[Closed] I sung of Chaos and Eternal Night...

[mincingminuet]

WHO: Penelope Raban, the esper Mateus, and an (un)fortunate few.
WHERE: The streets of Recolle, Recolle Woods, and Kumou Shrine
WHEN: January 12th to January 15th
WHAT: Penelope has regained the demonic summon Mateus that she cannot control without a fight. Mateus flees, seeking to gather support for the inevitable conflict between them and to hurt the people close to Penelope.
WARNINGS: Violence against people and animals, blood, possible gore, potential mentions of ritualistic sacrifices. Other warnings may be added, so please assume this log will involve any number of unpleasant things.





In the early evening outside of Wiffle Waffle, something stirred, and bystanders reported that it seemed just a touch more chillier than normal. Shouts were heard, the resonant crash of steel against steel, and a deep, rasping laugh but few people got a clear picture of what was going on. It wasn't anything to worry about, probably, even if a young woman was spotted limping to her car and driving off like a maniac. Just someone who fell, probably.

Others may have noticed an enormous shape slinking off into the shadows too, but that was just a guy carrying an old Christmas tree. Probably.


I. January 12 to January 14, Streets of Recolle.


In the immediate aftermath of the incident, nothing happened. The creature expected that it would very likely be met with immediate pursuit, but when it wasn't that gave it time to think. Slulking from alley to alley, Mateus considered it's surroundings in bewilderment, maddened by its failed attempt at freedom. It knew only what its summoner did, and the deluge of information took time to process.

Traveling outside the city was simple enough, and surrounded by the cold of Recolle Woods it found a place to build into a stronghold. A shrine with a certain kind of energy to it worked quite nicely, giving it an opportunity to call forth minions.

It needed more support though, and it needed it badly if it wanted it's freedom. Fortunately, this new place seemed a likely place to find the gullible and foolish, those with more ambition or desire than caution. People with darkness in their hearts, the wicked or the misguided. These were people it could use.

The darkness helped, masking its movements and making it easier to study potential allies. Moving with an unnaturally graceful gait for its ungainly form, the esper followed at a distance...weighing and measuring, trying to get a feel for who to approach. When it does, it calls out first in a voice as cold as a glacier, and as dry as a desert. Just a greeting, always delivered from a particularly dense patch of shadows, concealing itself at first.

"Why...hello there," it rasps, "...I was wondering if perhaps we could speak..."


II. January 13 to January 14, Streets of Recolle.


When dawn came, Mateus had come to several conclusions, and chief among them was that it would need to attract its summoner's attention somehow. To draw her in, to keep her off balance, and get her to come in upset. Easier prey, that way, and what better way to draw in a self righteous mortal than to play on her sense of loyalty. Discovering who she held dear was simple enough, they reeked with the girl's scent, and those become its first targets. Others as well, those not allied with the girl, but those who might carry word of the attack back to her.

Skulking, stalking, moving from shadow to shadow, Mateus observes and waits. The attack comes on suddenly, a streaking blur of cold rippling out of a shadow, a demonic form rising up from a snow drift or out of the mouth of an alley. The esper shrieks something unintelligible in a gutteral tongue, and then...

"Where is Penelope?!" before attacking with an arm, its trident, or a spell. Defend yourself, run, or perish!


III. January 14, Recolle Woods/Kumou Shrine.


As the third day arrived, Mateus had decided that staying within the bounds of the city was less than wise. It could not continue these forays into a confusing tangle of concrete and lights, and if it attacked many more people it might draw the eyes of a mortal militia. So into the forest it goes, waiting to see if its labors to attract Penelope are successful.

While out in the forest, though, it hardly remains idle. Humans that visit the Kumou shrine or who are out in the woods are both potential targets or potentially approached if they have a suitable amount of darkness in their hearts. A rustle of leaves, the tinkling of ice crystals, and a sudden deepening of shadow are all that announce its presence.

Individuals it seeks to bargain with will be greeted with a simple "Greetings..." while those it intends to attack will hear only a battlecry before being struck with a shock of freezing cold...

IV. Contact Pen.

If your character wants to contact Penelope after a thread about being attacked, this is the place to do it. Post deal threads involving action with Pen I will reply to in the original thread.


V Any Day, Wild Card.

If there is a specific scenario you'd like to play, or a different set up to being approached or attacked, then feel free to write your own prompt and I will respond with Mateus accordingly. If you want to do a group thread, as some of you guys have mentioned, just leave me a note of who is participating in the subject line as well!

I'm perfectly fine with whatever you want to do, but if you feel the need to get in touch with me OR just have any general questions, please hit me on Plurk. intercession. Reference art linked above courtesy OperatingThetan.

Comments

Closed to Minako Arisato and Freya Yun, January 15th.

[mincingminuet]

After several days of attacks, attempted kidnappings, and other problems caused by Mateus, Pen had finally located exactly where the creature was hiding. Gathering her gear and two of her most trusted friends, two she knew would absolutely not be working with the creature, she headed out into the darkness. The drive had been mostly in grim silence, but when she reached the edge of the woods near the shrine and parked, what they were about to do finally started to sink in. Breathing heavily, she leaned heavily on the ornate spear she'd had for what felt like years now. Staring up the snowy trail, she turned to look at her friend and her partner, suddenly filled with nervous energy.

"You guys sure you're ready for this? If...it's too much, and I know I'm expecting a lot, asking you to fight a fucking demon, it's okay to say so," she says, though she doesn't expect either to back down. It does feel right to ask, in a way. They have no idea what this thing is capable of, and neither does she, and going from girlfriend and roommate-of-girlfriend to gang of monster slayers is quite a shift.

[complementing]

"Pen, we aren't going anywhere," Minako says calmly. "We're with you." She finishes tying her hair back into a ponytail and flicks it over her shoulder, Koromaru standing on guard at her feet with ears perked forward. There's very little they can do about their lack of intel on the enemy, it's true. But all of them are prepared as they'll ever be, with the determination to stop Mateus once and for all.

"Couldn't hurt to have a game plan going in, though. Any idea on how we want to tackle this?"

1. 1/13

[compendiem]

[ It's dark all the time now, with no waning light to hint at the passage of time, and for as much as much as Minato prefers the dark, the incessant darkness is draining. The start of a new year was supposed to be a turning point, but instead, it's gone the other way. He can't contact his old school. He's investigated the dome to no avail. All he's learned from the subway is that he's more a liability than any sort of fighter he'd been in his other life. He still doesn't know how to be a brother.

So when he hears that "Hello" from the darkness of an alleyway, he can't help that little surge of hope in his heart that he can still be useful for something. Whether it's being asked for directions or spare change, he can do something, and that's a much better feeling than the stagnation that's taken over his life. ]

Hello. What do you want to talk about?

[mincingminuet]

[This boy is easier to read than any other, frankly. He reeks of darkness, helplessness, and the tangle of unhappiness and the feel of something dormant within are a beacon as bright as the missing sun to Mateus. It...he...shifts closer to the mouth of an alley, just enough so that his face, the face of it's captive anyway, is visible in a street light.

It smiles, frosty but not unkind, almost like an old woman that just needs a simple favor. The voice still retains a masculine quality, though.]

I need your help with something. Would you come closer? I don't like the light very much.

I | tagging order howard-sakura-mateus!

[ohrlyeh]

[It's been a while since the whole subway incident - Howard is glad that the whole chaos over it has mostly died down, though the darkness doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Not that he particularly minds, but he doesn't like the implication that something bad might come from it all. It's been quiet. Too quiet.]

[The issue with his sudden increase in hearing, on a better note, has become something he's gained control over. It's still an issue (he can't be near busy streets without getting an instant headache from all the noise) but he has learned how to use it to his benefit. It certainly helps to keep an ear out for anything that might come along when he's walking along with others in the dark - as he's doing right now. He hasn't liked the idea of Sakura walking alone on her own, and has so taken to walking along with her around the city in case someone decides to use the darkness to their advantage.]

[He lets out a sigh, folding his arms as he continues whatever random conversation he was having with her about the sudden changes of life in Recolle.]

Anyways, Sakura-

[He cuts himself off. Instantly, he whips his head back, eyes narrowing as he stares directly towards the group of shadows. There's a voice. What is that voice?]

W-who is that? [He swallows, his dark eyes wide as he reaches for his friend's arm to get her attention.] Sakura, Sakura, did you hear that...?

/SLIDES IN HERE AT LAST

[imaginex]

[Yes, it's been a while since they ventured down into the subway, but much like Howard, the incident was enough to leave its mark. Where once she'd enjoyed the thrill of darkness and all of its implications, now Sakura finds it cold, untrustworthy. Another vehicle with which Recollé can use to torment her. She might not jump at noises as often as the friend beside her, but she's been tensing herself into knots their entire walk.

So when Howard bids her to still, she stills, caught by his hand and the frantic attempt to hear something beyond her sight.

-- And then yes, she hears it. A voice? Something that drips like ice water down her back, and the girl recoils the slightest]

Yes, I-- [She swears she hears words form, a greeting in fact, but that does little to quell her worry] Um, what is it?

II 1/13

[maidhem]

[Felicia had a late shift that night, but she found that she generally didn't mind the darkness despite the hour in which she was walking back to her apartment. It was quiet and peaceful, and the chill in the air only reminded her of nights stargazing with her mom and dad in the North. The city lights drowned out the stars above Recolle, but being able to see her breath and appreciate the snow was enough-- and it was with these thoughts in mind that she strolled home, unaware of what lurked in the shadows nearby.

The shriek that cracked the air made her blood run cold; the guttural scream and the unintelligible words were so uncannily human that the hairs on her arms prickled at the sound.

Felicia barely had a chance to see what it was before it attacked.

Yelping, Felicia dropped her bag and took off down the sidewalk at top speed.]

Pen??? Wh-why should I tell you?! You're obviously not a nice person!!!

[mincingminuet]

[Mateus snarled wordlessly, surging after Felicia with his trident held, ready to plunge down at a moment's notice. It moved with an unnatural speed, gaining grown quickly on the snowy sidewalk, and a wave of cold rippled through the air all around the fleeing woman.]

I will be FREE [Came another shriek.] And all who aid her shall be quashed! Where is she?!

i. 1/12

[ladytakamaki]

[ it's quite dark without the sun; even so, it's quite a surprise to hear a voice call out to her from an alleyway. ann's always been told not to talk to strangers--she's definitely broken that rule many times, but this is probably the one time she'd like to abide to it. she's skeptical, but she stops in her tracks, looking towards the alleyway. a shiver runs up her spine. this is probably a bad idea. ]

Who- who's there?

[mincingminuet]

[The darkness seems to mold itself around a particular shape, a large figure on a similar scale with a Persona. Flowing forward, its face comes into view, a masked woman with blue skin, and lips that look like frozen blueberries. A stygian chill seems to follow it, and those lips peel back in a gentle, welcoming smile.]

My name is Mateus, child. [The smile widens, genuine enough.]

Forgive me for startling you. Please, do not be afraid. I only wish to talk.

I

[thebeastwithout]

[Gar doesn't exactly have darkness in his heart more than there is darkness outside his heart because god he still can't see anything and there's nothing to do all day except stay in his room and play games.

He's not especially surprised when a particularly dense patch of shadow decides to start talking to him, because this seems exactly like the kind of thing that would naturally follow Eternal Darkness Coming Over Recolle.]

Uhhhhhhh.

...Yeah, my parents say I shouldn't talk to strangers. Especially ones with voices like yours.

[mincingminuet]

[Gar doesn't need too much darkness. He is relatively easy to read, and almost childlike, in a way. Mateus chuckles to itself, a dry, sardonic sound.]

Do you always listen to everything your parents say?

[By the sounds of it, and the look of it, he might. But he's young, and perhaps a little prodding at him might have a desirable effect.]

I

[dejerate]

Huh? Who are you? Speak about what?

[He'd just come to train with his katana, with Ashuramaru, away from where he might potentially hurt anyone else. Practice what he has been taught from others helping him out since he got this. Since he started the aikido lessons. He hadn't actually expected company.

He's just kind of unnerved since he can't see who it is. Or at least, not yet? Probably now they were talking, the other might come out?]

[mincingminuet]

[A flurry of questions from clearly a startled human. How annoying. Mateus shifts within the shadow it has concealed itself, a masked human face with blue skin peering into the gloom of the street. It smiles, crooking an armored finger to beckon him a little closer.]

My name is Mateus. And I want to ask some questions.

[Start simple, build the relationship some, get the human going. That seems easiest.]

I, January 12th

[long_live_the_queen]

Something was following her, ever since she left work. Lucy usually thought so—it wouldn't be paranoia if she thought otherwise—and it was a feeling she was simultaneously used to and disliked immensely.

Every block at least, she turned to look over her shoulder. Sometimes it was half that, sometimes every ten steps. Each time put Lucy in a worse and worse mood—

Until something spoke, and confirmed her suspicions. Mouth twisting in a scowl, she turned on her heel, a distortion humming at her shoulders.

"Who the fuck are you," Lucy snapped. It wasn't a question.

[mincingminuet]

This child, this human child, was practically bubbling over with the kind of inner demons that Mateus sought to stoke. That alone would've made her a target, but the scent of the girl on her? That ensured that she'd not go unapproached. The scowling reaction was expected, as was the unspoken command to stop hiding.

So, Mateus didn't. Slithering out of a patch of shadow, the Esper drew itself to its full height and looked down at Lucy. The temperature around the pair plummeted, but the being wore a small smile.

"Mateus. And I come to treat with you."

II

[mr_fancy_car]

[A little snow isn't enough to keep Miles from going out for a brisk walk. It was purely by chance that today, he doesn't have his dogs with him - so much the better. But suddenly, the temperature seems to drop a few degrees lower than usual, and suddenly an odd, spectral figure with a staff emerges from the nearest alleyway.

Miles' instinct tells him to take a big step back, and he does, his eyes transfixed on the creature and his mouth hanging open. And who is Penelope?]

I don't know who you're - aaaagh!

[The staff comes swinging his way, and he just drops onto the ground and rolls away, gritting his teeth.]

Who - or what are you?

[mincingminuet]

[The creature doesn't stop, its lower body seeming to roil and ripple, gliding along the snow after the human. The trident spins in its grip, coming down just to one side, forcing its victim to dodge towards the nearest building or into the street.]

Where is she?! I, Mateus, will have her hide and you will tell me where she is!

[It isn't a direct answer to Edgeworth's question, but it is a means to an end. It wants the man scared, enough so that he'll go looking, and remember this encounter.]

i

[odasaku]

[ the darkness, though eerie, did nothing to scare off odasaku. he continued his life like normal, occasionally sneaking out of shuji's watchful eye to go to the library or even just to simply walk around.

today had been one of the former. nothing out of the ordinary.

until the voice from the shadows speaks to him. stopping on his tracks, sakutarou tenses, his head turning towards the source of the voice. though he's scared, he won't go off running-- though it's not like he could do it even if he wanted to. so he grips his crutches and takes a deep breath. ]

Depends. What do you want?

[mincingminuet]

[The darkness, as he looks into it, seems somehow to move, solidifying into a tall, dark form. Mottled black armor covers its hands and arms and the fish-like torso. The temperature around it seems to dip, each passing moment growing even colder.]

Just...to talk. To ask a favor, and I will do you one in turn.

II

[heiroglyphs]

[All Vera wanted was a nice open place to train in peace and quiet. She thought the park would be perfect, considering the dark and the snow, who would come here? Then answer, in retrospect, seems a bit obvious. Monsters. Now this freaky flying... armored stripper is swinging a trident at her and screaming about one of her best friends.]

How the fuck should I know?!

[The heiress crouches under a swing, bringing up a glyph in mid-air to block a follow-through.]

What am I, her keeper? Call her or something, you freak!

[mincingminuet]

[The trident whips up and around, skittering along the interposing glyph with the screech of ice ringing on metal. The monster leaps backwards, positioning itself so it can strike again, use its superior reach.]

I know not who you are, but I will not be denied! You will take me to her.

[The trident lashes forward, but so does the monster's free hand, a freezing blast of ice magic hurled right at her.]

II - 1/13

[aintjustaweapon]

Lillian leaned against the wall outside of the drug store, her eyes closed, her face cast in shadows from the light of the store behind and above her. She had a paper pharmacy bag in her hand, the top scrunched up around fingers curled into a fist. Her other hand was pressed over her mouth, muffling a series of coughs that would've been painfully loud in the darkness otherwise.

They were still uncomfortably loud either way, carrying down the dark streets and echoing off the city walls. They were the kind of full-body coughs that left someone exhausted and resigned, and they went on for nearly a minute before they stopped, leaving Lillian just resting against the wall, her head thumping back lightly against the brickwork.

"Think it's gettin' worse..." She muttered to herself, her voice a bit raspy, and she gave two smaller, clearly coughs to push out what was left over from the fit itself. Another minute, standing there trying to collect herself, before she reached unhooked her flashlight from her belt, about to leave to find her car.

[mincingminuet]

A patch of shadows hung, watching silently and impassively, not far away. The cough was noted, and like any creature of its ilk, it had a plan with which to use it. Slithering along quietly, moving from shadow to shadow, Mateus kept pace, not getting too close. When she paused at one corner, it called out.

"Are you alright? You sound like you shouldn't be out in this weather."

iii

[crudest]

[Baren's been visiting the Shrine more than he would care to admit.

It's a gift from Retrospec, in a way, but it's still a reminder of a past that Baren isn't sure if he'd rather leave behind. Still, there's a protective feeling over it. The sense that it should be cared for and watched over, even if not a single human soul would dare approach it. It doesn't have the feeling of being a little bit cursed -

So it might be fitting that who he encounters there isn't quite human at all.

Baren stiffens at the other presence, automatically on edge and defensive.]

I don't remember sending out invitations for freeloaders...

[yeah well tough shit baren]

[mincingminuet]

[In the deeper darkness of the shadows cast by the main shrine building itself, Mateus rumbles a deep, baritone laugh. What a thing to say. Freeloaders indeed. And as if it needed an invitation.]

Amusing, human. But this place resonates with me.

[It leans down, the feminine face coming into view around the edge of the structure.]

As it does with you.

II

[activatingcombatmode]

[This is just what he needs right now. In the midst of all this damning eternal darkness, he needs some random monster-abomination screeching at him and then having to dodge an inhuman arm with a roll to the left. Luckily, his reflexes are still on point.

But damn, is he regretting not carrying around that massive broadsword he got from Retrospec the other week.]

What the hell--!!

[Quick to his feet after the dodge roll, Zack prepares to move as he listens to more before he decides what to do.]

The hell you want with Pen?!

[mincingminuet]

[The monster doesn't immediately followup, fortunately for Zack. It sets itself, both hands on the trident, ready to attack. It watched him, licking its lips and smiling a chilly smile.]

I want her head, human. That's what I want. I want her to release me!

II

[lastcomfort]

[ It's been dark outside for a couple of weeks now, but that can't stop people from going about their daily activities. School has started again and Orihime hasn't had as much time to restock the kitchen as she'd like. So after classes on the 14th, Orihime makes a quick trip off of campus to the grocery store. She told Soliel that she wouldn't take long so she could start getting ready on making dinner. Something bright to lift their spirits!

It's wholly, entirely, uneventful.

So...why does the air feel a little thick? There's something about it that reminds her of October, the way that monster--no, the ghost of her brother had followed her for weeks. So Orihime speeds up, taking the streets in a power walk as she holds her bag of groceries to her chest.

Until-- ]

Ah!

[ Something looming, something fast appears directly in front of her. Orihime trips as she backs up, falling to the sidewalk. ]

Wh-Wh-What!?

[mincingminuet]

[Mateus can feel this girl at some distance. It can smell her, the scent of its intended target laying thick on her. And it can tell she is helpless, defenseless, the perfect target to terrify and shake up its summoner.

It slithered closer, almost like a stalking tiger, looming out of the darkness between streetlamps.]

Where. Is. Penelope?!

iii!

[covenantal]

[ It's not that he's normally a person with darkness in his heart.

It's just that he's been carrying so much pain with him, so much despair, that darkness has been a close and familiar friend for the better part of two weeks now.

However, this also isn't the first time he's met a shadow in the woods, and reflex has him leaping backwards as soon as he hears a voice, ready for battle before he's even figured out exactly what was going on. But Thanatos doesn't materialize from amongst the trees, and Yu has to breathe his way through the pounding of his heart.

With something of a frown: ]

... who's there?

[mincingminuet]

[Pain and despair are two things that make anyone ripe for Mateus's entreaties. Yu had been noted immediately, and slipping through the forest, moving from shadow to shadow as silently as a wasp walking on a pane of glass it follows. Cold follows it, the only indication of its presence until its greeting.]

Be at ease. [A mellifluous voice intones from one particularly dense patch of shadows.] I mean you no harm. I simply wish to talk.

III

[concasse]

[It's not that Sanji thinks he has a right to visit the shrine, that it's somehow partly his just because he helped Baren clean up the mess. He doesn't even approach it fully. It's just a walk through the forest when he's got nothing better to do, and so hangs back, taking measure of it at from a short distance away.

But then he swears he smells the ice in the forest, like a cold front that raises the hairs on his neck. The greeting from the darkness is noted, but only just -- with immediate ease born from years of practice, Sanji settles into a defensive position, hands stuck in his pockets but weight shifted to either flee or raise hellfire.

He's not sure which yet.]

Can I help you?

[mincingminuet]

[Stubbornly defensive posture noted, Mateus sticks to the shadows, moving just to the edge of the lights cast by the shrine's lanterns. It can't help but loom just a little, as tall as it is, but it does try to put on a non-threatening front.]

Perhaps. I don't see many humans in this place.

[It draws in a breath, and the cold abates slightly.]

What brings you here? Do you pray?

V

[belligerentwarrior]

"I'll explain when you get here, please come quickly. I am okay."

She was okay, Pen had said. There was no reason to panic—alarm, certainly, since Pen would've have called her otherwise—but with a demon skulking about, hunting her girlfriend and those affiliated with her, Freya wasn't exactly inclined towards rationality.

She arrived back at the house in remarkable time, not with the sound of an engine and a car door slamming, but with a thud and crunch of snow. Pen's car sat abandoned, back at the supermarket where Freya'd been. She'd retrieve it later, when... whatever this was got sorted out.

Which might be a while, once the light of Freya's headlamp passed over a strange fletched stick. A broken arrow? ...Blood?

If she'd been resisting panic before, she sure as hell wasn't now. She's okay. Supposedly; this could be more recent. Freya stormed into the house, looking for other signs of... anything, tense and at the ready.

"Pen?"

[mincingminuet]

The scene when Freya rushed inside is a little bit crowded. Pen was sitting on the couch, her hair down and wet, dressed in a tanktop and shorts with a small patch over the meat of her shoulder. She was wearing that bracelet of hers, and has the tomato sitting in her lap. Her spear in within easy reach, as was the knife, and her gun rested on the table in front of her.

The Tonberry was standing in the entry hall leading into the main room, knife out and looking warily up at Freya. It backed down immediately, the weapon vanishing up one sleeve, and even it looks a little rumpled. A bandaid covered a small knot on its head, and there was a hole in the hem of its robe.

Standing quickly, putting the tomato on her un-patched shoulder, Pen steps nods her head in thanks before starting across the room. She reached for Freya's hand, pulled her into one armed hug.

"I'm here. No harm at all except a little scrape," she said, indicating the patch on her arm. "Just a shallow cut. All patched up though, already almost healed. You made good time, by the way."

14th

[playdolls]

[ They come out here to hunt for feral cats and their subsequent kittens. It's fairly often indeed that Pitou can be found rooting around in bushes and fallen trees, taking stock of any newcomers or new litters, making plans for capture, spay, return, or for new shelters or places to put down food.

But Mateus is also not the first interesting demon Pitou has encountered in these woods either... It stirs thoughts in their head, about the benefits of leaving the crowded city for more space: to spread wings, to shed blood.

Pitou tilts their head at the esper's slow approach, the twitch of a feline ear. ]

You're an ugly thing.

[ But they say it with a desirous look on their face. They liked ugly things. ]

[mincingminuet]

[The Esper looks down at the little creature...eyeless face taking it in with a skeptical expression on those frozen lips.]

As are you, mortal.

[Was that a joke?

Probably...]