[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/rOr0Tbj.png[/img][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5kZDE5NWUuUjJsa1pXOXVJRVJoY25KbGJpQkRjbTl6Y3cuMA/mouvere-and-apos.bold.webp[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/Ch1u8vW.png[/img][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjEwNi5iNzE5ZGQuUm5KbGVXRWdRMjlzYkdsdWN3LCwuMA,,/cavatine-demo.regular.webp[/img] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5hYzBlMzcuVkdobElFaHZiR3h2ZHcuMQ/zomboid.regular.webp[/img] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5kZDE5NWUuVTJWeVpXNGdRWE5vLjA,/scaryartdemo.regular.webp[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/IGRnemr.png[/img][/center] [right][code]Thursday, November 24th - The Hollow: 16:15[/code][/right] Freya slipped away from Gideon and into the crowd. Her hand shot to her chest, gripping it tightly, as she began to take shallow and uneven breaths. It was not everyday one was threatened by the most powerful person in the lower wards, and Freya suddenly realized how bad an idea this whole ordeal was. And she knew she was now stuck with it. Freya could not leave, she could only focus on not being killed. Gideon made the rules of the night very clear after all. Thus, she simply sunk into the long line for food and kept her head down. She assumed that several people had already recognized her, and several more knew she was here. Thus, Freya decided to keep her head down low and keep quiet to avoid any further problems. [color=DC143C]“So, you’re Freya Collins.”[/color] Freya gasped as her back straightened and her eyes went wide. They slowly drifted until they spotted a woman standing next to her. She had a sports jacket of some kind. She exhaled and looked around, spotting several angry eyes looking straight into hers. Shit. Freya returned her gaze towards the woman with malice. [color=8A2BE2]“Thanks for that.”[/color] [color=DC143C]“Oh you’re welcome! It’s not everyday you meet a celebrity like you,”[/color] Seren grinned as they cut in front of Freya and moved down the line towards the food. The bar top was serving as the makeshift food line, with volunteers and gang members alike helping to pass out the food. There were various devices used to hold, and heat the food sitting behind the bar that were constantly replaced with fresh food from the kitchen that was hidden behind the back wall. [color=DC143C]“Dude, you’re an idiot. The fuck your think would happen by coming here?”[/color] [color=8A2BE2]“I don’t need lectured by a-,”[/color] [color=DC143C]“A what? Dude I’m not even from around here,”[/color] they paused as they grabbed an empty plate and held it up, out soon found a helping of potatoes plopped onto it, [color=DC143C]“and you don’t know me, you don’t have any friends, and I’d be surprised if you made any here.”[/color] A scowl crossed Freya’s face. Was she so predictable? Still, she just needed to blend in long enough to find a way out. She grabbed a plate and held it up like Seren. While Freya was annoyed by this person they were at least thankful that someone was showing her how these low class functions functioned. [color=8A2BE2]“That’s not what I meant,”[/color] Freya tried to deflect. Seren turned back to face Freya and narrowed their eyes. They used their eyes to direct Freya’s behind the counter. The helper simply stared at Freya, with a scoop of potatoes hanging just out of reach. [color=DC143C]“That’s what they heard,”[/color] Seren grinned as the worker slowly released the food onto the edge of the plate, causing half the food to fall off. “I guess I’m just a dumb southerner who doesn't know how to work tools well,” the man spoke slowly and deliberately as he pointed towards the wooden scoop. The line pushed into Freya and moved her down. [color=DC143C]“So fucking dumb coming here,”[/color] Seren repeated. Freya looked back with a hint of malice in their eyes but it quickly left as she saw the tall muscular man with a scarred face. She quickly moved closer to Seren. [color=8A2BE2]“I had to do something,”[/color] she whispered. Ahead Seren held up their plate and got a healthy helping of stuffing and a few slices of turkey, both dark and white meat. Freya followed suit and held up their plate. The large woman behind the counter crossed her arms as she shook her head. She quickly pulled a hand free and used a scoop to grab some stuffing and practically threw the food onto the plate, combining with the potatoes and sending some onto Freya’s clothes. She grabbed a couple slices of turkey, splashing the juices into Freya’s face. “If it wasn’t Thanksgiving I’d tell you what I think, but it is and there’s children around,” the woman growled. [color=8A2BE2]“Sorr-,”[/color] Freya was cut off by the line moving forward. She pulled the plate down and kept her eyes down as she felt tears welling. She kept shuffling, holding back tears as she did, until a plastic wrapped utensil package entered her vision from ahead. She looked up and saw that Seren was holding it out for her. [color=DC143C]“Just eat your food without causing a scene. I doubt you’re in any actual danger, they’re just trying to teach you a lesson I reckon,”[/color] Seren said honestly. If this crew was going to do something they wouldn’t have let her mingle, she’d just be taken away. Freya nodded her head and took the plastic cutlery, mouthed a thank you, and walked over to an empty table and sat down. Why did she even come here? [hr] Gideon watched Freya slink off into the crowd. A grin spread across his face as he enjoyed the pain he caused as the knife he twisted stung deep. Freya had long since been one of his targets, both because of what she believed and what her father had planned so it was only natural that he’d enjoy the fruit from his labor. This would prove to be the first of many such strikes across the river, each one targeting a different, powerful, and influential leader. Gideon had paid good money for access to a lot of filth, and it was all going to start coming out. The corruption, the experimentation, the Freak World files, and even the plans that many had to pave over the lower wards. A lot of compromising material, a lot of targets on his back. He needed to be smart. If anyone got word of his trove he’d feel a wrath fall down on him unlike any struggle before. There wouldn’t be enough money to bribe the police, the PRA, FBI, and beyond. He didn’t have enough soldiers to withstand the eventual assault. There was nothing good that would come from him overpaying his hand, so he needed to be careful and slow roll his reveal. Gideon turned his head back to the door and spotted the face of a stranger ready to come inside for dinner. Gideon flashed his trademarked smile, and the young woman would feel the warmth of his personality radiating off it. As the line moved forward he eventually came face to face with a woman who straightened her spine and revealed the presence of two jars filled with some form of herbs. Gideon raised an eyebrow. [color=#f9c2bf]“Herbal blends. For the kitchen. My mom sent me with them. She runs La Botica Verde over on Calle Flores. Says they’ll cut right through the grease.”[/color] Gideon chuckled. [color=FFFF00]“You’re not the, uhhhh, give me a second,”[/color] Gideon paused as he clicked his fingers together, trying to work through the decades of memories on this side of the river, eventually a last name flashed across his mind, [color=FFFF00]“the Castellano kid,”[/color] Gideon smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder. An image of her mother flashed across his mind, the resemblance confirming it enough. [color=FFFF00]“Yes you are! I wondered why you looked so familiar,”[/color] Gideon had made it a point to build up at least some semblance of a rapport with many businesses, he only had passing knowledge of La Botica Verde. Still, the memories he had spoke to the quality of woman that owned the business, and granted that same grace to who he thought stood before him. [color=FFFF00]“I’m right, arn’t I,”[/color] Gideon paused as he caught the sight of a man that he knew all too well. Varnan. Gideon fought alongside him during the cataclysm, and if he was making a trip out here then business would need to take priority. [color=FFFF00]“Please, come inside. Enjoy the food, and I trust you’ll find a good spot for those herbs,”[/color] Gideon used the hand he had on her shoulder to usher her inside. [color=FFFF00]“I do want to continue this conversation,”[/color] Gideon grinned a little wider, [color=FFFF00]“I’ll come find you after some business is dealt with.”[/color] Gideon didn’t need to say more. He knew that the woman would assume a command was present in his word even if there was none present. Suddenly, trouble moved through the line. Gideon could feel her presence before he saw her and he knew that a chaos named Palmoa was heading his way. The woman who came face to face with a monster and survived, and who made everyone around her more than happy to help. Gideon groaned and was about to hold up a hand to stop her but felt unable. He couldn’t even mouth a “stop” as she hit the spin move to avoid any attempt to stop her. Gideon simply followed her with his eyes as she entered. [color=FFFF00]“What is the matter with that one,”[/color] Gideon whispered to himself as he shook his head. This celebration just got more chaotic. Still, Gideon flashed a smile as he turned to the next man in line. Some business would do well in this moment so he could get away Deion that fucking goody-two-shoes aura and the weird girl it came from. [hr] [center] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/2d4975e4-3e81-4e7b-a034-deee2a66e537.png[/img] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/241021/5ec5856aef69719caf803b698f5fe55b.png[/img] [hr] [/center] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5kZDE5NWUuUjJsa1pXOXVJRVJoY25KbGJpQkRjbTl6Y3cuMA/mouvere-and-apos.bold.webp[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/rOr0Tbj.png[/img] Thanksgiving dinners were not Varnan’s scene. He had no family to spend them with, so there was never a reason to sit down for a big dinner. In his old life, the Guild didn’t do holidays. And he wasn’t close enough to anyone in [i]this[/i] life that they considered him family, so Varnan’s holidays typically looked like a quiet day at home, a glass of something in his hand, and an eye on the neighborhood that had less Blind humans around. He didn’t usually make a trip across the bridge for it, but things weren’t [i]usual[/i] right now. He felt something strange, lately. Something that wasn’t quite the same as the imposter he encountered, so he rode into the outer parts of Cloverfield and to the Hollow to meet with a man who always had an ear to the streets. One Gideon Cross, a gentleman scoundrel. One part Robin Hood, one part crime lord, but he was the sort of man who could catch wind of disturbances. Stepping off his motorcycle, he adjusted the pistol he had under his jacket. There wasn’t much chance of a fight breaking out in these conditions, but for all he knew, it wasn’t [i]Gideon[/i] he was walking up to. [color=f94f61]”Gideon Cross,”[/color] he greeted the man. [color=f94f61]”Things are going great, I see.”[/color] [color=FFFF00]“Oh they could always be better,”[/color] Gideon said with a bellowing voice, followed soon by a chuckle. His eyes suddenly darted to his left ear, which contained a Bluetooth device, before they returned to Varnan. [color=FFFF00]“you’re more than welcome to join us here today but I’m going to ask that you stow the weapon before you come in. If you’d like, we have a makeshift ‘coat rack’ for them right here,”[/color] Gideon pointed towards where a man stood in front of one of the side rooms. Inside, there were already a few weapons hung up on the walls. Without skipping a beat, Varnan unzipped his jacket and unhooked a holster from his belt, keeping it close so no one saw a gun. [color=f94f61]”Normally, I wouldn’t consider carrying in a place like this. But after what happened recently, I’m wondering if people really are who they claim to be.”[/color] He was, of course, referring to the thing pretending to be Bill. [color=f94f61]”I’m afraid this isn’t a social call, though. I noticed something strange happening, [i]other[/i] than the imposter. I was hoping you’d know more about it.”[/color] A singular eyebrow raised as Gideon examined the man in front of him in more detail. How widespread were the disappearances? [color=FFFF00]“Would you like to join me in my office? I’d rather not ruin the nice atmosphere we’ve built up tonight,”[/color] Gideon asked in a way Varnan would understand to mean ‘you don’t have a choice’. [color=f94f61]”Neither would I. I’d hope someone else was trying to keep people from being afraid,”[/color] He commented, knowing exactly what Gideon was on about. But Varnan didn’t care that much. He knew most of the south side of Cloverfield was less Blind, it didn’t mean they had to be scared on this day. Gideon whistled and Marco appeared soon thereafter. Gideon twirled a singular finger in the air before his eyes pointed towards Varnan. [color=FFFF00]“My associate Marco will show you the way. I’ll be up in a minute gotta shake some hands, kiss some babies, you know how it is,”[/color] Gideon paused as his eyes lingered on Varnan for a second longer, almost as if they were seeing through him, before they returned to the door. His warm smile returned as he moved to greet the next guest. Marco maneuvered through the crowd with a grace that seemed almost foreign to a man his size. As he approached Varnan he shot out a hand. [color=FF69B4]“You can call me Marco.”[/color] [color=f94f61]”Varnan.”[/color] He returned the hand quickly. [color=f9461]”I don’t plan to intrude for long.”[/color] [color=FF69B4]“It’s Thanksgiving, Varnan, stay as little or as long as you’d like.”[/color]. Marco motioned for Varnan to follow as he led them to the staircase and up the first few steps. [color=FF69B4]“Where you from if you don’t mind me asking?”[/color] [color=f94f61]”Up north, across the bridge,”[/color] He answered, walking with Marco. He kept his eyes moving from one thing to another while they did. [color=FF69B4]“A generic answer,”[/color] Marco responded, [color=FF69B4]“in that case I’m from somewhere as well.”[/color] Marco led the two up the two flights of stairs until at last they were outside the office of Gideon. Marco paused before they reached the door and crossed his arms. [color=FF69B4]“Because of your work during the cataclysm you are on a short list being read into a particular situation that we think will happen soon. Everything you see, hear, and experience in this office should stay there. Am I understood?”[/color] [color=f94f61]”Of course. I can keep a secret.”[/color] [color=FF69B4]“Good,”[/color] Marco paused as he opened the door to the office. In the center there was a body on top of a table. The body was twisted, contoured, burned, and covered in acid marks. The arms were extremely long and thin, stretching outwards as of this creature was Mr. Fantastic himself. There was no aura to this creature, no sense of dread that emanated from it, nor any sign that the magic was active. It was dead. [color=FF69B4]“Seren can’t keep a secret, for the most part, and she said that you and those Keepers in the mountains fought one of these before. This is the second one we’ve seen, but we have no idea who took it out. Gideon wants to talk to you about your experience, and see if we can help each other out with this threat.”[/color] Oh yeah, Varnan saw one of those, alright. His face went from professionally stoic to grim awfully. He waited for the doors to be firmly shut first. Then he got into it. [color=f94f61]”The vampires and werewolves in the mountains had been migrating down here,”[/color] He started. [color=f94f61]”They stay in their own territories and [i]never[/i] make trouble, so it was unusual. I noticed they had been mainly coming from the south, so I went to Raven’s Rest to talk to a man who’d been there for the Cataclysm.”[/color] Varnan stares at the corpse of that [i]thing.[/i] [color=f94f61]”One of those got to him first.”[/color] Marco listened intently. He seemed to listen to every word as if the world resided on it. He finally breathed as soon as Varnan finished his sentence. [color=FF69B4]“Witness testimony says this thing spoke of something called ‘Nothingness’. Any idea what that means?,”[/color] [color=f94f61]”Not a damned clue. They’re imposters, they can mimic people and their Abstractions, and they can shrug others off. I shunted one out of time for a moment with a spell whose limitations I’m [i]very[/i] familiar with, and it quickly became resistant to that as if it were an easy thing. It took a group to handle just one.”[/color] Marco rubbed his temple. [color=FF69B4]“Was worth a shot,”[/color] Marco paused as he pulled out his phone. He pulled up the most recent weather report, sighing as he saw the special weather situation was extended once again. He’d need to call in the crews soon to ensure everyone over on this side of the river could move freely like those in the north could. There was just so much work this crew had to take on in order to ensure that these people could still thrive despite all the setbacks they endured. Still, something did not feel quite right about this weather. Marco paid very close attention to the weather reports, and to the best of his knowledge there wasn’t supposed to be any fronts moving through the area until Sunday at the earliest, and even then as it stood that was supposed to bring warm, moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico. Where did this snow come from? [color=FF69B4]“Any chance you follow the weather,”[/color] Marco asked, curious if this outsider would have an outside perspective. [color=f94f61]”Regularly. I ride a motorcycle, so I tend to keep it in mind. Weather stations aren’t always accurate, but I would not rule out weather magic, right now.”[/color] Neither would Marco. He turned as he heard the door open and saw Gideon walking through with a giant grin on his face. As he walked in he motioned for Marco to come close. [color=FFFF00]“Vin is teaching the young ones how to throw a punch, make sure the kids don’t cause a scene. Maybe remind them of what we’re doing ,”[/color] Gideon paused, tapping Marco on the shoulder and moving into his office. [color=FF69B4]“A pleasure to see you,”[/color] Marco said as he placed his hands in his pocket and walked out of the office. [color=FFFF00]“Varnan! Thank you so much for waiting,”[/color] Gideon paused as he threw his arms out wide, [color=FFFF00]“I hope you don’t mind but I invited a friend to join this talk,”[/color] Gideon paused as he looked down the dead creature, his knuckles cracking and the color drained as he formed a fist, [color=FFFF00]“judging by Marco leaving without telling me anything I think I know you don’t know more than I do when it comes to these fuckers. That being said,”[/color] Gideon paused as his eyes slowly slid over and lined up with Varnan, [color=FFFF00]“and don’t fuck with me on this,”[/color] Gideon paused again as he turned his whole body towards Varnan, [color=FFFF00]“have you noticed that ever since these things started showing up there’s been something wrong with time,”[/color] Gideon took a step forward. [color=FFFF00]“I ain’t a betting man because I own the house, but if I was I’d put money on it being connected. What does the time wizard think?”[/color] [color=f94f61]”Something wrong, yes. Not necessarily something wrong with [i]time,[/i] but that’s certainly possible,”[/color] Varnan admitted. [color=f94f61]”I didn’t want to assume I knew the problem. I felt something unusual, things [i]have[/i] been strange lately. But if something is wrong with time, there are ways to confirm what and how. I hoped you’d know more, really.”[/color] [color=FFFF00]“We’ll excuse me, sorry I am not out there with scientific instruments measuring the subtle changes in everything, and what not,”[/color] Gideon paused as he pointed at Varnan as electricity danced across his hands, [color=FFFF00]“and it ain’t like we can do any interrogation on these things. This is the third one killed down here, and believe me they all like to die before you get that chance.”[/color] [color=f94f61]”Of course they do. Did-“[/color] Varnan cut himself off and glanced at the thing on the table. [color=f94f61]”What magics were used to kill [i]this[/i] one?”[/color] Gideon raised an eyebrow and looked to the corpse. [color=FFFF00]“From what we’ve been able to gather this one was different. Fire and acid worked well to wound it but witness say this one,”[/color] Gideon paused as he pointed to the corpse, [color=FFFF00]“had some fucking core like a golem from some shitty cartoon. Some broad stabbed it and once it exploded it was dead,”[/color] Gideon paused as he rubbed his temper, [color=FFFF00]“wish it stuck around. Turned to dust within seconds. The first one Vin ripped and tore through then faster than it could heal and the second one,”[/color] Gideon paused as he formed a fist, causing electricity to dance across it, [color=FFFF00]“ran into me.”[/color] [color=FFFF00]“What about the one you killed?”[/color] [color=f94f61]”Chronomancy. And time is apparently wrong, somehow. The one I killed was also using Bill’s magic, who it replaced. And his magic was [i]lightning.[/i] Which happens to relate to weather…”[/color] He trailed off. It was his only guess, but he wondered if it was possible. [color=f94f61]”They can copy magic, it wouldn’t be out of the question.”[/color] [color=FFFF00]“You think they’re controlling the weather,”[/color] he paused as he looked outside. Marco was very confused this morning about the snow, this much Gideon knew. What if there was some merit to that suggestion. [color=FFFF00]“The ones we’ve faced couldn’t do that. Unless we killed them too fast to show off their stolen magic. But,”[/color] Gideon paused as he looked back, [color=FFFF00]“each one was unique. What if they’re like us? Each one has different abilities.”[/color] [color=f94f61]”They could be. I didn’t recognize the one I fought until it gave up the act. It was using lightning just like the man he was impersonating.”[/color] The idea didn’t bode well. How could they tell someone apart if [i]magic[/i] didn’t guarantee an individual was who they said they were? [color=f94f61]”One thing that I suspect they can’t mimic, though, is [i]memory.”[/i][/color] [color=FFFF00]“That’s where you’re wrong,”[/color] Gideon paused as he walked next to Varnan, turned around and grabbed him around the shoulder like a friend would. [color=FFFF00]“Picture this. I was out two nights ago, cleaning my head with a walk. You know how that is, Yeah? Anyway I was on this walk, and I happen across this young woman named Tina. See, I knew Tina from a young age so I’ve seen her walk, talk, smile, and know things about her. She’s been down here her whole life so she knows things about me. When I see her, I notice that her smile is all wrong. Crossing from ear to ear in a way a mouth ain’t supposed to stretch. Yet, she looked at me with that smile and started up with the same conversation we left off on like a day hadn’t passed.”[/color]. Gideon looked at Varnan, his eyes suddenly glowing a vibrant yellow. In the blink of an eye, his free arm was fully extended with a fist sticking out. Air would blast through the office sending loose dust and paints alike footin flying into the air. The cackle and crack of electricity filled the air in an instant. The punch was far too fast to track with the eye, and the electric energy pushed off the hand and into the nearby air. [color=FFFF00]“I hit her without a second thought. My electricity fried something in her and she started transforming all over the place. Skin ripped, sending these long thin appendages shooting out from her body like she was done kind of spider,”[/color] he paused as his eyes color grew in intensity again, [color=FFFF00]“It died soon after, but not before she told me she’d be seeing me soon.”[/color]. Gideon was not one to show off his power but he had a theory of his own he wanted to check off. [color=FFFF00]“Did yours taunt you, and do you think I could’ve killed the one you fought with a single punch? Cause I know I couldn’t kill that one over there in a single punch.”[/color] Varnan was [i]weirdly[/i] unflappable in the face of something so fast. He slowly looked down at the fist, then looked around at the clamour it kicked up. He didn’t even [i]move.[/i] He didn’t look happy, either. [color=f94f61]”I would certainly like to say that a singular, potent attack would subvert their adaptive tricks. But…”[/color] Varnan crossed his arms. [color=f94f61]”The others who fought it with me, one conjured a longbow, and the other, burning ash. Someone eventually joined us with an actual firearm. It was still a chore.”[/color] Gideon's eyes narrowed at the reaction Varnan displayed. Normally when someone was in the lions den, they would be on edge by nature. When the lion roared, they’d get scared. Not this man. Gideon liked that. A sly grin crossed his face as he removed his hand from Varnans shoulders and walked forward. A mental note was made to figure out exactly who this time wizard was. [color=FFFF00]“So you met Brynn and Elara again. How are the good mountain folk doing these days? If the three of you struggled I know I would have at least broke a sweat.”[/color] [color=f94f61]”They were territorial, untrusting and [i]vindictive[/i] in dealing with the imposter. That was my first meeting with the Keepers outside the Cataclysm, so I assume that means they were doing well. No one was hurt, at least.”[/color] Gideon knew that he would need to go visit them before long. While he did not have a close relationship, they were a major part of why the city is still standing. He didn’t know what this new threat was but he wasn’t going to sit around and wait for death and destruction to waltz into his city again. And he knew he had a free ticket to whatever event that they had going on tonight sitting down stairs grabbing some food. [color=FFFF00]“I am going to get everyone together, if you participated in the defense of the city during the Cata I will get them to the table.”[/color]. Gideon paused as he motioned towards the door. [color=FFFF00]“Got a keeper downstairs, that is my ticket through the door of whatever event they’ll have at their little church. We leave in an hour,”[/color] Gideon paused as he walked towards the door, turning back towards Varnan, [color=FFFF00]“You should come with.”[/color] It would be clear that Gideon was not offering, but commanding. He did not want to mince words when the city was in danger. [color=f94f61]”I won’t waste that opportunity.”[/color] Varnan liked keeping to himself for a lot of reasons. But he had to admit that he hadn’t been quite so capable doing so as when he worked in squads and teams of Adepts. This would be a good way to figure some things out. He followed Gideon out.