.[/i]

The two of them stared into the house from outside, watching the proceedings until things began to get too bad. At first, Clarissa was going to barge in immediately, but Furio held her back only until after Jack had managed to get Void Heart back into the house after their attempted escape.

She had already grabbed another speedloader, and as Furio’s arm moved out of the block, she immediately began plugging holes through the window with her gun. She didn’t need a lot of precision to make her mirrors, but she did need precision to reload at competition speed as she dumped the empty casings and slotted six fresh rounds, four of which she dumped into a few more portals. 

[color=e0c4ff]”Move your ass, Baby Boy!”[/color]

Furio happily did as he was told, harnessing a channeled spell and stepping through the portal to wherever she was sending him. He trusted her.