[centre][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLjAwMDAwMC5YMTlmWDE5ZlgxOWZYMTgsLjAA/kepler-296.regular.png[/img] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191119/8dad89e53c8d0bad2469745a90289ec1.png[/img] [colour=000000][h2][b]Collab Between:[/b][/h2][/colour][@MsMorningstar][colour=thistle][i][b]Viola Benoit[/b][/i][/colour] [@NorthernKraken][b][colour=#88e312][i]Keith Rivington[/i][/colour][/b] [img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLjAwMDAwMC5YMTlmWDE5ZlgxOWZYMTgsLjAA/kepler-296.regular.png[/img][hider= Is it time for you to jump into the next train?][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRP9k9nlAfE&list=RDUbQgXeY_zi4&index=15&app=desktop[/youtube][/hider][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLjAwMDAwMC5YMTlmWDE5ZlgxOWZYMTgsLjAA/kepler-296.regular.png[/img] [/centre] Violet watched as her first line of defense walked out the door, leaving her alone with the crazed man in his [I]Virginity Rocks[/I] hoodie. She wondered if he realized what it said, and was just glad to be warm. She was feeling a bit guilty about giving it to him, now. [color=thistle]"So..."[/color] She didn't know what to say anymore. Emotions had been leaking out, but now the room felt dry. [color=thistle]"Uh, you still hungry?"[/color] Colin blinked at the question. He hadn't realised Violet was still there, but of course she was, this was her house. He was the intruder. He looked down at his bare feet squished into her carpet, bristles poking his arches. He glanced back at where he'd left his boots in the corner by the door, skimming over the unfinished pizza on the table, noticed her staring at the jumper he was wearing with a strange look on her face. She didn't want him here, [color=#88e312] "I can leave… get out of your way…"[/color] he picked at the hem of the [i]ridiculously soft[/i] jumper (How was it not itchy? Warm as wool but soft as cotton…),[color=#88e312] "I err… I dunno where my other clothes are… but you can have this back…" [/color] [color=thistle]"Well, if you leave, what's your plan?"[/color] It was a valid question, at least in her mind. She presumed he wouldn't tell her, since the level of trust between them was a solid two. [color=thistle]"Because if you're on your way out, I'll take your clothes out of the machine...you don't have to go, though."[/color] [color=#88e312] “Why did you put my clothes in a machine?”[/color] He asked, frowning, before he continued[color=#88e312] “The plan is to find Samael and kill him,” [/color]probably fail, probably die a horrible death even if he [i]did[/i] succeed,[color=#88e312] “Maybe… maybe get that Aiden guy to help…”[/color] he shrugged, [color=#88e312]“I don’t have to wait for him here though - asking you to help save the fucking world’s one thing, asking to stay’s another.” [/color] Violet's face grew weary. She was almost too drained to explain things to him. [color=thistle]"The machine washes your clothes."[/color] She settled further back into the couch, kicking out her legs. Taking in the room, her gaze lazily settled on Apollo, who was licking the floor where the pizza crust had landed. In that moment, she wondered if he could develop a better plan then Keith. [color=thistle]"Okay, where are you going to stay?"[/color] [color=#88e312] “A machine that…?”[/color] Colin shook his head, better not think about it. He thought for a moment. The bathroom where he’d landed had been dry, but also full of leeches, so clearly that was out. The abandoned building Vitius had dragged him to was out as well, there was no knowing when the leech might return. [color=#88e312] “I’ll figure something out... “ he settled on eventually,[color=#88e312] “Slept in places colder than this, I’ll manage.”[/color] he shrugged, feigning indifference. [color=thistle]"And you're just gonna hole up somewhere, hope no one finds you in this 'evil lair'?"[/color] Her brow rose, and her body tensed as she prepared to press him further. [color=thistle]"Where are you going to get food? Your money doesn't work here."[/color] He bit the inside of his cheek, unable to help the slight step back that he took,[color=#88e312] “Like I- like I said, I’ll figure sumat out,”[/color] that sounded defensive didn’t it? Fuck,[color=#88e312] “never needed money to get food anyway, it’s not like it’s the middle of winter or anything, bound to be rabbits and-”[/color] He reached to where his bow would normally be, an automatic gesture, only for his fingers to grasp at thin air,[color=#88e312] “Fuck. Forgot the fucking leech took it when he grabbed me-” [/color]he looked back to Violet, right, still there, [color=#88e312]“err, I’ll figure it out. If you want me gone, I’m gone.”[/color] A low groan sounded from Violet. He was as stubborn as her brother. Not nearly as rude, though. [color=thistle]"I'm going to my room."[/color] She was tired, not even the pizza looked good to her anymore. Which was saddening, because she loved lukewarm pizza. [color=thistle]"You want me to help you? Knock on my door in about eight hours, we'll get to work. If you decide to leave while I'm asleep, great. If you don't, great."[/color] She had resigned. Keith was beginning to bug her, so she wasn't going to be the one that told him the only food in the city streets was rats. Lifting up from the couch, she popped her knees with a slight squat and began the stride toward her room. Colin stared as the door slammed shut behind her, leaving him stood, a little awkward, in the middle of the floor. If he left now, she would never help him, but at the same time, she wouldn’t be able to lure him into a trap. Being stuck inside… Out of the corner of his eye, smoke curled out from under her bedroom door, but then he blinked and it was gone, leaving nothing but a tight, burning feeling snagged on the edge of his breath. He moved toward to the door, the one that led to the hallway that led to outside, and pressed down on the handle, half expecting it to be hot. It wasn’t, and it clicked open easily, allowing a slice of cold air from outside to enter. Safe. It was safe here. He could get out if he needed to. He glanced behind him, a black square of window stood sentinel behind a dining table, spits of rain dotting the glass. He peered downward - there wasn’t a lot of room under the table, but there was enough, and it was probably the safest spot if he [i]was[/i] going to wait for Violet - she wouldn’t see him right away, and it was right next to the window for an easy exit. The first night at The Keep, Colin had found a cupboard to curl up in, and spent most of the night wide awake, twitching violently at any sign of danger until he eventually passed out, exhausted. It had been better than going to sleep in a room with a murderer. Now, he grabbed his boots from by the door, dragged one of the chairs out from the table, and crawled underneath, huddling against the wall, knees up to his chest. Some things had changed. Others? He forced himself to shut his eyes, leaned his head against his knees, and waited for morning. [hr] Violet slept well. Perhaps too well, considering there was a stranger in her home that could become violent at any moment. It wasn't a lack of fear that allowed her to rest peacefully. Keith [I]did[/I] scare her, if only a little, but she was too exhausted to care. So, she stayed asleep for hours on end, without a dream or nightmare to disturb her slumber. It was ten hours later that she woke. Upon figuring out how long she had been asleep she assumed, with a soft sigh, that Keith had abandoned ship. She supposed it was for the best. After all, how was she gonna handle a guy like that? Shuffling toward the bedroom door, she opened it and made her way out to the kitchen for breakfast. Only to get frightened by the unconscious body in front of her. Was he unconscious? Should she check? Had he died during the night? She nearly poked him with a toe, but chickened out at the last second in favor of pouring some cereal and moving back to her room. Two hours later, after exhausting herself on all her favorite mobile streaming services, she moved to the laundry room to hang up Keith's clothing and put his thick yellow-ish cloak in the dryer. She was surprised they had survived the machine, and hoped they wouldn't shrink now that they were clean...ish. Beginning to grow bored, she found herself wandering back over to the man on her kitchen floor. She stared at his body for at least three minutes, before finally moving to crouch down and poke him. [color=thistle]"Wakey wakey, Keith. You ready to get to work?"[/color] A gasp, and Colin was awake - something cold and hard under his cheek, light blinding, mouth dry with sleep - where the [i]fuck[/i]- Aiden. Violet. The battle. The fu- [i]not[/i] the future. Heart pounding, he pushed himself into a sitting position, back against the wall like he’d initially planned to stay throughout the night before slumping over. The spectres of sleep still clung to him - Kiri standing here, in Violet’s home, hands impossibly strong round his throat. His sister Mary, staring at him as Samael’s ghouls ripped her arms off, then her legs, then her head. They were fading fast, but as always, were difficult to shake. He rubbed his eyes, looked up at Violet, and frowned, [color=#88e312]“Yeah, but… who’s Keith?”[/color] [color=thistle]"You. You're Keith. Until you give me your actual name, that is."[/color] Violet shrugged, scrutinizing him. Holding out a hand at last, she offered wordlessly to pull him to his feet. [color=thistle]"C'mon, we'll work over breakfast."[/color] She was back to her nutrition plan till the weekend, but Keith seemed like he could use something hearty. Colin accepted the proffered hand, allowing Violet to help pull him up, wincing slightly at the soreness of his muscles. That was gonna be a problem if he had to fight Samael (or go up any stairs.). [color=#88e312]“Okay…”[/color] he agreed, watching her for a moment, brow furrowed. Brighid had said once that names had power, but Violet had had plenty of opportunity to kill him already. Wherever this place was, maybe it was time to start listening to the people here instead of the ones back home. [color=#88e312] “And err…the name’s Colin.”[/color] he said quietly, and shrugged. So, Keith was Colin. She had been off. Not by too much, though. She gave him another once over, before finally deciding the name Colin was a proper match. [color=thistle]"Nice to meet you, Colin."[/color] She grinned, wondering why it had taken him so long to reveal this to her. Maybe Aiden had been threatening to him? She glanced at her body, painstakingly crafted throughout the years for prime athleticism. A scholarship for track at DU, ripped away from her by the accident. She had plans to reclaim her position. Was she [I]not[/I] intimidating? God, that sucked. [color=thistle]"I have two ways to help you. One is called the Internet, and the other is,"[/color] She pointed a thumb at herself. [color=thistle]"Yours truly. Both may be a bit unreliable in your case."[/color] [color=#88e312]“Internet?” Colin asked, curiosity overtaking the niggles of doubt that crept in the second he revealed his name,[color=#88e312] “Is that some kind of spell? Can you do magic?” he’d always been cautiously intrigued by what Eliza and Brighid could do. Then he remembered Samael, not just him but Anastasia, the necromancer from when they were just starting out as initiates, the terrifying wards that guarded the keep and the destructive powers of Eliza’s mentors. Magic hurt as much as it helped, and the jury was still out on whether Violet was trustworthy or not. [color=thistle]"No, the internet is...science, I guess?"[/color] More like a group of minds all jumbled together in one place, but that would take too much explanation. [color=thistle]"And...as for the magic bit..."[/color] She wasn't a mage. The closest spellcaster relatives she had were her Uncle Reynold and her cousin, Carrie. They were on her mother's side, and Uncle Reynold had married into the family. Other than that, everyone was pretty much normal. It didn't really explain her sudden gifts, if they could even be called that. Horrible bouts of nausea? Yeah, a total blessing. [color=thistle]"I guess it's kinda like that, just not as reliable."[/color] She scratched the back of her neck. [color=thistle]"But, anyways, we'll try both."[/color] Science? Colin frowned. Back when he was living with Andi in Sinstead, her healer-boyfriend Moonshine had loudly declared himself a scientist lots of times, had even dragged them all to a ‘science show’ one time. None of it seemed like anything that was particularly helpful though, [color=#88e312]“How’s cutting up animals and drawing their insides gonna help us find Samael?”[/color] he asked, confusion evident. Did she have time to explain the ins and outs or science to him? No. Did she have the know-how or the patience for it? Absolutely not. That conversation would be saved for another day, lucky him. [color=thistle]"It's a lot more...magical than you'd think."[/color] She insisted, trying to go with something he knew about. [color=thistle]"Anyways, let's get to work. I'm gonna ask a lot of questions, and if you want accurate results I need accurate answers."[/color] She eyed him, hoping he understood the severity of this. Walking away from him and into her room, she grabbed her laptop and headed for the couch. Waving Colin over, she collapsed onto the cushions and settled her computer on the coffee table. [color=thistle]"Okay, so you said that there were two other people that jumped in the portal before you. One was Samael, and the other was...whoever. Let's start there."[/color] Another frown [color=#88e312]“With… with Kiri?”[/color] Colin asked, voice oddly hoarse, [color=#88e312]“All I know she jumped in after Samael - pretty sure she’s working with him though, it was all a ruse, get us all to follow after her,”[/color] he scowled, [color=#88e312]“fucking worked as well, didn’t it?” [/color] Violet held up her hands defensively. [color=thistle]"Look, dude. Whatever that--"[/color] She said, in reference to the sudden outburst that came out alongside Kiri's name. [color=thistle]"--just was, isn't my problem. If she's trying to destroy the world, that's where I come in."[/color] Beginning to type in the name 'Kiri', she looked at the results. The first five that popped up were in reference to the two-time swim gold medalist, Kiri Williams. A couple of others appeared as well, but they weren't familiar search terms to her. [color=thistle]"Anything catching your eye?"[/color] Colin squinted - the magic-but-actually-somehow-science-internet device seemed very similar to the ‘phone’ from before - glowing that hurt his eyes to look at. This one, instead of responding to Violet’s finger on it, seemed to controlled by a series of buttons beneath the glowing part. This ‘internet’ seemed weird. After a moment of looking, he realised that the squiggly blackthings that seemed to cover the internet were actually letters and pictures. The letters swum disorientingly before his eyes - there were far more than he was used to, and they all seemed uniform, as if they weren;t even written by a person. Which made a strange kind of sense. It was magic after all. Instead, he looked at the pictures - most of them were of a woman in a shiny cap, standing by a large square pool of water. Not Kiri, and looking at her for too long made his cheeks warm. He tore his eyes down to one of the pictures at the bottom of the internet - a black line drawing of a woman holding a sword, a ferocious expression on her face. He squinted to read the writing next to it. [color=#88e312]“H...A...E…”[/color] he murmured quietly, recognition slowly dawning - that was Kiri’s last name! [color=#88e312]“Hae!”[/color] he said, looking to Violet, [color=#88e312]“Kiri Hae - that-” [/color]he looked at the image again, a cold sweat creeping in. He gripped his arm. Tried to shake the memory of clothes, soaked through with snow and blood, his uncle’s eyes, empty. Staring back at him. [color=#88e312]“That’s her.[/color]” he said, sedate. A realization crept into Violet's mind as she noticed Colin struggling with the words. He wasn't able to read. At least, not as well as most people she knew. She scratched at her knee, not wanting to bring it up. She'd just figure out a way to teach him...later. For now, it was back to business. [color=thistle]"Alright, Kiri Hae."[/color] She clicked on the search result, and it took her to a crappy website that was made to look like an old scroll, cursive font and all. In the top right corner, the image they had seen on the previous page was enlarged. Centered on the top of the page was the heading [b]Kiri Hae: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo[/b]. Violet frowned, before skimming through the article. [color=thistle]"Looks like Kiri is pretty popular in the urban legends community."[/color] And she was a meme, but Violet didn't feel like explaining that. [color=thistle]"Says here,"[/color] She pointed at a grouping of sentences. [color=thistle]"That she was big on killing 'evildoers'."[/color] Colin scowled, [color=#88e312]“Evildoers? You know how many innocents she murdered? In [i]cold blood[/i]?”[/color] he paused, there was Locksely, his uncle, probably countless more that he didn’t know about, “[color=#88e312]First time I met her, she burned a man to death, just a few months ago, she-”[/color] he grit his teeth. Fuck. He’d never even said it aloud before, not to anyone that hadn’t been in that cold carriage on the way back to the keep. He lowered his voice,[color=#88e312] “She fucking chopped my uncles head off. [i]In front of me[/i]. So- so-”[/color] he sucked air in through his teeth,[color=#88e312] “whatever that [i]fucking[/i] internet thing says is wrong, okay?” [/color] Violet watched with wide eyes as Colin became unhinged. A door to [I]something[/I] was opening, and she was sure it wouldn't be pleasant. Reaching out, her hand stopped a few centimeters short of touching him. [color=thistle]"Hey...do you wanna...breathe with me?"[/color] She asked, almost cringing at the choice of words. It was just what her therapist would say whenever she began to erupt. [color=thistle]"Deep breaths really--I don't know, they help."[/color] Colin’s fingers knotted in his hair - thick and sticky with blood, far more real than the voice telling him to breathe. The voice was right though. [i]Violet[/i] - that’s who it was, Violet was right. He resisted the urge to shut his eyes tight against the world- focused outward like Moonshine used to tell him - [i]’five things you can see kiddo, c’mon’[/i]. Carpet. Boots. Violet. Violet’s hair, bright purple. [i]The internet[/i]. There were other steps after that, but Colin didn’t remember them. He breathed, Like Violet said, listened to her as the feeling of snow soaking through his shirt became just a memory again. As he realised that fuck, he’d just freaked out on Violet, after everything she’d already done to help. He swallowed nervously, straightening, [color=#88e312]“Sorry…”[/color] he mumbled, [color=#88e312]“That… sorry. Can we… I get if you want me to leave but… can we keep looking? Does that thing tell you where she is?” [/color] Okay, he wanted to move on. She was fine with that. Extra extra fine. Dropping her hand, she smiled politely and nodded. [color=thistle]"No leaving, not until we solve the mystery."[/color] Scanning over the rest of the page, she sighed as she realized it was a bust. Of course it was, there was no way this trashy website would give locations. [color=thistle]"Nope, no locations. Why don't we look at news articles from the past week to see if Kiri's popped up around town? A lost woman would make local news."[/color] And so the search began. Violet's fingers flew over the keyboard, seeking out answers. She swapped positions on the couch, laid out on the floor with the laptop hovering precariously over her head. Typed, and typed, and typed. Skimmed, searched and even swiped on her phone when holding the laptop became too much work. Samael, Kiri, the Haes. All to no avail. There were pictures, history book pages, flip card sites built for studying. Nothing important. No leads. [color=thistle]"Fuck."[/color] She mumbled, after thirty minutes straight of just [I]looking[/I]. Usually, her attention span lasted about five minutes before she got pissed. This was beginning to be a bit much. [color=thistle]"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."[/color] She had promised she would help him, she had [I]promised[/I]. [color=thistle]"Who else went through, other than Sam and Kiri?"[/color] He had said it was a ruse for 'us' to follow, right? Colin, who’d been watching Violet intently and only understanding about a quarter of the things she’d been saying, started a little at her suddenly addressing him instead of ‘the internet’ and ‘the phone’ again, “[color=#88e312]I err…” he thought back to the battle, who’d been there,[color=#88e312] “I dunno if any of them actually went in after me… but there were others there - Brighid O’Shay,” [/color]apparently last names were important when using the internet to find people,[color=#88e312] “Eliza Chase, Zeke…. I dunno what his last name was, he was just a really big werewolf.”[/color] The name O'Shay and Chase sounded familiar. Chase was pretty common, but she could've sworn it was important. And O'Shay...God, it was right on the tip of her tongue. Sitting up straight, she placed the laptop back onto the coffee table and looked up Eliza Chase. At the first result, her eyes sparkled with recognition. And relief, as they had finally found something relevant to this time period. [color=thistle]"The Chase Scholarship!"[/color] Colin peered over her shoulder - as expected, the text on the internet made little sense, but the image plastered on the machine was infinitely familiar. It was Eliza - hair big, the same colour as when he first met her, eyes bright, grinning right back at him, like she’d just put slugs in Finlay’s boots and was just waiting to see what happened. She hadn’t looked like that for a long time. [color=#88e312]“That’s Eliza,”[/color] Colin said, turning to Violet, [color=#88e312]“how did the internet get this picture? Does that mean it knows where she is?” Was she [i]here[/i]? The thought of Eliza, alone, stuck in this… this… wherever the fuck it was like he was… [color=#88e312]“Is she… is she here too?” [/color] [color=thistle]"Well...maybe?"[/color] Violet wasn't sure if her answer would appease him, but she wasn't interested in withholding the truth. Scrolling through the page, Violet refreshed her knowledge on the scholarship. It had been a big deal for all the spellcasters in the school, and Violet had been extremely frustrated she wasn't eligible. [color=thistle]"Basically this big mage family gives out money in honor of Eliza to pay for spellcaster's tuitions. She went MIA and it was a whole thing to the head honcho's son...er, brother? I don't really know. Just says Ethaniel."[/color] Violet shrugged, watching Colin's face to see if he was processing everything. [color=#88e312]“Ethaniel Witwing? The internet knows about the Witwings?”[/color] Colin felt something bubbling in his chest - bright and warm. If the internet knew about the Witwings they must’ve survived - from the little Colin knew, they were powerful spellcasters, maybe they knew something about the portal? Maybe if he gave them more information, they could find… wherever Eliza had gone, figure out the portal, and take down Samael,[color=#88e312] “You-your err, your phone thing - it communicates over distances you said - could you use it to talk to the Witwings? Tell them we have information about Eliza?” [/color] Violet grinned. They were getting somewhere! She felt herself buzzing, excitement for the situation washing over her in sporadic waves. [color=thistle]"I can call and see if we can schedule an appointment or something. Say we need to talk to their scholarship people."[/color] It would take a bit of fibbing, but so be it. [color=thistle]"We should save the Eliza info, could be a good bargaining chip if they try to throw us out."[/color] With that in mind, she began to dial up the Witwing manor.