[hr][center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjEwNi5kYWE1MjAuVTNWc2JIa2dUV05RYUdWeWMyOXUuMA,,/roughsketch.regular.webp[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/xHVRvPV.png[/img][/center]
 [right][b]Interactions:[/b] Tayla [@silvermist1116] Drake [@Punished GN] Luna (Shouting at, indirectly) [@Estylwen], also essentially everyone else. 
[code]Kari’s House[/code][/right]
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[b]“Are you okay?”[/b] asked Aislin. 

[color=goldenrod]“Oh, yeah. I got a pretty thick skull,”[/color]  said Sully, knocking on his head with the Chalice to highlight his point and wincing as he discovered his beanie offered less cushioning than he had anticipated. As for if Tayla was okay he didn’t know. It had been a few days since he had been in contact with her, sending her a somewhat coherent text about what had happened at the strip club and ignited all of his problems with her stalker. He had planned to introduce the idea of helping her (and therefore himself) out at some point during their meeting. Certainly somebody could come up with an idea that was better than the one he had which was currently to keep roping Dean along until he got bored and forgot all about it. 

However, any thoughts about that were immediately distracted away as the others turned towards Sully to take him up on his offer. He was warm and welcome to all, hamming it up the entire time and healing whomever needed it, [color=goldenrod]“Aryin? What’s up! You know I got you. Keep, keep your shirt on. I believe you. Look, maybe we just don’t punch George anymore. He’s a big dumb idiot, and speaking as one myself I can tell you the best way to take us out is by using your head. Like say you hear an ice cream truck or something if he ever causes you trouble again. Gone. Immediately. Anyway, I’ve actually got some huge things going on in my—Luca!”[/color]

Sully gave Luca their old patented greeting of an air high five. Sully patted his jacket and backpack as if looking for a squirtgun. 

[color=goldenrod]“Damn you know what? You caught me lacking. Shit. I was a real deadeye back in the day. We could always go back to the flicking method,”[/color] said Sully, mimicking the motion with his fingers. He refused to bring up the fountain method Luca and Sully had tried. The less said about that the better. [color=goldenrod]“Any stains would come out. Probably. You don’t like that shirt, do—that was the kid who got shot!?”[/color]

Sully craned his head to look inside the house again to get a glance at the kid as if to confirm it, despite barely having a good look at the boy before he had vanished at the nightclub. He didn’t get a good look again before, [color=7B81B3]"Sully!? Put the [i]fucking[/i] cup away, my friend!”[/color]

Sully looked rather shocked as Ken started pointing out his brazen brandishing of the Chalice, Ken’s point made even stronger by the red healing elixir dripping from the tips of Sully’s fingers that he was about to flick at Luca. The constant Chalice dreams were becoming a bit bizarre, but he was around good friends here. Nobody was going to nab it. Plus, maybe Emily had only accidentally taken it. Everybody was very drunk by that point, so it was easy to see a mixup happening. Like she was a jerk and there was no denying that, but her plan of theft couldn’t have been to just snatch the artifact right out from underneath everybody’s noses and walk away as if she was completely unseen. She had been dressed as a dragon in a toga. She was impossible not to notice.

Still, Ken managed to make Sully feel guilty for his more-than-occasionally flippant use of the Chalice. No, fuck it, Ken was right. Sully had let it get stolen, Sully kept waving it around like an idiot. He didn’t want to have to give it back to Sloane for safekeeping, unaware of how terrible a choice that would be anyway, so he’d have to take it upon himself to be more responsible with the Chalice. Head hung, he bashfully shrugged his backpack off of his shoulder and stashed the Chalice away. The second he put his backpack on again Ken was calling out for a drink with the same dramatic intensity as the thespians who performed Shakespeare in the park. The Chalice was half-pulled from the bag when Ken asked when he had ever wanted a drink and prompted Sully to start putting it away again. Sully continued to yo-yo the Chalice in and out of his bag until it became clear that, yes, sake shots were happening. 

[color=goldenrod]“Right on, just one moment, Ken,”[/color] said Sully, slightly out of breath. 

It felt like he might’ve pulled his shoulder. He crouched back down and slid a pack of biodegradable cups out of his backpack, preparing a round of shots for everyone as Aislin pulled out a bong. Hell yeah, just the thing to take the edge off of everyone. As Aislin coughed right in his ear Sully missed Clancy drop the most important piece of information—that he and Ashley were family. If Sully had heard that instead of Aislin’s lungs going on strike he would’ve rushed into the entrance to introduce himself to the kid. Insead he remained on the patio, passing out cups of sake to all who reached, including a specially made non-alcoholic one for Luca in a cup that would likely rot all too quickly. Paper sake cup and Chalice in hand with has backpack still dangling haphazardly from his elbow, Sully went to join Ken in a toast to their fallen but then he stopped, his eyes going wide. 

Tayla had come. A wave of relief flowed over Sully. He gently pushed his way past everyone on the patio and gave her a bright smile. He was so happy that she was here. Before he had the chance to check in on her, Tayla said, [color=DE198A]"I'm almost positive we're being watched from those trees by someone. Just a feeling."[/color]

[color=goldenrod]“Oh shit! Is it your stalker?”[/color] said Sully, unintentionally saying it loud enough that others might be able to hear. Drake buzzed by overhead, his body crackling with lightning off in the direction to go whoop that creep’s ass. Sully’s boy had the right idea. Now wasn’t the time for questioning, it was the time for action. He ran by Tayla to join Drake, handing her his sake cup as he passed. [color=goldenrod]“Get inside. We got this motherfucker! AY, DRAKE, GET HIS BITCH ASS MAN! GO, GO, GO!”[/color]

The backpack slipped down from his hand as he ran and a loose strap wrapped itself around his foot. Sully tripped head first into the Recollection. 

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 [right][b]Interactions:[/b] Linqian (in collab w/) [@Fernstone],  Sycamore Tree
[code]Kari’s House[/code][/right]
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[i]So she was working for someone else then?[/i] thought Sloane.

Sloane came out of the Recollection still biting down on her knuckle. It had been the best solution she had come up with in the moment to avoid snapping at the group that had decided to turn their investigation into a house party with shots of sake and bong rips. She surprised herself briefly at the sound of something cracking, concerned that between her stress and adrenaline she’d bit through her finger like a carrot. Her eyes lasered in on Clancy, the bits of plaster falling from his hand. She realized that it was bad for her as an adult to hope the others would turn on the kid and hound him for damaging some of Kari’s cabin to take the heat off of her. Sloane naturally assumed the asshole comment was directed her way, but it didn’t matter. The kid was ultimately after what they were after. 

And apparently he had survived being shot. Intriguing. File it away for later. 

Sloane shouldn’t have even witnessed Clancy’s accidental vandalism. If not for Drake coming in she would’ve been upstairs already. Her basic flight or fight instinct broke when she saw him holding a bouquet of roses. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes, too uneasy to make direct eye contact, too stupidly hopeful to completely ignore the possibilities. Her eye twitched as Drake turned and bolted out the door. The possibilities bubbled and became vitriolic acid. She rubbed her finger, briefly toying with the idea of going after him and forcing a confrontation. Sloane didn’t even know if she would accept an apology. She just needed to be acknowledged. 

No, focus! 

[color=CD5C5C]”You know, Sloane, Vashti said the funniest fucking thing at the Halloween Festival…”[/color] started Linqian.

Of course Linqian was going to try and start something now. No focus. Sloane’s face became a blank slate and folded her arms as Linqian revealed that she knew about Sloane’s visits to the 8th Street manor. Sloane showed no tells that anything Linqian said was more than just Vashti’s bullshit being parroted through the mouth of an idiot. Her eyes watched Linqian’s finger jabbing between her and Anya. Anger flared back up as Linqian tried to loop Anya into her accusation. It had been Sloane’s idea and she had gone alone. Anya hadn’t dealt with them at all. Linqian was just acting out of pure spite and pettiness now to someone whose only crime was being Sloane’s friend. 

[color=silver]“Listen, Linqian…”[/color] started Sloane.

Her voice was so low that it demanded leaning in to be heard. She glanced back at Anya, transmitting an apology with her eyes, and shifted ever so slightly to put herself between Anya and Linqian. With an unexpected speed Sloane struck away Linqian’s finger with a stiff backhand moved to riposte by jamming her own finger at Linqian’s face. She didn’t have the chance. Sloane was quickly countered when Linqian grabbed her by the collar and pulled her in close. Sloane was unflinching. She glared at Linqian with mocking contempt and wrapped her hand around the woman’s wrist, signaling to her: [i]let go or “let’s go”, stop wasting my fucking time.[/i]

[color=silver]“I don’t give a shit what you say about me, but leave her out of this. Anya didn’t do anything, you idiot,”[/color] hissed Sloane.

[color=CD5C5C]”Fuck off, as if you two aren't fucking joined at the hip,”[/color] Linqian snapped, grip tightening on Sloane's collar and getting fully in her face. [color=CD5C5C]”Quit that shit and just fucking explain while I'm still playing nice.”[/color]

[color=silver]“Nothing happened. Emily and I never talked. So stop being stupid. Stop being distracting. Go search the house. That goes for all of you,”[/color] said Sloane, raising her voice from the low whisper she was speaking to Linqian with so that all could hear. She didn’t take her eyes off of Linqian. [color=silver]“This isn’t some social gathering where we have time to drink and smoke and [i]paint[/i]. We’re here for a reason. How many more need to be lost before you realize how serious this is? It’s time to stop behaving like children, to stop [i]playing nice[/i], and to get the fuck to work.”[/color]

[color=silver]“Right, Linqian?”[/color] said Sloane, squeezing the woman’s wrist harder as Sloane’s other hand slowly crept towards her Channeler. [color=silver]"You can help me search the basement."[/color]