[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

[maidhem]

She's not at my place!

[Felicia yelped, barely keeping her footing on the snow-ridden sidewalk as she ran from the beast. Whatever it was, she didn't know-- but she knew that Pen had connections to many things that she didn't fully understand, and this surely was one of them.

The wave of cold was hardly a bother to her in her multiple layers of athletic clothes, but it seemed that the sidewalk crusted over with a thin layer of ice over her footprints as she ran.]

I- I don't know where she is right now!

[mincingminuet]

Then you are no good to me! Perish!

[The chill in the air dipped lower as the creature gained on Felicia, ice crystals turning into hoarfrost atop the freshest of the snowfall. A gout of truly intense cold crashed into Felicia's retreating back, a wash of arctic magic striking hard and quick, though directed at less vital areas. Fear was as good a motivator as any, and it wanted to trip her up more than anything. Get her to crack, stop running...]

1/2

[maidhem]

[With a yelp Felicia toppled over in the snow, rolling in the frigid muck that clung to her clothes and crystalized in her hair from an uncanny cold that seemed rooted in the frigid permafrost tundra itself. Hands and knees aching from the fall, Felicia moved on instinct-- and, with arms lifted to protect herself, she dared to take a peek--

The snow and ice had crystalized in a delicate sheet around her, not unlike a blossom of early spring that had dared to brave the final remnants of winter's bitter chill.]

2/2

[maidhem]

[Felicia, not knowing the full extent of what had just happened, seized upon the opening. She pulled out a dagger and, teeth grit, held it out firmly before her in a declaration of intent.]

Maybe you should pick on someone your own size and leave me alone!

[She placed all of her hopes and beliefs in that single little blade and hurled it at her mysterious assailant-- a trail of delicate snowflakes following in it's wake. The temperature dropped further with her anger and determination, hitting sub freezing lows in the blink of an eye.

While she was no ice goddess, one thing was clear: The frost was her friend, one that wouldn't betray her.]

[mincingminuet]

[The fact that the girl whirled to fight takes Mateus off guard and unprepared. It is hardly skilled enough with its weapon to deflect a knife mid flight with no warning, a fact that chafes it as the dagger buries itself to the hilt in its shoulder. One shoulder, anyway. The frozen magic hardly seems to phase the thing, but the steel bites deep, earning a hiss of rage.]

You strike me?!

[The trident flashes down in a stabbing motion, made slightly clumsy by the pain. Easy to avoid, if Felicia is paying attention. The sweeping swing of an arm coming in to cuff her, however, might be more difficult without quick thinking.]

[maidhem]

[The lunge of the trident was easy enough to dodge in her adrenaline rush, but the fall on the slippery ground had not been without it's own difficulties. Finding a footing was difficult, and her attempts to dodge led her right into the sweep of the arm.

Felicia yelped once again in surprise and pain as the air was knocked from her lungs with the blow. She needed to think-- and quickly!]

[mincingminuet]

[The arm pulled back, then came down again, aiming a full armed swat at Felicia's side before she could recover. Getting her down was it's primary concern at this point, and it meant to accomplish that quickly.]

[maidhem]

[An outcry of fright and pain was met with the swat-- and Felicia, not knowing what else to do, rolled away from him the very second she found an opportunity and lashed out with another frosted dagger.]

I-I already told you, [She sputtered, looking up at the beast with an oddly serious look in her eyes.] Leave me alone!

[mincingminuet]

[The dagger bit into flesh again, the creature's body shimmying and writhing angrily as it drew itself up.]

Or what, mortal? [It sneered, pulling the dagger out and hurling it at the ground before beginning to conjure up a new spell.] What will you do to stop me?

[maidhem]

I don't know-- but I can keep throwing things at you!

[She would, too. There were plenty of bits of ice around that she could use as projectiles once she ran out of daggers. Rocks and other pieces as well would do, even if they wouldn't be quite as effective. It seemed that the physical attacks were doing more than she had anticipated they would, and she didn't want to interrupt the tempo she was riding on.]

[mincingminuet]

[The frenzy of attacks doesn't do that much, not in the long run. But it forces the creature to cover its face, preventing counterattacks. The air around them both gets colder though, chilling by orders of magnitude.]

CEASE, MORTAL! [Mateus bellows, whipping its long tail around to slap Felicia further down the street. Now might be a good time to run...]

[maidhem]

Kyaaaa!!

[And, seizing the opportunity, Felicia scrambled to her feet and took off into the dark. A frozen trail followed her footprints, marking her path, but she wouldn't stop running for anything in that moment.

It would be a while until she did.]

[mincingminuet]

[Run, run! Go wherever you like. Mateus is quite certain that its point was made...so it doesn't pursue.]

[maidhem]

[It had taken a bit of time to make it to Pen's place on foot after her narrow escape-- but when she did, all scraped up, bruised, and covered in frosted mud, she pounded on the door as loudly as she could.]

Pen! Pen, are you home????

[mincingminuet]

[As it happens, she is. The sound of Felicia's voice startles Pen out of her seat and she flies to the door at top speed, tearing it open. Her eyes take in her old girlfriend, and she grabs Felicia's hand, pulling her inside without a word.]

Felicia? What happened. Who do I have to hurt?

[There's an edge to her voice that says she is more than willing to do just that. Her spear is propped near the door, her gun is sitting on the table, and that knife is at her hip. Clearly, she's been prepping.]

[maidhem]

[The heavy chill in the air trailed in through the door after Felicia and intensified the moment she saw all of the equipment that Pen was already preparing on the table. It was clear that there were no mysteries in the current affairs-- Felicia just needed to explain what had happened.]

A- a creepy monster tried to kill me. [She stammered, glancing toward the door in worry.] It asked where you were... and I don't know if it followed me.

[mincingminuet]

[Pen took that in with an awkward, almost gawking expression, putting both hands on Felicia's shoulders and pulling her into a hug. She whirled about, putting her back to the door and pushing the taller girl towards the couch.]

It's okay. It's really okay. If it followed you that saves me the trouble of going to hunt it down. I had no idea it was attacking people.

[Pushing, pushing.]

Sit, I'll explain what I know.

[maidhem]

O-Okay.

[Pen would note the frost still clinging to the outer layers of her clothes when she leaned in for that hug, and how the frost seemed to spread onto the couch in reaction to Felicia's fear from the whole affair.]

I managed to get away by throwing things at it. What's going on, Pen?

[mincingminuet]

[Once Felicia is settled, Pen immediately heads to the kitchen to start making tea. Whatever Felicia's favorite was.]

So. Last night. I got a card in the mail. One of those codes for a regained talent. I put it in, and it gave me a new ability.

[She turns, once she has the kettle going.]

I tried it out. Summoned that thing. Whatever it was. I'm not completely sure of it, myself. And it attacked me, got scared when I fought back, and fled.

[maidhem]

[That sounded reasonable enough-- they all were getting strange cards in the mail anymore, and Pen did have other friends she was bonded to and could summon with little effort.

Like Tons. Like Mister Gil.]

Why would Other You have such a monster? [She asked innocently.] I don't know what it's doing, but it can't be any good.

[mincingminuet]

I don't know, Felicia.

[Leaning back against the counter to wait on the steaming kettle, Penelope frowned in thought.]

Did it say anything to you? Anything at all?

[maidhem]

...Only that it wanted to find you.

[She said quietly, and interlaced her fingers as she tried to remember everything. It was all such a blur.]

And that it wanted to be free.

[mincingminuet]

Free?

[Pen barks a harsh laugh, looking up at the ceiling.]

I'd say if its running around attacking people, its pretty free. Unless it wants to break off whatever connection we have.

[A pause.]

...Actually that might be it.

[maidhem]

Oh?

What do you mean?

[mincingminuet]

Well it said it wanted to be free of me.

But...I can feel it. Or a part of it...in the back of my head? Like, just this bundle. I can shut it out, but I know it's there. And that's got to be it. Or something close to it, anyway.