soul_logs | EVENT: Witch Attack on the City!

Entry tags:

EVENT: Witch Attack on the City!

Characters: Everyone and anyone
Location: Anywhere in Death City!
Rating: PG-13
Time: August 23
Description: There's a Witch attack on the city and, to make matters worse, there's a dangerous individuals while Meister powers go completely out of control

The evening before there had been a PSA going around the network and the radio to watch out for an individual causing trouble in the city and a reminder to please stay indoors if possible.

Then around midnight something distinctly...strange happens. At first, Weapons probably won't notice, because it's only Meisters who suddenly find their powers flaring up for no apparent reason even when they're not trying to use them.

There's a two hour window where the abilities become stronger until it's practically impossible to control before the alarms in the city sound.

Kishin Eggs have been spotted entering the city in droves and this time they haven't come alone...

((OOC: Please put [Character | Location | OPEN/CLOSED ] in your subject header. Also, please specify in the subject header if you've signed up for a Witch encounter!))

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Not being the type to check their communicators constantly, Lily and Lezard had spent a pleasant evening oblivious to the dangerous situation that had developed in the streets nine stories below. Tonight’s lesson had been how to cook gumbo, followed by a late supper of the resulting soup. A small glass of wine (no need to overdo it like that one time!), conversation about the shop expansion (maybe it was time they hired professionals…), and bantering about a mission that had caught Lezard’s eye (pink and purple killer unicorns? Surely that couldn’t be right!).

Lily had grown used to having him around, not even complaining when the sorcerer lingered in her apartment until the witching hour. Comfortable enough that it seemed harmless to nod off in his presence. But she shook herself awake after a minute and removed her head from his shoulder. “I reckon it’s time we said good night. I’ve got another day of inventory hunting and laundry tomorrow.”

But as she stood up, images of a woman she’d never seen before flashed through her mind—shopping for a hat, kissing a man, and arranging flowers in a vase, all while wearing the vintage turquoise dress she currently wore. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, slumping back to the sofa and rubbing at her temples. "What in the Sam Hill was that?"

Lezard really ought to learn of the heaviness of such meals. Another night spent lingering in Lily's apartment became less and less of an accomplishment of stubbornness and more commonplace, conversation and the occasional bickering leading to the quickened passage of time.

So that's why they'd both nodded off while going over a cookbook and wordlessly deciding it was getting late. Even night owls needed sleep, after all.

The mage blinked slowly, turning his head when Lily stirred. The forgotten book was placed on the coffee table. Was it really that time already? Surely they could spend another five minutes being productive, even if they'd been slowing down over the last hour or so--

But something strange happened, and Lily was seated again, looking as if she'd suddenly been struck by something unseen. Though sleepy, Lezard's brain was running through a wealth of possibilities from his time spent working in the clinic. Did she need to be admitted...?

"What did you experience just then?"

"...I think I saw the woman who originally owned this dress," she replied, a tad uncertain. "But I've never had visions like that before, either here or back home. I usually just pick up things like emotions." Had her power just grown somehow with all the demons they'd been fighting? Like how Lezard had acquired more spells as he absorbed more souls?

Then, another wave of images. A different unknown woman with a silk scarf tied around her hair meeting a friend at a cafe, going to the movies, buying groceries. It was starting to make her head hurt and she tugged at the scarf she'd tied around her neck to hide that awkward bite mark from the last mission, wincing as she tried to undo the knot. "This scarf too."

"Your Meister Ability, then, has strengthened I presume." A theory, but one he couldn't test in the immediate. She was struggling with the scarf and he reached for the assist.

But in doing so, his sleeve brushed against her neck. The smell of earth, late nights by candlelight spent writing notes, or weaving powerful magic. The familiar hiss of his familiar, a croon, and lastly, there was a vision of a brown-haired woman making a displeased face as she throws her full glass of wine in the viewer's face.

"But why now all of a sudden? I wasn't even concentrating on the clothes." And she hadn't felt anything other than the ordinary vibrations earlier in the day.

The visions from the scarf faded to be quickly replaced by another set. But these were different as if seen through eyes other than her own. And stronger with even the scents and sounds coming through. She flinched and pulled away, leaving the scarf in Lezard's hand. When the splash of wine didn't come as expected, she opened her eyes and lowered the arm she had flung up in front of her face.

"...You didn't happen to get a glass of wine thrown at you once by a brown-haired woman, did you? Maybe, an old girlfriend?" Those notes had resembled the chicken scratch he called writing and she was almost sure she'd caught a glimpse of his gloved hand hovering over the papers.

Lezard stared a good, long while at her. She'd seen the last owner of her dress and scarf, but perhaps somehow was reading off of his coat as well. He withdrew his hand quickly, and tried to think.

But he had to laugh. "Girlfriend? Mysty? No, no, she was my dearest friend. We had something of a disagreement. She decided not to be civil."

Which was the truth, really. That, and she'd stolen his experiment. The viper.

He stared so long that she wondered if he thought she was losing her mind. Her gestures had probably looked like a madwoman's pantomime to one unable to see the visions she'd witnessed.

She raised an eyebrow when he laughed. "That was Mysty?" She'd remembered him mentioning her before, but wasn't there something about a fling? Not that she really cared about his love life back home...

"You've never heard of Meister abilities giving their user headaches, have you?" Another wave of images and she tugged awkwardly at the crinoline under her dress, yanking it off and tossing it onto a nearby chair. If it weren't for the pain in her head, she'd have been embarrassed.

"That was Mysty. Ha!"

"...Headaches? Rarely," he answered as he watched her practically start shedding the layers she wore, wondering if he ought follow suit to prevent something of an overload.

"But if your Soul Fashion Sense is haywire, we may as well find relatively new clothing for you to wear, cutting off such reactions. Have you anything brand new?"

Lily shook her head and tugged at her skirt with a frown. "I rarely buy anything new. New clothes usually feel soulless and disturbing in their own way. Or worse, I feel the misery of the poorly paid workers who made them in some far flung country."

Moving around the apartment, she tried to think. Not the easiest task when flashes of that woman's life kept intruding thanks to the dress. Even if she could do without her usual vintage sleepwear for the night if necessary, it would be a problem if she woke up in the morning and still kept getting these visions.

She stopped by the windows and reached out to the closed curtains, an opaque purple to block out the sight of that creepy moon at night. Back home, she usually picked up sensations easily from all textiles but here her talent seemed limited to actual garments and accessories. "...I don't feel anything from these curtains."

It was crazy but if it worked for Scarlett O'Hara... She dragged a chair over as if to start taking down the draperies.

"...Curtains." He paused. She didn't feel any emotions from the curtains, thus--

He couldn't help it, laughing incredulously. Standing, he moved to assist in unhooking and taking down the drapes. This had to be one of her more absurd ideas, but if it ceased to be distracting.

"Ha ha! A toga, then...!"

She huffed, a tad annoyed he found the idea so hilarious.

"You don't have a better idea, do you? The only other options I can think of are bedsheets or towels." And if he suggests she not wear anything at all, she's going to be tempted to throw the curtain rod at him.

But as the curtains came down, she noticed there seemed to be something amiss in the streets below. "Huh? What's going on down there?"

Oh, the temptation was there, but he shrugged and still seemed to shake with a little unshed mirth.

"I confess, 'tis a clever idea on such short notice. I'm interested in seeing the Greek goddess look upon you."

But she paused, and he stepped closer to look out the window. What was--

That was when, riding on a broom and absolutely mirthful, a witch flew by, followed by two kishin eggs on a rampage, leaping atop parked cars and setting off their alarms.

"Another attack! I wish they'd try knocking next time." But he shook his head.

"...We must move with haste."

She might have retorted about the Greek goddess comment if she weren't busy gaping at the sight outside the window.

"...Did I just see what I think I did? But witches don't really fly around on brooms!"

But a flying witch or not, those were definitely a pair of demons bouncing off car hoods as if they were trampolines. The curtains and her current problem momentarily forgotten, she grabbed for Lezard's hand only to immediately drop it and press a hand to her forehead as another flood of images hit her, followed by one from her own dress.

"Dag nab it! I can't concentrate like this! Take off those gloves. And your coat too!"

She finished untangling the curtains from the rod and fumbled behind her for her zipper, not quite able to reach it in her haste. Why did this have to happen during an attack on the city of all times?!

With the gloves come images of ancient runes, the painstaking task of drawing each and every one by hand and powering them for purposes unknown. With the touch so brief, she'd only be privy to a glimpse.

But the gloves would be tucked into a pocket, and his coat slid off his shoulders, deposited upon the arm of the couch. "Ah, but my work suit--"

Did she expect them both to work in their skivvies, or was he to join her in the toga crusades? Distracted - no wonder - though he was, he stepped behind to work her zipper undone. They needed to get going if they wanted to provide city defense, and he needed his Meister without migraines and sensory overload!

Perhaps, she would ask about the runes later but there were more urgent things for now.

"Roll up your sleeves or something." It should be okay as long as she didn't touch his clothes, right?

"And close your eyes." Although she didn't glance behind to check if he actually did before sliding the bodice off her shoulders and letting the dress fall to the floor. Her long hair and the speed with which she tossed a curtain over her back ensured that any peek he might have gotten of her unmentionables (rather plain and a bit old-fashioned looking) would have been brief.

Now that she was covered again, she worked on draping the fabric more securely, knotting corners together, adding another curtain, pulling down the curtain ties from the other windows and wrapping them around her midsection like belts. "Help me tie these!"

She wasn't sure if the result much resembled Ancient Greek drapery but the visions had stopped which was the important thing. And hopefully, her makeshift dress would hold together until they were done with the demons.

Despite the dire situation, he always had time to stifle a snicker. He shook his arms to knock is sleeves back, but did nothing to close his eyes. He needed them to assist in the task, after all.

So it was no surprise that her undergarments were just as 'retro' as everything else she wore. Really, he would have expected rebellious, lacy things hidden under it all, some flash of modern flair. Oh well!

The ties were tied, and he stepped back. With a small tug here and there, he gauged the security of her makeshift outfit.

"...Really, you've outdone yourself. With hope, it can provide a distraction for our foes as well."

Serious, or joking? It was almost impossible with him.

Was that a snicker? He'd better not be peeking!

She crossed her arms, giving him a glare. "Are you implying I should flash those demons? If you've rigged these knots to come apart..." Lily trailed off, the hint of a threat in her voice. He might have to beware of extra Tabasco sauce in his next dinner or being doused with a garden hose.

A few more tugs at the material so the slits between the curtain panels didn't reveal so much of her thighs. And then she reached for his hand again, waiting for him to change, unaware that a monstrous bird had been attracted by the lit windows and was about to alight on her balcony railing.

"I am an honest man, Miss Ivory," he chuckled. Would flashing even work? What humanity remained in them that they would appreciate a glimpse of bared skin? Though, he would assume, it would only lead to an increased hunger for the soul. Clothes ought to be difficult to process whenever a person is eaten whole, but what did he know about the desires of monsters?

Still, productivity was king. They achieved their goals the less he sought to get under her skin and tease her, so he acquiesced to her hand, shifting into his form. Already something pinged in his mind.

"We've been noticed. Shall we begin?"

Lily might not have been an expert in the desires of kishin eggs but she knew demons had the inclination to be lustful. And really, what else was she to assume he was suggesting with his remarks about her attire hopefully providing a distraction? But there were more important things to worry about than her modesty at the moment.

The witch tensed a bit as they connected and she sensed how close an enemy was. Whirling around to face the balcony door, her words were urgent. "Can we cast beyond the glass?"

She could definitely do without the creature crashing into her apartment but stepping out onto the tiny balcony herself didn't seem like a good idea. Neither was casting the spells within the room.

Casting beyond the glass had him considering just how soul energy worked. "Worth a try."

He tried something different. Rather than calling on the drops from directly around her, he tried reaching further, conjuring them just outside the sliding glass doors. It never occurred to him to send them further, and he had to wonder how on earth he hadn't before.

"Well, I learned my magic here follows the same rules as back home. Clear us of our pest problem, would you?"

Lily had to wonder why she hadn't thought of it either. Maybe, she had just gotten too used to him manifesting the flames around her and then having to aim them at whatever creatures they were fighting.

"And what rules would those be?" she asked before starting with a chant. Fortunately, it looked like his clothes were no longer an issue with him transformed.

The monster bird which had been about to fling it self at the sliding doors shrunk back at the sight of the flames, wings outstretched as if it were considering retreat. But the drops of flame came together, wrapping around it like a toasty blanket.

"One's focus can be moved when backed with the knowledge of how." The bird was an impressive light display as the flames sapped it of air, burned fine down and flesh beneath as it fell.

"I do hope you're prepared to go out in public like this. Shall I monitor the knots of your makeshift toga as well?"

She watched as the bird plummeted off the railing, resembling a phoenix at the end of its life. Hopefully, this bird wouldn't rise from its ashes. From the shapes moving through the streets below, it wasn't the only hostile entity around tonight.

"Well, I doubt I have much of a choice." Even with the threat of a wardrobe malfunction, she couldn't just leave the folks of this city to the demons. She made for the apartment door but warned, "If these knots come undone, I'm holding you responsible!"

He laughed over their link, almost clutching his stomach like the mirth would burst out if he didn't.

"Do try! But it was not I who thought to step outside in curtains, Goddess Ivory!"

She blew out an exasperated breath as she hastily locked the door behind her, nearly getting a curtain corner caught in the door.

"You're not going to let me hear the end of this, are you?"

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EVENT: Witch Attack on the City!

Lily and Lezard | Casualty Communal | Closed

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