Otherworldly [IC]

[Voltaire]

Season One - Episode One (S01E01)

'Wayland'

Theme Song:

Filter - Hey Man Nice Shot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWh_7NatQnU)

***

Prologue - Part One



‘God loves you.’

‘Yeah? Well, tell him I’m flattered, but no th-‘

He suddenly flew across the alley, slamming into a building wall and collapsing in a heap. He had almost managed to bring his head up, some seconds later, but the other man was already next to him, squatting. His hands rested easily on his knees. A metallic cross dangled between the fingers of his left hand.

‘Well, now, that’s blasphemy. You don’t get to deny His love.’

He stood up, and looked into the clear night sky.

‘Monkeys. Monkeys never change. You know… Sean… I could tear the skin off your body. Inch by inch. I could reach into your mind and show you some… truly terrible things. You would die screaming, after a long life of screaming in a strait jacket. I could fillet your friends and family, and force feed them to you. The punishment I can deliver unto you for your disobedience is limited only by my patience. He has seen it fit to empower me with this task.’

Sean snarled and laughed, simultaneously, through his broken mouth.

‘F-ing angels… What don’t you understand, ****bird?! I – can’t – help – you. I don’t know who did it!’

The angel was holding him up by his hair in an instant, as Sean struggled in vain.

‘Sean, baby, I’m not sure you understand your predicament. The rules that protect the other vermin of this rock aren’t in play, here. You’ve left His sight. You know that, right? Consorting with that unholy filth has tainted you beyond salvation or redemption.’

Sean continued to struggle, ‘I don’t know! I don’t know who killed him!’

The angel pressed his face up against Sean’s, and licked the human’s cheek, ‘You’re scared, Sean. That’s good. Monkeys always had a sense for mortal danger. Fair to say, you’re in it. Tell me something, Sean. Tell me anything. Tell me the wo- Hmm… That’s funny, Sean,’ the angel licked his lips, ‘… tastes like you’re scared of something else more than me. Which, given what’s about to happen, is strange.’

The human muffled a cry of pain, ‘Raziel… Raziel, it doesn’t matter. It just… it doesn’t matter. You’re already dead. You just haven’t noticed yet. You’re all dead… You’re all dead…’

Raziel chuckled, ‘Hold on there, midnight cowboy, you’ve got me quaking in my high tops. Who are you working for, huh? Is it my lost brothers? Lucifer’s whores?! They didn’t do the deed, but maybe they signed on the dotted line? Was it them?!’

Sean laughed, as the blood poured down his face. Raziel casually put two of the human’s fingers in his mouth, and bit down. Hard. The human screamed, but the angel’s hand was clamped around his mouth tight.

‘Shhh-shh-shh. No squealing. They’re gone. They’re gone. Tasted kind of like chicken. Did you know, Sean, that we – His first children – don’t mind the taste of monkey flesh? It’s an acquired taste, sure, but once you’ve got it there are few things quite like it.’

Sean was crying. ‘Ohhh… you rotten ****… Ohhh, you took them… you rotten ****… Stop… Stop…’ The sobs were coming thick and fast.

Raziel considered the prone form for a second. ‘No.’

He took Sean’s hand again, unhinged his jaw, and thrust it into his mouth. His teeth were like razors, and when he bit down the human’s hand came off instantly, and disappeared. The angel swallowed the hand whole, after a few attempts, while Sean’s eyes rolled in the back of his head, his body rigid from shock. Raziel wiped his mouth nonchalantly. His grip on the arm with the bloodied stump was like iron.

‘Don’t worry, Sean. You won’t bleed out. What’s that, you’re passing out from the pain?’ He leaned over, and put his mouth on the human’s. The latter suddenly inhaled and started coughing.

‘I can’t let you sleep, Sean. I’d like to, but I still need something from you. Feel free to share, before I take the next bite.’

The human was sputtering. ‘Stop… Just stop… Please… All I heard was… something… from the Feylands… It was something fey…’

Raziel leaned in, ‘Come again, Sean? I don’t know if I heard you right. Something fey? You’re saying a fairy killed Lord Raphael, the Seraph of the Moon Palace, the Binder of Azazel? A damned fairy killed the Lord of All Healing?! Stripped his essence bare?! Rendered him null in God’s creation?! That’s what you’re saying, Sean? A fairy did it?!’ The angel seemed furious.

Suddenly, he snapped his head up in surprise, and stared into the dark of the alley. He sniffed the air. There was something there – something just beyond his senses. He let the human’s head loll back and stood up. Before him, the darkness soon began coalescing, taking shape. Within moments, it was a man. A man wearing a grey, hooded jacket and matching trackies, his face obscured.

‘Now what might you be, filth?’ the angel tilted his head, his eyes pure murder.

The figure standing before him continued to do so, perfectly still. Its hands were in its jacket pockets. Finally, the new arrival also tilted his head, in imitation of the angel.

‘Not a big talker, then? I see. You’re an ice cold kind of guy. Little old angel like me can’t impress you, oh darkness incarnate. What do you think is going to happen here? You don’t even get the flimsy protection He offers these worms – these monkey worms – to shield you from me. I will paint this alley whatever colour your ichor is, you dirt. Angels don’t fear the dark! The dark – fears – us!’

Raziel moved with inhuman speed, advancing on the jacketed being. His subsequent death scream was cut very short.

***

Elsewhere, four men sat around a simple dinner table. It was in a room that resembled an apartment in the inner city – a bit run down, a bit grimy, and the floral wallpaper had long overstayed its welcome – but appearances belied its true nature. One of them, a man in his early sixties, opened a book that came into being as he reached for the cover.

‘This is not right.’

A much younger man with brilliant blue eyes and not a hair on his head spoke without turning it, ‘Concur. Something is wrong.’

As the older man flipped the pages of the book, a third nodded, ‘More deaths. A celestial has been rendered null in Delhomme. Another in Ecko Park. Do we know anything?’

The fourth man stayed silent. His eyes were closed.

The first spoke again, ‘The Host will be baying for blood vengeance. They will send kill teams. Whoever their eyes fall on will suffer terribly. Was it the Legion?’

The second shook his head, ‘Unlikely. They fight over their Argument openly. And they do not annul.’

The third man took his turn to speak, ‘Then who? Who could do this?’

The first answered, ‘A better question is who would be foolish enough to. What of our contacts in the Feylands and the Deadlands?’

Blue eyes shook his head, ‘We have heard nothing.’

The fourth man opened his eyes, suddenly, only to reveal he didn’t have any, ‘We are dead. We are dead.’

The others turned to look at him. ‘We are dead.’

The man with the book closed it, ‘What is the meaning of this? What are you talking about, brother?’

The eyeless one continued, upping the volume gradually until he was shouting, practically screaming, ‘We are dead. We are dead! We are dead!’

The others rose as one from the table, appalled.

And then, they were, in fact, quite dead.

[Voltaire]

He sat on his throne, rapping his fingers against the wooden arm rest. His other hand held his chin. Everything seemed draped in purple. It would all have been very regal, if it hadn’t been for two things: his eyes, and his mouth. The former were cold and dead. They were a deep, deep grey, like an angry cloud front. They were the eyes of a murderer, not a king. Right at that moment, their anger was directed at the unfortunates bowing before him. Or, perhaps more accurately: wilting before him.

His mouth, meanwhile, was busy voicing his displeasure: ‘You motherf’ckers. You useless, base, licentious toads. Who did it? Well? You’re staring at me like grizzled goats. Who did it?! Who could have done it? Who in the f’ck kills an archangel? You silly warts on my a’se. This is a f’cking catastrophe. This is a disaster. My goodness gracious. I hate you all so much I’d feed you to the Wulfgeist right now, if I didn’t have a use for completely expendable bags of sh’t.’

A weak reply sputtered, ‘But, Sire-‘

‘You shut the f’ck up. Shut your f’cking mouth. I fully appreciate – Mortlock – the fact that none of you weaklings did it. No, it was the mighty f’cking Mortlock wiping the floor with a Celestial heavy hitter. Obviously you didn’t do it, or your head would already be an offering to the Host. What I’m mystified by is how – how – I am still not in possession of an answer to the aforementioned questions. Do you paperweights need a greater incentive? Is that what I’m doing wrong?’

‘Sire, please, it’s-‘

‘You are skating a very fine line, Ser. A very fine line. I will f’ck your face, do you understand me? I will skullf’ck you, until you’re dead. My word, are you skating a fine line. Your excuses sicken me. Fetch me the Quiet Man.’

‘Sire! Th-‘

‘Fetch him, Festus. Those vultures are coming down on us like a tonne of bricks. We’re a d’ck’s hair away from being dragged into a war we can’t win. The Feylands don’t need this sh’t. I certainly don’t need this sh’t. Tap everyone. Get the Knights down here. No! In fact, get the Paladins ready to move, too. Until everyone responsible is dead, we’re going to be getting our sh’t pushed in. Humbug! Now, get out of my sight. I’m going to find a corner and have a little cry, because I’m surrounded by the scum of the universe. Incompetent, putrid scum. I’m going to vomit in disgust, as I weep.’

***

‘Gus, is this for real?’

‘Oh, yes. Oh, yes indeed, young one. The Host is descending upon this world. The Legion will march to meet it. It is a time of endings… and beginnings.’

The lithe brunette didn’t seem to mind she was talking to a baboon. Nor did she seem fazed by the fact that it was talking back, as it leaned on its walking staff. Her eyebrows were arched higher than usual, betraying her bewilderment.

‘But… why? How do they think they’re going to find the assassin?’ Her tone was lilting.

Gus laughed.

‘By bathing in enough blood, I believe. I would ask you, at this time, to do as I have instructed you. Find our friends, and bring them to me. ‘

There was a pregnant pause.

‘Okay, Gus.’

By the time the baboon sighed, she was long gone.

***

‘Michael, why?’

‘Because, Metatron. Because He wills it. Because Raphael should be at our side, and he is not. Because bounds have been overstepped.’

‘But, the Host entire?’

‘Don’t be so overdramatic, old friend. I send only Uriel, Remiel, Jegudiel and a banner. We must administer righteous retribution and justice. The Mandate demands action. Inaction would be breaching the Compact.’

‘There is too much to this that we do not know, Michael. We act from a position of weakness.’

‘Metatron, knowledge is surplus to faith in the Mandate. We will reap a bloody harvest amongst the decrepit shadows of the past. They do not know war, they do not know fear: we will show them both. Metatron, we were born to marry the Love of God to Righteousness. To Justice. If not this, then what? If not us, then who? For God’s will says that there is no weakness in action that defends the faith; no misstep in righteousness.’

‘Events are spiralling out of control. I cannot support this.’

‘You need do nothing, brother. The Host is already descending. We have already begun meting out Justice. Now, there is only the harvest, and righteous zeal. Give us your love; that is enough.’

***

[Voltaire]

You find yourself in a room. It's a room like many others; it has four walls, and a ceiling and a floor. The walls are covered in a putrid green coat of aging paint. The floorboards are cracked and creaking. Your aching head takes a while to register the room's other basic features. For one, you're not its only occupant. As you groggily stand to your feet, you see half a dozen other figures doing the same.

Secondly, as you inch away from one another, the room seems to be expanding. It was barely the size of a living room in those one bedroom apartments choking up downtown, just a few moments ago. Now, it's as big as a dining hall.

Finally - and perhaps most importantly - there's no door. None that you can see, anyway.

[OOC: This is you cue to begin posting]

[Gem_Knight]

Aric looks around, "Well, what's sad is this still isn't the weirdest thing that's happened today, let alone ever," he mutters. "Or is that just me?"

As he notices the room expand, he hmms. To sate his curiosity he begins walking towards one of the walls to see if the room continues to grow.

[commander panda]

well, isn't this an event. one inexplicable timespan, Stephen is drowning his crappy day in crappy beer and trying not too swallow the bartender's hair. the next, he's doing pretty much the same thing. only he has this little black haired number staring at him. hard. do i have something in my teeth? she's cute to be sure; tight genes, leather jacket, elfish face and eyes that... suck you in. she's certainly too good for the esteemed 'marty's tavern'. he's half way through asking if she wants a drink when-

"he'll see you now."

then boom goes the dynamite. stephen hits the floor and the dark closes in. he hopes he hasn't pissed himself.

when he wakes up he's laying in a green room with pealing walls and he's drooling in his beard. weirdly, the first thing he notices is he's still holding his beer bottle. the contence is all over his greatcoat. second is that there are other people there. strangers. stephen jumps up and back-pedals away, expecting to hit a wall. he doesn't, but he'll have time to wonder about that later. he gropes in his pocket for one of his knives and prepares to go invisible if necessary (not that it would matter, he doesn't see an exit.) he'll see how this plays out first.

oh, ye valiant gentleman.
and ladies...
and other...
ONWARD TO GLORY!!

i may change my writing style if this one doesn't work out. just a heads up.

and just so people know what he looks like, think this guy (in the orange), only tallerand with totally existent grey irises. http://www.erfworld.com/wp-content/uploads/book2/2011-06-05.jpg and dressed like this http://blog-imgs-48.fc2.com/s/h/e/sherlock2gatiss/20111130193019212.jpg

[Gnomes2169]

"Bril-"

Oh hey, darkness. Huh, now a bit of a headache and quite a lot of black. Oh right, eyes. Those have to open. Alrighty then, let's see what we see here. Oh wold you look at that, a room with no doors and people he absolutely did not know at all. Time to finish a thought, methinks. "liant!" the Doctor exclaimed, hopping up and immediately stumbling back as the blood rushed out of his head. "Whoa now, easy world. Settle. Settle. Now there we go..." Now then, stardard protocol and what-not. Find yourself in the middle of a room with no door and ever expanding sides, with a bit more than a half dozen blokes whom you've never met before. What do you do? Well other than panic and scream bloody murder like every single sane human being, who would also run about like a headless chicken, you pull out your screwdriver and, "Let's see what we can find." A little press of the button and a slight sonic hum came out, detecting what was what in this room.

[Starbin]

Sari glanced at the girl, his lips wrapped around the bottle as he tilted it back. He was about to beckon her over when she said, "He'll see you now."

Awww shi ...

The world disappeared into darkness. When he woke, he was in a crappy looking room with a bunch of strangers. The others were already rising, and as they did, the room slowly expanded. He watched them through half-lidded eyes, leaning up slowly on one elbow. Looking closely at their faces, he didn't recognize anyone, but when you've been in the game for as long as Sari had been, that didn't mean anything. One of these chumps could be Lucifer. Hell, they ALL could be Lucifer.

He watched the rats test the maze for a little longer before leaning back onto the floor, hands behind his head. He snorted aloud and whispered, "Relax, everyone. Migh as well get comfortable. I'm sure he'll be along shortly."

Who the hell are you weirdo's, anyways?"

The man laying on the group was wearing faded jeans, black boots, and an off-white tee with the words, "He Loves You ... Yay!" under a flannel shirt. His hair was short and mussed, and it looked like he could use a shave. Handsome, in a drunken Russell Crow sort of way, but without any of the flab the actor had put on for his last role.

[Devilfish]

It is dark in that moment before the focus of an opening eye. A man was unconscious on the floor, but now appears sturdy on his feet. Perhaps he was standing this whole time. It is hard to tell. Strange things are arriving surplus today.

Of the newfound company you might call Strangers, one man looks the part so particularly that he may have walked out from a neighborhood watch sign. Overcoat pulled high, hat brim pulled low, and a face so unusually blank behind glasses that have glared over. How? From what light source? Such uncertainties draw the least of attentions. For although the man stares towards nothing, the feeling you get is unmistakable: that his untraceable gaze is fixated-- solely on you.

Very neatly, he unfolds a newspaper from under one arm; Sari was the first to address the group from everyone there, and so would he be the first to be answered. The Stranger produced a pencil, scrawled something briefly, and turned the paper around.
http://oi49.tinypic.com/fp8bab.jpg

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole Emily Seeming rolls over on the floor, her fingers tangling in her long blonde hair as she clutches her aching head. Something about a party. Party party party. Why is the word stuck in her head? Was this a party? Unlikely: it doesn't sound like like a party. Party. There was a party, that was it. Party, drinks, possibly black-out drunk? Signs pointed to yes. No idea where she is, but mornings have started like this before, haven't they?

A quiet voice cuts through her still-addled mind. "Who the hell are you weirdo's, anyways?"

"Mm'm notawierdo..." she slurs, her eyes flickering open.

She blinks in confusion, then staggers unsteadily to her feet. This wasn't right at all. Party. Party, drinks, drank, drunk...drugs? That b*tch must have drugged her. Been watching her, waiting for this. That utter b*tch. Nicole takes two uneven steps towards the exit, then realizes there isn't one. She pauses, looking at the growing room with some consternation. Her pretty brow furrows in puzzlement.

Faced with no exit in site, a constantly expanding room that must be the result of a lingering hangover, and the knowledge that until her head clears there's no way she's getting out of here anyway, Nicole decides discretion is the better part of valor and curls up on the floor again, taking no real interest in her fellow prisoners. They're all behaving inexplicably--which she chalks down to the drugs--and it's probably safe to ignore them for now. After all, if she's not dead yet whoever is responsible is unlikely to finish the job in the next half hour.

[Raunchel]

Her head hurts, in the bad way. She slowly opens her eyes, but she feels dizzy. She is somewhere else! That shouldn't be the case, she never sleeps in an unfamiliar place, not even then. She tries to stand up, but it is hard, her left leg is in a brace and it still hurts to stand on it. The world is hazy, it is painful to see. She puts most of her weight on her right leg, but is too heavy and she falls to the ground. She is dizzy, and the pain is worse. She looks horrible, her clothes are ill-fitting, her red hair is wild, hasn't been washed for days and certainly hasn't ever encountered a brush. The girl looks out of her bloodshot blue eyes, there are large dark spots under them, she certainly hasn’t slept well for a while. When she speaks she is almost whispering: “Hello?”

Then she notices the others, she seems afraid, she tries to stand up again but she is too heavy. She tries to support herself with her thin arms, but for some reason her skinny frame is too much for her. She whispers, almost inaudibly: “They have you, they have you Hannah. Rise, you have to run, they found you.”

[Voltaire]

Aric's meandering expands the room to cavernous proportions, before he finally gives up. Reaching the walls to touch them is impossible - they recoil from any contact at impossible speeds. As soon as you back off, the room starts shrinking again. You spend precious moments gathering your wits, as your predicament slowly sinks in. Just before you have the opportunity to really open up to the others - or to open them up, as the case may be - to really get to know your new room mates, you hear a high pitched voice that grabs your attention utterly and immediately.

Out of nowhere, a baboon.

He stands amidst you, though none of you noticed him entering the room, or the means by which he did so. But, in the moment, you really fixate on the fact that there's a baboon in a brown cloak standing right there, and it's talking. A strange day, getting stranger by the minute.

'Hello, my friends. Welcome. Welcome! I am Gus. This is my place.' He leans on a very short walking stick, 'It's not like the places you're used to, maybe, but it's my own.'

He starts walking between you, as he talks, stopping to appraise each member of the erstwhile congregation as you look on, incredulous.

'I wonder what your first question will be. Will it be "Who are you"? I hope not. I'm Gus, I've already told you once. Or maybe it'll be "What's going on"? Ahh, now that's a better question. A much better question. Better even than "Why am I here" or "Where is this place". All classic questions, though. Clean questions. Concrete, some would say."

He turns to the ceiling for a moment.

'Leila! I need you for a moment!'

Barely a second after he says the words, the brunette that did this to you is by his side, smiling mirthlessly.

'Yes, Gus?'

He looks up at her and waves her away, 'Please put a kettle on for my friends. And some biscuits. We have much to discuss.'

She isn't amused, but nods nonetheless, 'Yes, Gus.' A split second later she's gone, as if she'd never been there in the first place.

The baboon sits back on its haunches, roughly in the middle of your group, and smiles, revealing gigantic, yellowing teeth. He says nothing further.

[Gnomes2169]

Now would you look at that, a baboon that called himself Gus. A peculiar day to be sure, and one that most likely had even stranger events in store. Brilliant! A dull throb in the back of his head made him cringe. Alright, so thinking too loudly still hurt. He might want to stop that... Oh, but the baboon was offering information!

"Ah my good chap, can I call you Gus? Well, it's the only name you gave me, so I suppose that I have to call you Gus. Gus. Hmmm... Anyway Gus, there is another classic question to go along with all your others," The Doctor said cheerfully, wincing at the sound of his own voice and teetering slightly as he put his screwdriver away. "Well, now that I think about it there are really two. One, why are you a baboon? Baboons usually can not vocalize more than a few ooks and ahs, and you are rather well spoken, Gus. Two, How long will we be in here?"

[Raunchel]

Hannah raises her head towards the baboon, her eyes widen and she whispers again: "Look at it, always look at it Hannah. All the pain comes from looking and not looking. It is just the same."

Then she struggles again, trying to get to her feet, a tear falls from her eye, but she looks closely at the baboon. When the brunette appears her expression changes to one of curiosity mixed with fear. She says, seemingly unsurprised by talking to a baboon: "Could someone help me stand? I want to stand, that way everything is much clearer than when I see from the ground. And clarity is good, right? I like it, I really like it. But why am I here? the others are clear, they are different, while I am just little Hannah, nothing special about me. What do you want from me?"

After speaking Hannah puts her thumb in her mouth and starts to suck it, softly shaking her head and looking at those surrounding her, seeing what isn't there.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

At the mention of biscuits and a kettle Nicole sits blearily up, thankful for some degree of normalcy. The sight of a large baboon almost immediately to her right nearly floors her again. Instead she blinks, closes her eyes shakes her head to clear the fog from her mind, and takes a second glance.

Still a baboon. Right then. And the strange fellow on her other side just addressed it--him?--as such, so it's not just her. That's crazy.

"Third question. You have any Advil? My head aches like a motherfu...F***" Nicole suddenly cries out, having just caught sight of Hannah on the floor a short distance away. She stands quickly, staggers once to gain her footing, and strides over, brushing past the baboon without a second glance.

Nicole cautiously approaches Hannah, her hands held away from her body in a nonthreatening a manner as possible. Her voice softens, and she kneels down by the girl's side. "Hey. Hey kid. You okay? I thought I had it bad this morning..."

Nicole pauses, noticing the fear in Hannah's eyes. "Hell girl, I won't hurt you. You're beat up enough as it is."

She holds out a hand, ready to help Hannah up if Hannah accepts the offer.

"Name's Nikki. If you feel like getting out of this mess you just stick with me. They picked the wrong girl to f*** with."

[Raunchel]

Hannah takes Nikki's hand in her thin hands. She says: "Thank you so much, I broke my legs a few weeks ago and I'm still recovering. I am Hannah, and I just want to be in a place where they don't come after me, where they don't try to hurt me with their restraints, with their medications, with their shocks and with their walls."

[commander panda]

stephen looks around and observes his new roommates: normal guy, plastic wand guy, trench coat guy (roberts?), crippled girl, ...cheerleader? he looks at flannel guy. looks at his tee shirt. well, ****. where have i heard that line before? angel.

then baboon.

...what?

baboon starts talking. his name is gus.

...

pull it together stephen.

right. adopting normalcy.

he raises his hand. "i'll call on all those questions, especially why we're here and why you're a talking baboon." he hears the cheerleader speak. "oh, and two votes for the advil, coffee as well pleas."

[theduck]

Edward stumbled slightly as reality reasserted itself. This was... unexpected, and he cast a quick glance over the room, not really processing what he saw.

Where did that girl go? he asked himself quietly, as he looked over the group of.... people (?) in the room with him. Somehow, the stretching of the room doesn't bother him as much as he feels it should, and the appearance of the baboon, unexpected as it was, seemed to make sense in this place.

Ed looks young, young enough that it isn't immediately obvious if he could have legally acquired the tattoo that surrounded his right wrist without parental consent. He is wearing a worn down set of black dress shoes, dark blue jeans, and a button town shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a small design he had doodled on the inside of his left wrist in pen. His hair, which is slightly disheveled, is pitch black, and his eyes are a pale blue.

After finding his center, he approaches the group and the primate.

What kind of tea are you offering. Offering a slightly nervous smile, he gives a slight nod to the others.

My name is Ed Boyd.

[Gnomes2169]

He turned from the baboon for a second to smile at Ed and say, "Hullo Ed. I'm the Doctor, just the Doctor. Nice to meet you." The Doctor closed his eyes after that and shook his head again, "Third on that... whatchamacallit... Advil. And some tea would just be smashing."

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole gently helps Hannah up, bending down and offering her arm as support to the injured girl.

"Right, kid. That stops NOW. I don't know where the hell we are, but until I get you somewhere safe anyone messing with you is going to have to get past me first."

She eyes the assembled individuals slightly suspiciously. They seem a lot more comfortable in the situation than she does, and that makes them suspicious until proven otherwise.

"So...anyone know how we got here? Last thing I remember is a party. Next thing I know I'm in this room. And until the talking monkey decides to grace us with whatever the hell he's going to tell us, I'm at a loss."

Yeah...Nikki has a bit of a soft spot. Abusing kids pisses her the hell off, and right now all she knows is that she isn't responsible for this situation. :smallbiggrin:

[theduck]

Nice to meet you as well

Ed took another, slower survey or the room, his eyes drifting from the doctor, to the baboon, the Roberts (whatever he was), the two girls (the girl Nikki was comforting seemed to be having it worse then rest of them, though based on what he overheard, that was unrelated to this place), the two drunks (well, one looked drunk, the other had a bottle, mental shorthand and all) and the guy who... found this all rather mundane?

Ahh heh. Just so we're clear, this isn't normal... right? And I have no idea how I got here - that chick in the leather jacket walked up to me while I was studying and bang... here I am.

I accidently a word, and took to long to finish

[Gem_Knight]

Aric only walks far enough to prove the point, when the room comes back in as he heads back to the center though he pauses. He shrugs and sits down far enough away that the room should be more than comfortably large, but not so vast that he'd need to be yelled at. As he sits down he fishes out a brush from one of the inside pockets of his denim jacket and goes to make sure his blonde hair isn't everywhere. As he goes to put his brush back, the baboon calling himself Gus arrives. Aric stands up and moves a little closer, trying but failing to ignore the wall coming inward as he does so.

"Well, first off I want to ask if it would be a waste of my time to simply try and teleport out of here. But obviously the more important question of my two is a variant on the classic 'why are we here?' by which I of course already know 'because you were brought here', I'm thinking in terms of 'for what reason were we brought here?'"

He steps back a little bit to expand the room some more. "Also, expanding on the teleporting question, for that matter will anything work here, by anything I mean anything supernatural, such as magic objects or spells and any supernatural abilities any of the others might have?"

[Devilfish]

Their captor's cameo snapped "Roberts" hard to attention. She was (of course) gone before he could react, but now that he had it seems this fellow suddenly wasn't so keen on staying for Q&A. With the broken girl cared for and Stephen provided his coffee (which Roberts provided himself- funny that he should still have it after his abduction,) it seems he was done watching idly, too.

He stepped forward with a crooked walk, seamlessly slipping Stephen his drink and Nikki the newspaper as if it were in casual passing. Roberts took his time while questions were being asked, pausing outright at the mention of the supernatural, and turning to stare at Aric inquiringly.

When he did reach Gus, he did not stay for long, extending a hand to shake with one hand while rubbing the corner of his jaw with the other. Awfully sore, now that you notice it. Perhaps the man just had his wisdom teeth out. Must have been tasking to talk.

"A few coworkers haven't been showing up to the office," he spoke flatly.
You wouldn't happen to know anything about that.
Would you?"
http://oi49.tinypic.com/2zdn5zr.jpg

[Starbin]

Sari laid on the ground for quite a bit, having watched the baboon play his Mysterio gig, complete with disappearing girl. Gus' appearance stirred the hornet's nest, sending the hottie over to console the pitiful little girl, and getting some of the others asking 'important' questions.

But all that was irrelevant. Sniffing the air, Sari smelled it ... the odor of lost kin. Humans thought they smelled like brimstone, but he knew better. It was the smell of burning feathers, the acrid odor of one's essence being morphed into something baser, darker ...

Gus wasn't just any monkey.

Standing up and stretching, Sari looked around the room, as if it had changed, then snorted as the bearded guy (Roberts?) walked up close and started talking softly.

"HEY, GUS!" His shout was loud enough to draw everyone's attention for a moment. "You've got a real Lion King thing going on here, but I'm wondering ... how's Hell these days?" He smiled, crossing his arms and staring at the baboon.

[theduck]

Things had, Ed decided, taken a strong turn towards the bizarre, which was saying something, given the last two minutes. First Denim Jacket starts asking questions about magic and teleportation, then the Crowe-wannabe, who already seemed a little too unconcerned, starts yelling at the baboon.

What the hell are you talking about? You sayin' this monkey is a dem

A strange moment of clarity started Ed on a new train of thought, stopping him mid-sentence. Things weren't making sense, but they didn't always need to, or at least that had been his experience. So what if there were demons and talking baboons and maybe talking demonic baboons offering him tea - it wasn't the first time he ran into things that technically didn't exist.

Giving a small sigh, he raised his hand and asked calmly.

Alright, who is human here... can we get a show of hands?

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole stares.

"What are you on about? Aside from the Freakshow the Talking Ape parlor trick we're all hu...!"

She pauses mid-sentence as the last few bits of conversation replay in her mind. Hell. Magic objects. Teleporting. Supernatural abilities. Right.

She sighs.

"Is this some sort of new reality show? 'cause you're really reaching, guys. I know this Twilight thing took the media by storm, but this is going a bit far."

[Gnomes2169]

"Timelord" The Doctor said with a raised hand. His screwdriver continued to make its little noise in his jacket pocket, collecting data from the room around them and clicked shut once it was done. Wonderful thing, this screwdriver. It even worked through wool! He would check it later, once he had time.

[commander panda]

roberts walks past just as stephen's making his request. when he looks down, his knife hand is out of his pocket and holding a coffee. what the F- he tosses the beer bottle over his shoulder and shoves that hand in his pocket. the bottle doesn't hit a wall. never f***ing drinking again.

for the new boy's question steve pulls his hand back out to make a 'kinda-sorta' jester. "when the wind is southerly." he sips his coffee.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric shrugs, "Perfectly human here, even with my assorted curses and perks..." He raises his hand briefly, long enough to be 'counted' but quickly looks back toward the baboon waiting for answers.

[Devilfish]

To some surprise, Roberts perks his head back and raises his hand as well.

(Not the one extended for Gus, of course; that would be discourteous. And concerning as it was that Nicole had not read his paper, and that he was now shaking hands with a hellspawn without backup, discourtesy and discomfort were luxuries that could not afford to be shown.)

He offers a small smile to the group, saying nothing.

[Voltaire]

Gus takes Roberts' hand and shakes it vigorously, before guffawing loudly.

'So many questions! So many. Let's see. Doctor, why cannot baboons speak? Do you think it is the private reserve of humans, hmm? I tease, only, forgive me. But you'll be here as long as it's necessary. Rest assured, though, you're guests, not prisoners. Your device won't give you any worthwhile readings, however.'

With that, Gus stands up and begins walking over to Sariel.

'Hello, Sariel! Look at us, long lost brothers in arms. I wouldn't know, it's been a while. How has it been for you? I imagine your personal hell is no less terrible than the real thing. Alas, you have exposed me! What is a demon to do?' Apparently, he snickers - as the baboon demon proceeds to do.

Gus pauses for a moment. Instantly, Leila is there, with a tray covered with cups of tea, biscuits and... what looks suspiciously like Advil. With a nod, he sets her to distribute the goodies amongst the congregants.

He then walks over to Hannah and Nikki, and glances at the child ruefully.

'You are here because you must be, child. As we all must be. Being here was inevitable, as much as being elsewhere was, previously. All your roads lead to Rome. But Rome is not the destination. You will be here now, and elsewhere later. And elsewhere thereafter. Ultimately, you will always be somewhere, unless you're not. In which case you will not be. Or perhaps will, but in different ways.'

Gus glances behind him.

'Magician, unfortunately, I cannot yet allow you to use your magics. Soon, yes, but not now. Forgive an old baboon his transgressions.'

He turns back to Nikki, 'Take as much Advil as you need. Leila keeps an ample stash. She's a very dutiful girl, that way. Leila! Get this young woman tea, biscuits and Advil, please. Nikki, you got here by needing to be here. At this moment in time, at this exact place, you needed to be - and therefore the universe just needed a reminder. And here you are. Doesn't it feel right?'

Finally, he maneuvers back to the middle of the group.

'Yes, my friends, I am a demon. Does that scare you? I hope not. Though your kind are subjected to a lot of celestial propaganda, rest assured that I am not interested in harming you. Quite the opposite. Because for our Argument to make sense, you need to remain a part of it. And belonging... belonging is the issue, here, I think. Belonging is the big issue. Now, let me be entirely honest with you, for a moment. Hitherto, you've known me as Gus, and a baboon. You should continue to know me as Gus, the baboon. But I am also called by another name.'

The pause is pregnant.

'Some time ago, now, I was Gusion. A Prince of Hell of the third order. Commander of forty cohorts and ruler of Pan-Stygia. But put that out of your minds for a moment. At this time, I need to tell you some things...'

images flash through your mind

---Celestial Host arrives to this world riding fire and lightning

---It wages merciless war against the native powers

---The primitives of the world are subdued, and honor their new masters

---Lucifer, the greatest of the Seraphim, urges the Almighty to lead the host elsewhere, fearing for its safety

---A terrible War in Heaven rages, as Lucifer's supporters clash with the strict adherents, creating the Argument

---Lucifer is cast down, along with his angels, all the way to Hell

---Celestial dominance over this world is almost achieved

---But something is wrong... Something is very, very wrong...

---Where do souls go to rest?

---Where do souls go to rest?
---Where do souls go to rest?
---Where do souls go to rest?!
---WHERE DO SOULS GO TO REST?!

***

'It is hubris, I believe, to think that age is wisdom. We celestials are old, it is true. But are we wise? We came to this place and our proverbial balls were swinging, if you know what I mean. Who could contest our right to rule? Not the totemic spirits of the so-called 'monkeys', that much is certain. Not their pathetic gods, who held dominion over places and elements. We killed them by the bucket load, before they fled. But, one must ask the question: did it make us right? A balance has been disturbed.'

Gus shifted in place, uneasily.

'I believe something is coming. I believe it's already here. And Armageddon follows close behind.... You are here to stop the end of the world.'

He looks at each of you, expectantly.

'More tea?'

***

End of Episode One

[Voltaire]

Season One - Episode Two (S01E02)

'Bad News'

Theme Song: Johnny Cash - Ain't No Grave (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyfCTZB6Nrk)

***

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole sets her cup down, the clink of the thin china the only sound in the still air of the room. A single clink, followed by the unsteady rattle of cup on saucer as her hand clenches involuntarily.

"Why us?"

Her voice trembles slightly, the truth of the situation striking her as vividly as the visions so recently painted across her mind. The horror has struck home: that moment of terror when you realize that something you have long taken for granted is now something entirely different, and something entirely alien. It seizes Nikki now.

[commander panda]

as gus speaks, stephen keeps a dutifull checklist of facts and names.
-doctor, Sariel, nikki. three more names in the pot. he'd remember the rest later.
-gus is a demon. good. sanity reasserts itself.
-gus doesn't like straight answers. the poor girl must have a headache allover again.
-denim man is a magician. righto, we're makeng progress.

then the visions come.

-first are the celestials arriving, conquering the natives, god being a douche, lucifer gets cast down, politics as usual.
-something is wrong? thats new. maybe. something powerful enough to disrupt a speces and beckon armageddon? hmm.
-then one of the greatest questions of all. stephen turns inward. where do you go?

[Gem_Knight]

Aric resumes sitting down. He lets out a sigh of mild frustration, "It's a good thing I'm used to crazy people speech," he mutters to himself.

He shrugs and gets up to move closer to the group, this time managing to ignore the shrinking room for the most part. "As for Demons, got nothing against them, my best friend is a quarter demon, and his grandfather- if you can get him to drop his ******* armor, is a very gentle person underneath- mind you if he were to hear me say that he might try and kill me again," he chuckles.

"I suppose I could go for some biscuits, or as I prefer to think of them, cookies." He takes one of the cookies (Assuming they are actually somewhere and not just talked of without being delivered >.>). As he munches on one, "Hmm, not bad. But anyway, so- on the topic of preventing apocoli- or whatever the plural is, I take it you either can't or won't be more specific. I mean- is there some force we should be on the lookout for, a single entity we could lash out at- hell- how about a timeline, next week, next year, next wednesday? Or is this more of a lacking timeline sort of thing because the thing lacks time being somehow outside or beyond it?"

[Raunchel]

Hannah is still leaning on Nicole when the visions come over her. A strange kind of rest comes over her face as she takes everything in. She seems relieved. The girl sways slightly and says, with her weak voice: "But what can be done? What do you want done? Why do you even care? about the world, it is just one of the many realms."

[Gnomes2169]

"World ending catastrophe? Sounds like my cup of tea." The Dotcor said after the short and awkward silence. "Speaking of which, excellent tea my good sir. You are far more courteous than the demon I met before. Rather an angry fellow, full of rage and mind control. I believe he was sucked into a black hole." For some reason, the Doctor knew that the screwdriver wouldn't have found anything, but he checked anyway and shrugged when the display showed nothing. "So then, if you are keeping us here for as long as necessary, then what are we supposed to do here?"

[theduck]

The visions and the questions nearly sent Ed reeling, and while he could not fully shake the unease the question left him with, Hannah's response calmed him. Serenely, he starts to wander aimlessly.

She brings up a good point, you know. All things end, eventually. Are you sure we even can or should try to stop it? What kind of end is coming?

Still... where do the souls go to rest Turning abruptly, he starts to walk towards Hannah and Nicole.

Who says that souls ever go anywhere to rest?

Sitting on his haunches, he tries to look Hannah in the eyes, and gives her a small smile.

You do seem calm about this possibility, though. What is your name?

[Raunchel]

"My name is Hannah", replies the girl, looking back at Edward. Her eyes seem strange, frightened but behind the fear there is a kind of understanding that someone her age shouldn't have. She continues: "There is no rest, that is clear, old souls last forever, they only suffer. The world might end, but that always continues. There is no real end, only new beginnings. From one suffering to another, the eternal drift."

A tear falls from her eye while a thin smile appears on her face.

[Starbin]

Sariel snorted at the visions. "Damn, Gus, a prince, eh? Last I heard you were a Duke ... moving up in the underworld, eh? Well, thanks for the trip down memory lane, Gus, but I caught the matinee." He stepped forward and grabbed a biscuit, scoffing at the tea. Damn, Gus, is Hell going all British Invasion on us? I would have thought you'd spent more time with Americans and brought a decent pot of joe."

As he listened to the people around talk, including the little girl, he stared at them for long moments, then laughed out loud at the various comments. "Wow, I don't know where you got these folks, but they are a HOOT! They're also f*&king retarded. You and I both know the souls used to go up or down ... Lou f*&ked that all up with the Tiff and it's been limbo ever since. NOBODY gets out alive ..."

For a moment, Sariel stops, staring at his biscuit for a moment, his eyes flickering with ... sadness? regret? Then he looked back up. "Most of these folks have the right of it ... what do you want us to do about it, Gus? I know you're usually a straight shooter, so give it too us strait without all this "beyond what you see" bullsh*&. What's the lowdown?"

[theduck]

Hello Hannah, it is nice to meet you. And I hope you don't take this wrong, but I disagree Ed shrugs as his fingers trace along the tattoo on his right wrist 'This too shall pass.' All things end, all things are temporary, even pain.... Would you like a biscuit? You look like you could use a biscuit.

Without really waiting for a response, Ed Boyd walks towards the plate of biscuits and tea, and began picking a few up. He glanced over at Sariel, something about his condescending tone just grated him.

I gather since you're not a demon you play for the other team. So I take you've seen a few souls then, maybe saw them join the choir immortal before you guys so peacefully came here?

[Devilfish]

For a long while the room remained about the size of a football stadium. You may not have noticed the Roberts sulk off had it not. When he walked, it made no step, and for a chatterbox, he was barely audible, and even still he continued to walk and walk and walk out of earshot until you could barely see him as but a spec on the horizon. Even so, he was sure Gusion could still hear him; and so the demon prince would perhaps be the only one to behold him fall to his knees, raise his head towards the sky, and scream. Noiselessly, and endlessly.


Souls be damned.
The celestials be damned.
The primal gods… gone…
…
No.

He had been away for a long time.

* * *

Roberts returned much more briskly than he’d left, wordlessly waving away the refreshments Leila offered on his approach. He’d be there a while, he realized, and it would inspire the most peculiar of transformations: When he removed his coat, his posture relaxed. Under his hat lay no demon horns or endless voids, but simply a robust head of hair parted slightly to the side. The glare off his glasses had all but disappeared, and in but a few moments, before your very eyes, without need for incantation illusion or supernatural, he had changed fro a Stranger to a well-mannered businessman. Perhaps he simply had been all along.

“You seem familiar with this man,” he opened to Sariel, his speech coming out remarkably clear. “I ain’t. Heck, I’ll admit I don’t know much about demons at all. And that’d be fine, if that were that.

“Seems to me, though, that he’s got an awful lot to profit off of us. Sending a third party to fight his angels for him, ‘an all.” He paused briefly to retrieve his paper from Nicole with a nod and a disarming smile. It would prime his coming words.

"Sorry Gus," he annoucned in a dropped tone. "but I'm with him. It all sounds swell, but you'll forgive me for not trusting you.”

((Conveniently omitting my question doesn't help neither, bucko =p

Sorry if that seemed like a long one next to the gentle pace most posts are taking; just one for the road until I can come back))

[Voltaire]

Gus - Gusion - giggled. It was disconcerting, watching a demon-prince-as-baboon giggling like a schoolboy. One would tend to expect a cackle. Or some king of bellowing, villainy-laced maniacal laugh. No, it was just a giggle. He seemed genuinely amused.

'The Reign of Questions continues! Good! Good! Let it not be said that Gusion, the Teacher of Solomon, the Sage of the Seven Great Libraries didn't appreciate a question asked.'

He shifted once again, seemingly out of habit, and settled both his hands on atop his walking stick.

'I am sorry for keeping you in suspense, my friends. I like suspense, and it likes me. You could say we go together, like fish and chips. Peas in a pod. Birds of a feather. Fly together? Huh. Anyway, let's see if Gusion can add "Shedder of Light" to his many awe-inspiring titles. Child of titans, why anyone else? Why poor Gusion? Why not a mouse? The universe chose; not I. My role is to deliver a message. Magician, the timeline is this: now. Everyone always assumes these things happen with a bang. But sometimes the universe whimpers; only a few hear it.'

Gusion awkwardly sips on a cup of tea.

'As for the "who" - or perhaps "what" - of the matter... I do not know. And I tell you the truth in this. But I know what it's about. Doctor, Hannah, everybody, the question of what I want from you is closely tied thereto. No visions, this time, I'll try to be plain: we've lost a lot of souls over the last epoch. Is that what they told you, Sariel, that souls go into limbo, because of the Firstborn?'

The demon prince giggles again.

'The Lord of Hell did nothing to humanity's animae. The arrival of the celestial host, on the other hand, did. To this day, we don't know what went wrong. All we do know is that this world has been on a slow boil ever since. Tell me, Sariel. Did they also tell you that the Argument was over who would reign supreme in God's favor? They tell you such funny things, up there. Then again, you are young, Sariel. So brash. So impertinent. You remind me of myself, from another age.'

Gusion leans forward, slowly.

'Now all of you, listen. The kettle is close to boiling. I don't know why, or how. But we're all going to be cooked, if something isn't done. I am not asking you to fight angels. You'll be fighting them one way or another - they're coming to kill you all. I'm asking you to stop the end of the world. There's some vested interest in that, surely?'

He looks around, his face a picture of empty mirth.

'Forces are mobilizing all across this plane, and many others. The Host of Heaven will not be unopposed, when they come down.'

...

[OOC]: Part 2 of this post, coming later tonight. You may post internal monologues, or something of the ilk, but consider this 'in situ' and not a natural break for action/dialogue posts. Unless you have something you think is really relevant to interject with (and if you do, by all means, feel free.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

"Child of Titans." He'd looked at her, no question about it. Pinned her to the wall with that knowing glance, with his laughing eyes. Child of Titans. It makes sense, in a way. If angels plot to destroy mankind and demon princes offer tea from baboon-like guises, who is to say the titans never tread the earth, nor passed their power on through mortal blood? Not something she'd ever considered a possibility, of course, but here and now it seems almost obvious.

The weight of the world, however...a heavy weight indeed. Even if what Gusion said were true--even if she *were* of Titan blood--would it be enough? To shoulder that massive weight? How *could* it be? These people around her seemed better suited, comfortable in their skin, sure of whatever power they possess. Even the girl seems more at ease now, leaving Nicole Emily Seeming alone. Leaving her the only one not aware of this supernatural world, the only one who had assumed herself a fluke of humanity. The only one with neither the knowledge nor the means to fight back. What good is a sword against the army of heaven, even if the strength behind it is immense?

Which leaves a single image burned in her mind: a girl and a sword, standing before the host of heaven itself. Madness. How could it be anything else? And yet...and yet...a faint calling. A whisper in the blood, called out from eons ago, from generations long passed. A feeling of...Nicole cannot place it. Not yet. But the image is not as frightening as it would have been--had she even been able to conceive of it--a day before...

That being written, my posting will be very infrequent until Monday. A friend's Bachelor party is this weekend, so I'll be either traveling, or likely drunk. :smallbiggrin:

In other news, Nicole is *really* feeling the odd woman out here. By her view she's the only one completely at sea and completely uncomfortable to be so. Quite a bad situation for her, and I'm finding it very interesting to write, especially as her world view is rapidly being shattered. I hope that discomfort is coming across in the character.

[Starbin]

Is that what they told you, Sariel, that souls go into limbo, because of the Firstborn?'

'The Lord of Hell did nothing to humanity's animae. The arrival of the celestial host, on the other hand, did. To this day, we don't know what went wrong. All we do know is that this world has been on a slow boil ever since. Tell me, Sariel. Did they also tell you that the Argument was over who would reign supreme in God's favor? They tell you such funny things, up there. Then again, you are young, Sariel. So brash. So impertinent. You remind me of myself, from another age.'

Sariel snorted. "Ah, there it is. First, you lay all the blame on Above ... next thing you know, you're signing a contract on a time share."

Leaning towards the hottie, who appeared to be freakin' out, he stage whispered, "Don't sign that sh*& without reading the fine print, cuz it's forever!"

Settling back on his heels, Sariel waited for the other shoes to drop ...

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole pushes Sariel back: it is a gentle push, but it is also abundantly clear that the force behind it can increase exponentially if he doesn't back off. Her voice, when she speaks, is low and distant.

"Better the devil you know, mystery man. You seem to know a lot you're not sharing, and that's not making you any friends here. So you look after yourself and let me do the same. I've read Faust once, and I'm not an idiot."

[Gnomes2169]

Well now, angel hmm? I'm guessing since this man claims to be a demon, he isn't talking about ones that turn to stone when you look at them. Which meant that they would likely continue coming for them and tear any member of the "team" limb from limb as they watched. Well that was a bit terrifying. But they aren't our main enemy. Whoever was stealing souls seemed to have upset the balance of heaven well enough to be drawing out the divine host. Just like that son of a b- A wave of nausea almost knocked the Doctor off of his feet and he lost what he was thinking about. In fact, what had he been thinking about? Oh right, angles, soul stealing and the like. Well, I might just be useful in stopping the end of the world again! It really was turning into a full time job these days. He raised an eyebrow at the two talking, Sariel and Nicole if he remembered correctly, and put a finger to his lips. "Shhh." He breathed softly, not wanting to miss anything because of those two squabbling. And if Sariel kept on interrupting at every opportunity, a coat might soon be stuffed into his mouth. Which would be unfortunate, because he rather liked this coat.

[Starbin]

For the record, Sariel would only have been leaning in, not invading her personal space ... stage whisper was supposed to indicate that it was kinda loud :smallbiggrin:

Sariel glanced down at the hand, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, did I whisk you off to Wonderland and start talking Armageddon? Don't blame me for this ... I don't see you exactly discussing your work-out routine."

To the guy who looked vaguely familiar and shushed him, he gave the finger.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

I figured. She would actually have moved to push you back. Sariel has been grating on her a bit, and his pretentious "I sort of know what's going on here" antics are *not* making her inclined to have him talking to her.

Yay character interactions! :smalltongue:

"Wasn't placing blame. Now shut up and let him finish."

[Starbin]

Sariel shrugged and waited. Seemed that because he knew who Gus was and wasn't spouting off at the mouth about all his accolades, he must be a bad guy. What the f*&k ever ... let 'em make their own decisions, just like God wanted them to do.

Wasn't his fault if nine times out of ten, the screwed the pooch.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric watched the byplay with the Angel. He wanted to avoid jumping in however. He couldn't fault the Angel, he had his worldview, and that demon had his. It didn't help that the Angel wasn't completely wrong that demons were known for half-truths and lies.

All in all, better to just listen for the moment. If the world really is at stake, it'll be worth it, if it's all a sham, well, having an angel by your side was probably a good thing against a demon.

"I think for the moment we should just listen," Aric finally spoke up. "For now at least Gus isn't making any deals, and while that should probably make us just as nervous, he is talking about the end of the world. Of course he's going to make himself the hero in his telling. It really doesn't matter if it's true, if it really is the end of the world he wants us to prevent. If he's lying, well, none of use are lightweights, and nobody has signed anything, but if he isn't- then this is important, we need to hear this..."

[Voltaire]

Gusion looks on, his face a picture of mock sadness.

'You are all very impertinent. This is the time to hear, not the time to speak. But I forgive. Did you know that wise Gusion was once a great teacher? A teacher of teachers? A guide? It seems that the universe has a sense for the poetic. Do you see?'

He harrumphed.

'Here's the pickle, pickles. When the angelic host comes down, there will be a reckoning. Out there, in Wayland, blood - and other vital substances - will flow freely. Not in any way obvious to the humans, of course, but the people that need be concerned are very concerned, indeed. This is where I come in. I have brought you here to let you know that the universe wants you. That it has picked you to make sure that what is happening... does not. But, I suppose that if you say "no", it must only have suggested you. Or wanted you to be here to hear my words, and then to reject them. Or just considered you at length.'

Gusion briefly looks down, then to the right.

'Regardless, it's a simple choice: help us find out what's happening, why and how to stop it, or watch the world you know burned out from within. And, to be perfectly clear, the angels are coming down to kill people like you. They see you as different to their "flock". There's no avoiding this. At worst, you have been warned, and you may do as you see fit with the warning. But know that you have a real chance to make a difference, here.'

He clears his throat, and settles on his haunches again.

'Some of you may believe that I am lying. Or misrepresenting the truth. Or perhaps bending it, for some nefarious purpose. I suppose that is fair. Wise Gusion is also Prince Gusion, arch-demon and ruler of Pan-Stygia, commander of a numberless demon horde, after all. But, the task I would have you undertake would speak for itself, I believe. If you're not convinced that the danger is real, and that the need for your help is real, by its conclusion... then I have failed us all. Before I tell you what it is, however, I'll need you to make that choice.'

He lifts his hand gently.

'Don't look at me like that. Yes, I know what I'm asking. To agree to that which you do not know is hard. It is your trust to give; yours to trust. I will leave you for a few moments. Deliberate. When I come back, each of you will swear an oath - a binding oath, which I can certainly enforce - to help save this world, as it is now. Or you will not, and I will send you from this place to take your chances out there on your own. I hope the universe picked wisely.'

And with that, he vanishes.

[commander panda]

the demon chimp disappears.

godsdamnit! stephen had his own questions. not the least of which being "how do we get out of here?"
"well..." stephen stares at the empty space where gus was for a few silent seconds. "ok, so, we should probably make use of this good tide." he sees no one knows what he's talking about. "we should leave now." he points at aric. "you said something about teleportation, didn't you?"

[Devilfish]

"Couldn't hurt to try," Roberts added dryly, sitting down and propping open his newsprint.

"'A terrible catastrophe is coming, sign up here to be saved, no questions asked'? I may as well send the prince of Nigeria my bank account number."

(Yes, there was a chair and coffee table there now, along with three other papers- thank you Leila.)

[Gem_Knight]

Aric sighs, "As a matter of fact I'm quite sure it could hurt to try, for the moment I doubt it will, but from the sounds of it, if you want to go- all you have to do is wait for him to come back and tell him so. If he doesn't then, then we're free to act out against him. At which point getting out of here takes a back seat to surviving. I However intend to take up his offer. I trust him about as much I could trust a cat with a bowl of tuna. However, Angel or Demon or whatever, I've got a vested stake in keeping this world here, no matter which side is trying to end it." He crosses his arms. "I hate the idea of being bound to a task, even one I would do anyway-" he scoffs, "Especially one I would do anyway, but it's the nature of Demons and Binding things."

[Devilfish]

"If the world is ending. Now I'm not saying no," he flipped a page without batting an eye from it. A smirk crept up on him.

"But he won't make a monkey out of me."


Aaand that's all for now. More next week, promise

[Gem_Knight]

"If the world is ending. Now I'm not saying no," he flipped a page without batting an eye from it. A smirk crept up on him.

"But he won't make a monkey out of me."


Aaand that's all for now. More next week, promise

Aric shrugged, arms still crossed, "Meh, I've been suckered before, I won't let that make me bitter about it, I still say it was a good 'cause then too- and that doesn't count the time I found out I was literally sleeping with the enemy," he chuckles, "That was awkward when her father walked in and I was all like holy crap you're Havok and he was all wait Doom- Honey?! then lots of raging and screaming and thank god for teleportation..."

[commander panda]

stephen offers aric a shrug. "as much as i agree that keeping this plane in tact is a priority, you have to concede that rogers has a point. we're talking about entering a vaguely termed and magically binding contract with a demon. i think that trumps sleeping with someone your parents disapprove of. for all we know he could be the apocalyptic threat, and we'd be magically bound to help him. we leave now, and we can pursue this on our own terms, without magical compulsion."

steven takes a pull from his stogie and reclines in his gold plated vibrating waterbed. do all the demons have servants this awesome or is gus just special?

[Gnomes2169]

The doctor stood to the side of the conference, sipping more at his tea. While he rationally felt like he shouldn't trust the demon with telling him if he was on fire, something tickled at the back of the Doctor's mind and told him that there might be something here... Something that he should pay attention to and probably do something about. "Well, as is I don't think it will be all that easy to break our way out of here. I mean, Gus seems like he can just leave at any time but from what I gather, you people can't really use your powers, whatever those are, in here. So busting out... maaaaaybe not the most possible of options available to us. My sonic didn't get anything either, no energy signatures, no signs of an exit, nothing but ambient background radiation. So, we're stuck here at least until we make our decision and tell Gus." He said that last part while looking at the newspaper from afar. "I, for one, think it might be a good idea to go along with it for now, but don't particularly like the idea of a contract."

[commander panda]

"touche." stephen attempts to turn invisible

[theduck]

Ed was about to take a bite of the biscuit, when he seemed to think better of it.

This might be a silly question, considering we are dealing with a demon prince, but how much could he be lying to us, in this case? I mean, are there rules about these oaths? Like, can they be entered when one person is lying?

On the other hand, swearing an oath to a demon seems like a monumentally bad decision

[Gem_Knight]

"From my experience with Demons, while it's not impossible that he's lying, he's more likely telling the truth- just holding something back. What that is of course, could be as small as how he found out, or as big as working with them and only pretending to help us stop it so he can control our actions and make sure they don't have any significant effect. Frankly that one's the biggest concern I field. I don't honestly think that's the case, but it's more likely then the idea that he's making this all up. More likely he's telling the truth, if he's as high a level demon as he says, he's got a vested stake in the world not ending, sure he's going to turn around and do unspeakable evil- but only so long as there's a world left to do that evil in. Do good for today so there is a world left to do evil in tomorrow."

Then Aric turns briefly to Stephan, "And my parents haven't had much say in my sleeping partners since I started the act," He smirks and finds a chair to sit down in.

[Starbin]

Sacrilege almost laughed as Gus dropped the proverbial turd on the table, then left. Now all these wannabe 'players' thought they old outthink one of the original con-men ... see through the bullish}# from the one who probably invented the term.

When one of them started to wax quixotic about his experience with demons, the fallen angel did laugh out loud. When he finished he raised a hand apologetically. "Sorry, I'm supposed to be drinking a big cup of English Grey 'shut the fu~# up.' My bad ... continue."

None of this chitchat made a damn bit of difference. Only what they said when Gus came back would matter ...

[commander panda]

freaking angels "you aren't supposed to stay silent, wings. just say something worth listening too." stephen turns back to the others, but he's still talking to sarni. "cynicism is a right meant for beings with real opinions."

[Starbin]

Sariel nodded. "You're right. I tried to tell you f*&king geniuses about trusting Gus at the start, but with that high IQ of yours, your going over the same ol' sh*t. You know why you're doomed to keep repeating history? It's cuz you think you're too friggin' smart to keep making the same mistakes over and over. Apparently, you're not.

But you look like you've got this one wrapped up, with or without my help. So I keep my 'unreal' opinions to myself, and you keep your head up your a$$ and see if you can find the exit. Maybe you can teleport there!"

Sighing, Sariel started walking. He knew he wasn't going to get out, but he figured he needed to walk before he put his fist through that dipsh!t's piehole. Besides, when Gus wanted him back, he was pretty sure he's be there. Same old sh!t, different millenium ...only one with any sense is sitting over there readin' the comics, I bet.

[commander panda]

stephen doesn't watch the angel leave. those sticks they keep rammed up their asses are as easy to snap as he remembers. well, angels will be angels.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric calls out to the angel, "if you've got something more useful to say than he's trying to trick us, feel free to speak up- but we got the memo- he's a prick and he's lying. If you just want to lord over your holyness I wouldn't mind seeing the room expand a bit, being without my ability to teleport in here has left me a touch claustrophobic."

Aric wedges himself into the seat. Muttering under his breath various ramblings, complaining about seemingly unrelated annoyances spanning since before the current events. And rounding out about how much smaller a room seems when you're locked in it...

[Starbin]

Scarier paused for a moment. "That's really the crux, right? Who to trust. For all the questions asked, Gus didn't cover the one that I keep coming back to. For all the oil and vinegar that this little 'Real World' experiment is turning out to be, why us?

And who in there right fu}#king mind picks this group? The universe? Never known Gus and his bros to follow someone else's shots, unless there was major bennies involved.

You find that sh!t out,, and it might make a difference. But what do I know?"

Shriek keeps walking, mildly amused at the growing size of the room.

[Devilfish]

"I've nearly reached a decision," Roberts would have called out to Sariel had he now suddenly not been walking side-by side, pace matched, hands in pockets, staring forward at nothing in particular. Quiet bugger, that one.

"I've been away for a long time, and it looks like I've missed many things.

"Could you tell me more of how the Angels gained dominance over the deities of man?"


(Seems that lens flare was making an encore.)

[Raunchel]

Hannah looks over all of the others before focussing on the angel. She says: "I will not bind myself through mystic means without knowing what it is that I am bound to. Too little is known and words can contain many lies."

She closes her eyes, still hanging on to Nicole: "However, there also is the question that there is no answer to, why should we be set this task when there clearly are beings with greater power who could do more?"

She then opens her blue eyes again, and pushes the hair in front of them away. For a moment it looks like she has more to say, but she stays silent.

[Starbin]

Sariel stopped, looking at Roberts that said WTF? He shrugged his shoulders at the question. "How else? By being the baddest muthaf&*kers on the astral plane. Or at least that's what the brochure says. That wasn't my bag."

He heard Hannah's comment, and snorted. Didn't I just say that? Instead, he looked back at all of them.

"One thing Gus isn't lying about - the Host is coming. And not in some choir of cherubs singing Halleluiah and all that bull-sh!t. Heavies - the Pillar of God, the Light of God, and the Axe of God ... and whoever else they found to rip a few a$$ses along the way. I don't know why, and I don't know who they're looking for, so take that will a pillar of salt. If they're running a Hunt, then keep out of their way. If they're on Seek and Destroy, leave the country. But if they're on a Cleanse mission? Well, I'd tell you to pray ... but we all know what good that will do you.

At that point, either find another plane ... or try to die with dignity."

Holy crap, did Sariel just SHARE with the group? He MUST be out of sorts.

V - if Sariel has more info on the original wiping out of the 'dieties of man' let me know, but I figure he wasn't necessarily there. Also, if I'm spouting off stuff that makes no sense, feel free to stop me!

[commander panda]

OOC:

V - if Sariel has more info on the original wiping out of the 'dieties of man' let me know, but I figure he wasn't necessarily there. Also, if I'm spouting off stuff that makes no sense, feel free to stop me!

dito here please. given stephen's somewhat extensive dealings with celestials i'd like to know what he knows about demon contracts, the celestial takeover, ect

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole laughs a short, humorless laugh.

Nice of you to be up front about your buddies' plan to wipe us out. Where does this leave you?

She pauses.

'Cause we don't have another plane to go to. So that limits our options considerably, which means we have to fight if either you or Gus is correct: doesn't matter who we think is the more reliable narrator. So are you with us, or are you just waiting for the host to take us out?

[Starbin]

Sariel looked back at Nicole rolling his eyes. "Who said they were my buddies? You've obviously got me confused with someone else." With a snort, he gave the hottie a humorless smile. "I guess that's what you get for reading the Cliff Notes version of Faust."

HEY! No fair editing while I'm posting a response!

"What do you care? I'm just the guy not making friends cuz I don't share. So I shared and you're still ridin' my a$$ ... and NOT in a way I even like. Have YOU decided to sign up in Gus' Soul-a-month club?"

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole leans back on the hand Hannah isn't wrapped around.

Nah. Gus hasn't convinced me we can't do better without him. Between trying to save the world and trying to save it while making deals with demons I'll take the former every time.

Also, you'll have to forgive the distrust: I appreciate the information, actually. But put yourself in my shoes: I've just been told that supernatural entities are threatening my world. Before today, I figured I was alone. Now I've for to imagine an angelic host that wants to destroy all of us. Not cool. So until I know what all of you are and where you fall in this thing I'm going to be a bit wary. Hell, this girl--

She gestures to Hannah.

--seems to know more about what's going on than I do. So yeah. I'm ****ing on edge, and that means I'm inclined to be suspicious. In my position you'd be the same.

[Starbin]

Sariel shrugged. "I can't put myself in your shoes. Might as well ask the lion to look at it from the ant's perspective. Give it a couple hundred years and you'll take it in stride." And there's that angelic (?) arrogance, always rearing it's sanctimonious head.

But he did add with a slight grin, "Besides, they don't have pumps in my size."

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole smirks.

You're a pretentious ass, you know that? Maybe not a bad one, but still an ass.

I'll keep an eye out for those pumps though. What are you? Men's size 12? Hot pink? I think it would look stunning on you.

[Gnomes2169]

The Doctor chuckled at the sparring, still sipping at his tea. But while it was amusing and the angel was a bit infuriating, it wasn't all that interesting. Mr. Inferiority complex was obviously a lower level angel who none-the-less felt entitled to do whatever he wanted with people. But because of his low standing, he felt like he had to posture and show off constantly. Arrogance. Meanwhile the girl was a bit better socially, but still scrambling to understand the situation, which most of them were still likely trying to do. At least, more than likely. And that probably made her more likely to fly off the handle.

Now this demon of theirs was likely counting on that. If they were arguing and unsettled then Gus could get what he, or it you could never really tell, wanted easier. Which was probably forcing them to only believe that there were only two ways, take his offer or stay out of it and die. Of course for someone that was actually clever, there were always other options. He just had to sit back and figure them out.

[theduck]

Ed gave a small chuckle, matching the argument between Sariel and Nicole; it was nice seeing someone try to put that arrogant b@st@ard back in his place. However, while their spat was amusing, it really didn't help with central problem. The angel said the demon was not trustworthy (big surprise, that) but also said the demon was telling the truth about the host coming to do them bodily - or maybe spiritual? - harm. While he was aware no one lived forever, Ed found himself not quite able to resign to his own death yet, and wasn't a big fan of the idea of death being sent on a bunch of unsuspecting people.

So, short version - don't trust the demon, except for the part about an angry gaggle of angels coming to kill us?

[Gem_Knight]

"The biggest problem however, is the lack of information. We're crammed here in the proverbial dark with only tea and biscuits instead of solid answers." Aric sniffed at a cup of tea but promptly put it down with a sour expression. "If he's unwilling to tell us exactly what we're getting into we're stuck either wading blindly into a binding, or wading blindly hoping to preserve existence, neither is a particularly appealing option. Now- I'm willing to grant Gus a more than fair amount of leeway, thus why I said I'll agree, but exactly what I'll agree too, remains to be seen. I'm not giving my my soul- frankly not even for the sake of saving the world- I'll find another way, simply because there's no way to verify him holding up the deal as such, and I'm not signing anything in any language I can't read- which there aren't many thanks to my crazy tutor."

Aric got up and looked around for other fluids around the table... tea, tea, milk, creme... he scowled and walked back to the chair and sat. "But I will allow him to cut out any number of perks for himself that don't include the world ending anyway; for the ability to have a proper chance of saving the world."

Aric fumbled around the inner pockets of his jacket until he fished out a deck of cards. Playing solitaire in the only form he knew of which didn't need a table, he sat back, "So, frankly we don't have the information to make a proper decision, and the tentative decision I have made is based on the assumption we'll get at least another half-truth or two and probably a contract the size of an encyclopaedia set to read and sign. Unless any of you can conjure information from the aether- which I might normally be able to do anywhere other than here- might as well sip your tea and wait for him to think we've stewed and fought enough."

[Devilfish]

Roberts laid a hand on Sariel's shoulder. It was a funny disjunction, his body and his face: for while the face remained as impartial as before , even friendly, it looked painted on now next to a body which screamed with hatred and murder. Roberts had become so rigid, I doubt a sword of divine light basking in a sheath of flames could have nicked him in that moment. It took him a great deal of conscious effort not to turn to aggression right then.

The interaction was short. Roberts patted Sariel twice, and moved on.




My gods...
My gods...
Where are they...
I'm lost...
I miss you...
Where are you...











































































What have you done with them?




"I get to kill Angels," Roberts clarified to Aric.
"That's all the information I need.

"Gusion. I'm ready."

[Starbin]

Sariel opened his mouth to respond to the college kid when Roberts held his shoulder and started putting off the 'throw down' vibe. Instinctively, he took a step to square off, fists clenched, and his eyes began to crackle with an energy. As soon as Roberts patted him and moved on, he stared for a moment, then unclenched his hands, shaking his head. What the f*&k was that about? F*&king freak ...

I hope I'm reading it right, but basically Roberts was displaying his absolute HATRED for all things celestial to Sariel ... right?

Had to read it a couple of times, so let me know if I missed the boat :smallsmile:

[Voltaire]

OOC:

Starbin, I believe you read it correctly, but Devilfish can confirm.

When Gusion pops back into a state of being, it is faster than even inhuman eyes can follow. And he does it with a little theatrical whomph, as the space surrounding him 'bends in', ever so slightly. You decide that it's a most curious, and somewhat intimidating effect. Perhaps even more interesting, however, is the fact that he isn't alone. To his right is Leila, with whom you have grown familiar in a ridiculously distant, ice cold sort of way. But to his left is a new figure. Very large, very black and heavily dreadlocked. He isn't 'Wesley Snipes' black; this guy is as ebony as could be. The brilliant white smile that shines on his face, though, is both disarming and somewhat disconcerting. Set next to his all-velour, all-green get-up, though, even that smile fades in comparison.

Gusion giggles, 'I trust you have all had a bit of a chance to deliberate. Good, good. Your decision, always. It has to be your decision. But I'm being rude.' He gestures to his left.

'This is Leraje. Leraje, these are the ones. They're supposed to... save the world! If I sound like I'm joking, forgive me. We live in tense, beautiful, rigid times. Everything is in flux, but it's also set. I wonder. I wonder... why am I digressing? Leraje is one of my closest associates. He is here to help. In fact, he will assist you, in the times to come.'

Gusion starts pacing.

'Some of you still carry your doubt on your sleeve. I can smell it. We terrifying baboon demons have a great nose for these things. And why wouldn't you? Here I am, pulling you out of the world of men and into a world of beings who treat men as contrivances to be exploited. And with nary an explanation. So sit, children. Sit. Or don't. Standing is sometimes preferable. Good for the joints and musculature. I digress again.'

He unrolls an absolutely humongous piece of parchment from... somewhere. You can't really tell where it came from, it just sort of appears. He turns it toward you.

'This is your contract. It's very long, and written in blood. Slightly, well, demonic blood - no two ways about it. Anyway, I understand your apprehension: you are being contracted to perform an unknown task for an unknown contractor. In some ways, I pity you. In others, well, not so much. After all, you can always refuse. But, before you do, let Gusion tell you what he knows for a set of facts... In the first instance, and right now, a vampire cult has a hit out on each and every one of you. They call themselves the Pact of St. Vincius. Now, if you haven't heard of a St. Vincius, fret not. He's no saint. Not anymore, anyway. He's also long, long passed.'

Gusion smiles at Leraje blithely.

'The vampires issued the hit a few hours before we managed to get to you. What joyous luck! We didn't lose a single one of you to the blood suckers. Do you not see the hand of providence at work? Now, in the second instance, the Pact of St. Vincius is connected to what's coming. We're not sure how, but we know they are. We know it. And, in the third instance, the reason it's you and not somebody or something else is simple, and I will now tell it to you straight, because your decision should be appropriately informed: one of you... has a very special connection with what's coming. Deep inside you, something is hidden. Salvation, I should hope. And you're most likely completely ignorant of the fact. Which one of you it is... we can't tell. You are connected, the eight of you. Not by kinship, or circumstance, but by a universal quirk that's tough to explain, even for wise Gusion. Suffice it to say, we'd rather take no chances. In the final instance, I cannot tell you what your task will be. If you should refuse, that is knowledge you cannot have, under any circumstances. It's a danger beyond reckoning.'

Gusion sighs deeply.

'So... here we are, at the crux of the matter. I ask you: sign the contract. Do what must be done. And help me. Help me help you - all of you. I won't lie, this contract is binding. After you sign it, I'll always know where you are. There are ways of ensuring you don't do stupid things, through this agreement. But it's this, or a smorgasbord of celestials and others after your skins, one way or another. I can offer you the opportunity to affect real, honest change. To make a difference. It's not the same thing as survival. But know I cannot force you into anything. If you are the key, then you must perform your function of your own accord. I will not keep you holed up here against your will, to protect you from the vampires and their assassins. That would defeat your purpose. I won't even intercede, if you should be in mortal peril. That's not my place. I hope, now, you make the correct decision. I have told you all I can. Believe, or do not believe, the choice is yours.'

He stands with astonishing grace for a baboon, laying the contract flat on a table-from-nowhere-that's-suddenly-there, 'I have to say goodbye, for now. Leraje will take care of those who sign. Leila will take back those who don't. In this time of troubles, I bid you all good fortune and... godspeed. May we see each other again.'

Before your next blink, he's gone.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric frowns as he rises, "Now to the final questions," he mutters to himself as he get up to pick up the contract. He takes great care to read it, taking it back to his chair, no pen, no hint of wanting anything more than reading it for the moment.

Can I get at least an estimate on what the contract says? maybe some kind of roll if needed to detect any sort of subtle trickery in the language?

More importantly what language is it in?

[theduck]

Ed watches Aric pick up the contract - he suspected that it would be wise to read through it before signing a literal deal with a devil, but the sheer size of it was intimidating.

Heh... anyone else find it funny listening to a demonic baboon talk about providence?

[Devilfish]

The magician began examining the contract, and Roberts would admit him the wiser for it. In another time, ‘Roberts’ was called wise. He was called calculating. In another time…


But this had to be done.

The air flapped in turbulence as Roberts wrapped on the trench coat once more, erecting himself as a specter of the man he once was- face void of humanity and glasses bright as torchlights. His walk turned to a slow gait that was perfect for a cutthroat that would haunt you in the night, with echoing footsteps only to create none. He advanced upon Nicole and Hannah, hands in pockets, and without utterance of a single sound, stopped to behold them for a long moment.

"I need a favor, when this is over" he spoke most genuinely.
"I need your help."

OOC: I wonder if Hannah can "see" me?

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole looks up at the stranger above her.

Everyone seems to need help today. What's your deal?

[Devilfish]

Roberts' glanced briefly towards the of demons in the room. You may not have caught it, had you not been looking at him directly.

"Would you and Hannah care for dinner?





((Seems someone's awfully tight-lipped in present company!))

[Voltaire]

OOC:

Hannah would need to indicate she's trying to read Roberts, Devilfish. As far as I'm concerned, her abilities are targeted, rather than general, but Raunchel can elaborate IC or OOC.

[Gnomes2169]

The Doctor hopped forward cheerfully, handing his cup of tea and plate to Ed and putting on some reading glasses as he looked over Aric's shoulder. He could read most any text, as long as it was written in a language that existed in time itself, and he always had been known as a speed reader. This should be easy enough to finish, and two pairs of eyes could catch all the loopholes and pitfalls better than one, as that one human always said. What an annoying fellow he must be, to never say anything but "Two pairs of eyes could catch loopholes and pitfalls better than one." Very few people would have invited him to parties, really. It would be a rather shameful affair. "Does anyone have a pencil, pen, ink well and quill, piece of coal or some other writing instrument? I would like to mark the things that bother me about this and traps that we would be walking into."

[commander panda]

this time stephen almost manages to get off a question before gusion disappears again.

ah well, next time. as aric takes the contract away with him stephen finds himself wandering up behind the wizard to stare over his shoulder. despite his bluster earlier of leaving, stephen's not actually sure whether he intend's to sign or not.

on one hand he's looking at a contract with a demon, which, on the surface, already indicated that they would be under constant surveillance and that gusion (or whoever he served) would have a degree of control over their actions. then, of corse, there's all the extra little details that are no doubt hidden in the fine print. all in all it's probably not worth it.

on the other hand, however, gusion seems intent to split those who sign and those who don't. stephen has survived purges before, but he's never been the centre of attention. solo survival would be tricky at best. then of corse there's the issue that whatever chose him and the others to "save the world" obviously know quite a bit about them. how much is a question he would dearly like an answer to. and stephen didn't even know what he stated to gain from the contract, only what gus did. guess we'll know soon enough

his little monolog done stephen stares down at the article. he speaks a fair few languages himself, after all. six eyes better than four

OCC
sorry if this is a bit sloppy, i'll clean it up later.

[theduck]

Shaking his head, Ed set the saucer and tea cup on the floor. He tried not letting on that he was watching Roberts closely - something about that 'man' had him on edge, and the conversation he was having with the girls was not allaying his discomfort.

You could try using the pen that we are supposed to use to sign the thing.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole stares at Roberts, nonplussed.

Dinner? You're asking me to dinner? In the midst of all this?

Firstly, I don't know who or what you are.

She holds up a finger, counting up her statements as she talks.

Secondly, apparently the world is in danger. There may not be an "after all this." If there is, I'd imagine the request could wait.

Thirdly, how the hell is us going to dinner with you helping you in any possible way?

Fourthly, I think we're all waiting to see if the bookworms over there find anything interesting in that contract we're all supposed to sign.

And finally, I recently woke up in a room full of freaky strangers and found out all this crazy s***. What on earth makes you think this is a good time for a dinner invitation? Gutsy, I'll grant you. But definitely not the time.

[Starbin]

Satiel laughed again as Gus departed, circumventing any additional questions and pawning 'answering duties' off on the Bobsey Twins.

"Anyone else curious what the f%#k the contact is for? I mean if the point is to save the cheerleader and save the world, why do we need a blood compact with a Prince of Hell?"

[Gnomes2169]

"Ah, but my good lad... sorry, I do not believe that I caught your name, but that pen probably has some kind of demon magic on it that makes any marks that it makes legally binding, whether I sign my name or not. Didn't one of you have a newspaper and a marker?" He asked of the group in general.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Nicole nods in agreement as Sariel speaks.

Yeah. If the world's in that much trouble why wouldn't he just tell us what we need to know, contract be damned? Seems he's got almost as much to lose as the rest of us, if his story is to be believed.

[Devilfish]

Roberts nearly palmed his face.

"GOOD, it's settled then. I'll see you two just after this. For dinner."

Alone... he trailed off, making sure not to look to Leila and Leraje this time. He could only hope that some subtlety made it through to the girl. That she would make it to him, unfollowed by demonic escort. Or in her case, that she would even come at all. Not many motions translate well from Unspoken, you know. The facepalm does.


* * *


Slowly, slowly, Roberts stepped to the table where the contract had been laid bare. Three men stood now, scrutinizing its every detail, scouring it for pitfalls within pitfalls and atrocities beyond. For it would be a terrible thing to be bound against one's will, to one beyond cruelty, beyond mercy, beyond time. Wise Gusion likely held a thousand traps within that magical fine print, which these men wiser would not rest until they'd found.

Roberts saw himself past all three.

It is impossible to trace his eyes behind those lenses with his, without allusion or direction or turning of the head. While to the onlooker he stood in silence, he secretly looked to Leila, joyless in her work. Then to Leraje, still smiling with untold wickedness.

Then to Sariel.

With little but the Doctor's advice he draws his pen and clicks it accordingly, and with grandiose strokes makes the name indisputable; I, the undersigned:


x___Simon Roberts___

* * *

~*~*~______~*~*~
Far off in a barn in the rurals of Wayland sits a man bound to a branch across his back. A goat and a chicken lay slaughtered at his feet, inkwells to the blood painted about his body. The carcasses are old, yet they do not rot. The man is naked, yet he does not freeze. A laurel of meadowflowers adorns his comatose head, and the ashes of incense strew symbols over the floor.

Does wise Gusion remember the rituals of old?

~*~*~______~*~*~

Roberts withdraws pen without saying a word, silently as he'd pulled it out. Tilting his head, he offers an inquiring glance to Leraje, wondering perhaps, what do I learn next?

The room stood in complete silence for a moment, save for that pen's second click.

[Gem_Knight]

"I doubt we're allowed to edit the document, but if you catch anything that worries you, here," he fumbles around in his inside pockets for a moment before pulling out a small, hand-sized notepad and a mechanical pencil. He hands it up to the doctor. "Normally I'm not very comfortable with people reading over my shoulder.... I can make an exception for this though..." With that he goes back to reading.

[Starbin]

Seeing the others continue to read the contract, and Roberts sign it, he shook his head. He looked at Nicole and rolled his eyes at the others. Apparently his question hadn't interested anyone else enough to elicit a comment, so he'd let them do their thing.

Walking over to the Leraje and Leira, he stood and stared at them for a moment, the spoke quietly. "So, Raj, you're the archer, right? Well, since your boss scatted before we could ask, but who's running this show? Gus seems to be dancing to another tune ... who's got the master ouija board out there?

You and I both know that there's more to signing this contract than saving the world ... what's up?"

[Voltaire]

Leraje guffaws. It's a deep, sonorous tone, and it grates.

'You are a funny one, mon. Leraje find you funny. That's something, mon. Listen,' his Jamaican accent is uncanny, 'Leraje don't care if you sign de t'ing or not. But you best be hearin' what ol' booboo Gusion hav' to say. For someone who fell so far, you didn't fall far enough, mon. You still stink of de old worl'. Of old wars. Dat shiet be just about done, mon. Beli'e dat. An' remember something, mon: between you and us, we de ones who keep our word to de humans. Every time, mon. And for de record,' Leraje pulls a gigantic golden gun resembling a Desert Eagle on gun-steroids from his waistband, 'bows not mah t'ing no more, mon.'

He then puts it back, with a flourish and smiles at the angel.

[commander panda]

stephen adresses aric without looking up from the scroll. "forget allowed to edit, i don't think we can edit this thing. its written in demons blood, remember? unless our fair beauty here-" he gestures vaguely in leila's direction. "wants to prick her finger for us, i think we're stuck with-" then leraje pulls out a giant pistol. son of a goat fu**ing- he damn near pulls a gun himself. exept its in his apartment. great timing steve. prol'y wouldn't hurt the big bugger anyway. stephen had been trying to avoid speaking to sarni, but given the angel's personality, it's probably best he nip this in the bud before it escalates in a bad direction. he speaks quickly. "its pretty simple, sauriel." look awayyyyy from the demon, wings. "there's any number of reasons he might want us under contract, but it really amounts to the same thing all contracts amount to: he wants us in his pocket."

his job done, stephen looks back to the scroll. the trick's to stay as far out of the pocket as possible.

[Raunchel]

Hannah blinks, her vision is clouded, this strange room is feeling wrong. She blinks again, clearing it. She looks closely at the others, there is something strange about them. Then her attention is drawn to the two others, beings that are both familiar and unfamiliar.

[theduck]

Ed gives a small sigh.

Name's Edward Boyd

The strangeness of everything was starting to wear on him a bit. There was too much going on, too much that had to be taken on faith, too many new (some wonderful... some just strange) things... and while he had tried taking it all it stride, he was starting to feel that he needed a moments reprieve. The gun certainly didn't help things, though if he were to be honest, he still felt that might be more comfortable around the Jamaican, who at least was pretending to have a personality, then the brunette, how had given up all pretense of caring about them.

Angel, what is your plan - sign or not sign? Figure you have the best idea of what is going on - least you seem to know the players. If you had no intention of signing at all, you could have left already

[Starbin]

Sariel snorted at the display from Leraje, shaking his head at the demon. Same ol' song and dance ...

Turning to the others at the statement from Stephen and the question from Boyd, he shook his head. "I haven't left because I'm trying to figure out Gus' angle. He brings us all here. Blows sunshine up our a$$es about being chosen, about one of us being the Golden Child. Then he pulls the full court press to sign his contract, ranging from "Well, if you don't care about the world" to "If you don't sign now, you'll all be killed by vampires!" Classic salesmanship ... force the buyer to decide right now, before you can think about the consequences.

Interesting that we've got to hurry to save the world, but apparently he can't tell us what the universe's 'task' is before we agree. Why? Cuz whatever task he's got is gonna be nasty ... and some of us might not want to do it once we hear it. Only it won't matter, cuz once we sign, he'll have us by the short hairs and we'll have to.

You can read that contract all day long, but I'm betting it won't have anything that stands out ... it's not about the language, it's about the power over us to do whatever he wants us to do."

V - you'll have to let me know if this is one of those "I need the players to go along with this" kinda things. I'd hate to say Sariel's out, then find you recruiting for my replacement because I didn't play ball :smallbiggrin:

In general, I can't imagine without some good reason that Sariel will want to sign. Help out? Sure. Sign away what passes for a fallen angel's soul? Nah ... not yet.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric sighs, "The thing about language though, is it works both ways." He says without looking up from the page. "If his control only goes so far as making us save the world, I'm probably game, though still leery, if it extends in any way beyond that I'll have no part of it. Also- I'm checking for escape clauses, things that tell me I could go to a higher power and get the thing null'd if I find out it's all bull**** and he flat lied. If the contract is specific enough and he attempts to use it beyond it's value, it should be invalid, but- if I'm signing the whole farm up front, I'm just as out as you."

[Gnomes2169]

"Well. I'm done reading through." The Doctor said, tapping his pen on the notebook and nodding. In the notes, it listed it as strange that the world would be saved "In its present state" (Any action taken by anyone would change it and render the contract null, after all, unless time somehow stopped) and that, well... let's say there was one more loophole. "Alright, nothing else to really do but sit off to the side being a cheerleader, and I would look terrible in a skirt and uniform." With that, the Doctor scribbled his name on one of the lines provided and stepped back, stretching as he set the pen beside the page. He took of his glasses, picked up the cup of tea and was disappointed to find that it was empty. Drat. Ah well, too much of a good thing and all that.

Leraje's gun almost gave the Doctor a heart attack, but it went away almost as quickly as it had been pulled out and the Timelord sighed in relief, before Mr. Superiority Complex started talking again. "Oh, I'm sorry." He said to the angel, smiling, "I actually read the contract. Absolute control for all eternity? Mmmmm, no. Gentle prodding? Maybe a little more. But all the helpful hints I could want. And I'm guessing whatever this wonderful tea is a well."

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

I'll ask the same question as Starbin: do you have a back-up plan, or so we need to justify signing?

Nicole watches the others, keeping an eye and an ear out for Sariel's conversation. She absentmindedly strokes Hannah's hair, talking quietly to the girl.

What're your thought on all this? I'm at a loss: we're getting spoon fed information from all sides, and never enough to reach a good conclusion. Damn logic puzzles...

[Devilfish]

To the all-seeing eye, Roberts was having three conversations at once.

To himself, he was wondering what on earth a ‘Vampire’ was.

To the observer, he was instructing Leraje that he had made his pact, and would be told of his duties before anyone else signed, please.

But to Hannah…
To Hannah, the dull bulb of a street lamp hung nine feet in the air over the trenchcoat-man’s head. Its glow was so faint, so ethereal, it was a wonder whether it was even there at all. It was a wonder even further when she realized it for what it was.

An eye hung unnoticed nine feet over Roberts’ head; attached to something huge, and predatory.

The creature stood over him, erect and perfectly still, save for where it hung its head over the man to follow his every interaction. Its shape may have followed the guidelines of a man, but its form… Hannah may have sworn it to be of shadow itself.

The thing's eye shifted. It was up to her how long to notice the creature. You know.

In case it notices back.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric finally sets the contract down after reading it. Having not signed anything yet. He sits back mulling it over. He frowns. "There's just to little, honestly I expected to see a lot more information in the contract, the lack of information worries me more than any clause about control or binding." He closes his eyes and takes a few breaths.

[commander panda]

oh look, a vaguely worded demon contract. wonderful. stephen leans into his corner of the table, staring down the scroll with enough force to push it through the table. he could leave it. march right up to the pert little demon chick, tele back home and be out of the city in less than an hour. hide out in canada. foolproof. except angels. i can survive being object of an angelic hunt. and i can live through a holy purge. can i last as object of a purge? probably not. plus the vampires are likely already at the apartment, which is problematic to say the least. running don't sound so smart now does it? he could always take it. sign a name and you have access to a demons help, a team of "world saviours" and actual leads on this apocalypse.

please. you don't actuly care about that.

silance. this is more important now.



more important!?

he may know the answers.
your whole life.

your people
do it.

answers.
finally

sign here.



"SHUT THE FU*K UP!"

his fist shakes the table. it draws attention. stephen steps back and lets his eye's rome, meeting one persons gaze at a time.

then senselessly and quite suddenly, he breaks into an toothy crooked grin. as stephen steps back to the table, whether the others notice or not, they begin to hear countless unaccounted for voices speaking at a great distance. it's a small, etherial, sound. almost on the edge of conciseness. like that song one hears in the next room that just might be their imagination. "sorry about that, wern't referring to any of you." his voice has taken a reverberatory quality now. like several someones are speaking in unison with him. "i, the above signed, " he snatches up the pen and slides the scroll over to himself. "agree to the terms and concessions presented by the demon prince gusion in this document."



stephen road

ooc
hanna should be able to hear the voices very clearly. but i doubt she understands much (the voices are gibbering about things you cant understand without context, and maybe four of them are doing it in English.)

[theduck]

Ed watches as the number of signatures on the contract grows...

Have any of you dealt with vampires before... the only thing I like about this contract is the idea of safety in numbers

[Gem_Knight]

"I did have this one encounter, I watched a mage I knew blast the unholy unliving stuffing out of them with fire," Aric scoffs. "But no I haven't faced vampires myself actually, I tend to teleport away from things that don't bite in a pleasant sort of way." He smirks.

[Gnomes2169]

"Well, I wouldn't call them vampires as such. More vampire-like creatures really." The Doctor chimed up, Sonic Screwdriver back out as he started to take readings of the people in the room instead of the room itself. "Now let's see just what I'm dealing with here. Except you angel boy, you've made that abundantly clear."

[Voltaire]

‘The Host is descending.’

‘I am aware of this.’

His – its - voice was not deep. It was sharp and metallic, like the clanging of steel on steel; controlled, deliberate and precise.

‘What is your command, Master?’

‘Belial, you will find an accommodation with Abaddon and Mammon.’ The dapper figure peered above his glasses at the bowing royalty of Hell. They were all there, from Satan and Beelzebub, to Merihem and Astatoth. But above them all was He: the Morning Star and the Bringer of Light. He began flipping the pages of the ornately bound book cradled in his arms.

‘The three of you will address this umbrage; this outrageous act of open, naked aggression. You may dispose of whatever forces you see fit to achieve this purpose. Our Father truly has left his senses, if he condones open war across the mortal realm.’

A hissing, oily voice echoed across the hall where the assembly had taken place, ‘Master, I have learned that it was a death among the Seraphim that caused this. Raphael was killed, it is said. The Host wants vengeance.’

The seated, be-suited figure’s irises began reddening – like metal in a furnace - in a silent rebuke. Quickly, however, the colour faded. It seemed as if the figure was mulling over the implications of the information.

‘That is immaterial. This is a purge we are seeing, dear fellows, and not a whit less than that. If we abstain from offering an erstwhile challenge, we will appear unable to do so. Inaction is not an option, as far as I see it. But thank you, Pythius. That is valuable intelligence that somewhat illuminates the issue. One does wonder, however, how my younger brother was killed. Raphael was both old and powerful. Who put paid to that?’

Belial was the first to respond, ‘We do not know, Master. It is a strange thing.’ His voice was gruff – churlish even.

‘Well, are you looking into it, my good fellow?’

Belial bowed further still, ‘Some of our best trackers are investigating, master. We have received no word beyond what is generally know, however.’

‘We have no inkling, whatsoever?’

Belial shifted in place, uncomfortably.

‘Uhh, we do know that the Feylands have begun mobilizing to protect their realm from the Host. King Volgest has been all blood and thunder, pis- uhh, forgive me master – and vinegar.’

Lucifer, the Morning Lord stood up. He was almost eight feet tall, and skinny to the point of skeletal. He wore a grey tuxedo, with a prominent black bow tie. His features seemed chiselled from granite, and his lips sat pursed on an almost comically long face. But this was not a comical being. Not at all. He stepped forward, through the throng of his attendants, who scurried out of the way while still bowing.

‘Yes… Yes. Do as you have been instructed, dearest Belial. Abaddon, Mammon, you too.’ Two figures bowed nearby. ‘They have to march through Wayland to reach the rest of the mortal realm. Arrest their progress there.’

A chorus responded, ‘Yes, master!’

***

Meanwhile, back in the room of indeterminate dimensions and unknown location, the gathered party deliberated tensely, as Leraje and Leila watched on. Then the room shook violently, as if it was being subjected to an earthquake. While the party struggled to remain standing, Gusion’s henchmen looked to each other and nodded. In the blink of an eye, Leraje was gone. In another blink, he was back, ragged, his velour outfit shredded and his gun in his hand, which was dripping blood.

‘Listen up, young’ns! Dis party be over. It time to choose. There be wolves at the door.’

No sooner had he said ‘door’ than two freestanding ones appeared, in the middle of the room. One was black, the other tan. They looked like doors that didn’t belong together.

‘If you’re wit’ us, go t’rough the tan door. If you’re refusin’, go t’rough the black one, and best of luck to you. You’ll come out safe, back in Wayland.’

Leraje didn’t wait for questions, and sped over to the tan door, opening it and disappearing down a corridor beyond. Leila, meanwhile, began walking over to the black door briskly. She looked to the group.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric smiles roguishly, "I suppose the question then is, can I get through that door" he points to the tan door, "without signing that paper?"

He pulls his jacket at the collar to straighten it out as he stands up, "I'm certainly not against anyone in this room, but rushing me is not going to get me to sign that thing," he shrugs. "My help is yours to have, my servitude isn't."

[Starbin]

Sariel laughed as things quickly went to crap and the group was forced into a choice. Damn, I get tired of being right ... At Aric's words, however, he gave the man an approving nod. "That's thinking with your noodle ..." It happened to be his plan as well. He'd be damned if he was going to sign a contract with Gus just on the baboon's say-so.

Literally.

However, for now, he'd see what happened to the guy with half-a-brain, and see if he got disintegrated or anything really cool ...

[Voltaire]

Leila tilts her head, gently, to her right, while looking at Aric.

'No. Your choice is already made, follow through. I have no more time to dawdle with children. That door,' she gestures to the tan one, 'is for those who sign. You have Lord Gusion's gratitude for your time, and best wishes on the other side. Now, unless you are willing to encounter our erstwhile foe here and now... move.'

[Starbin]

Sariel sighed. "Well that answers that question. I'm out. 'Wolves at the door ...' man, I haven't seen that one used in awhile. Not sure how this will all pan out, but I guess I'm taking the black door. See you on the otherside ..."

With that, he stretched and sauntered over to the 'other' door. He paused to pat the kid on the head and winked at the bombshell, then he went to stand next to Leila. "After you, sweetcakes."

Guess I can't resolve jumping on Gus' side just yet ... so when push comes to shove, Sariel will take the path of least retardation - right now, that seems to be the door that doesn't require him to join Team E.V.I.L without a little more information.

Sure, another angel might be willing to go the extra yard on faith alone ... but Sariel is a little light in that department, having lost most of that coin long ago. :smallsmile:

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

With a last glance at the unspeaking Hannah, Nicole rises.

"No time to dawdle with 'children?' Sure. And yet you wanted us to save the world. You guys sure are a crazy bunch."

She shrugs.

"Not my business though. If you're right and some sort of fate picked us out of everyone else, I guess it'll see us through just as well without the dealings of some hellfreaks unwilling to give us enough information to even make an informed choice. Blind trust is all well and good, but without that trust I'd call it just blindness, and you're sure as hell not doing anything to earn my trust."

The room echoes with her gentle footsteps as she steps forward, joining Sariel at the black door. She grins at him, and playfully punches his shoulder--an act that sends him staggering back a step from the sheer force; it is clear that Nicole isn't entirely pulling her punches.

"So what of it, angel boy? You planning to save the world?"

So two things...firstly, I'm in agreement with Starbin: Nicole hasn't been convinced in the least, and Gus and company are just irritating her with their unwillingness to talk straight. I, however, am loving it. :smallbiggrin:

Secondly, I think she's come to the conclusion that Sariel is a pretentious A-hole, but that he's probably a decent guy somewhere under that guise. Either way, Sariel is currently looking like A: the most normal, and B: the most sane member of the group to her.

[Starbin]

Sariel felt the power of her blow, taking a step back as it caught him by surprise. "You didn't get that at Cheer Camp. Looks like somebody's been doing their Pilates."

At the question of saving the world, something flashed across his face ... pain? Sorrow? Regret? Or was it something darker, something a little more primal? Regardless, it was gone as quickly as it came ... if it ever was truly there. Sariel grinned, his mouth just a little wider than normal, like a Soundgarden video. "Save the world? Honey, who says I give two sh&%s about the world? Figure if the Big Man is done with it, not much I can do to stop him. Prince of Peace aside, Dad can be a prick, and the Old T leaves out most of the nasty stuff."

Then he sighed, glancing back at the door. "Of course, I've got all my stuff there. And just found a bar that serves two-fers on Black and Tans on Tuesday nights ... let's see what we can do, shall we?" The smile was a little softer, a little more normal.

Was Sariel an a$$? Yes. But a huge a$$? Well, probably still yes. However, there was a good chance he wasn't the biggest a$$ in the world.

Most likely.

Just when I think I can make Sariel a 'not-so-bad' guy, his natural dicktitude just spills out! For the record, I'm having fun with being the 'bad guy' ... I'm kinda thinking of Guy Gardner (one of the Green Lanterns for you non-ComicGeeks) - insufferable prick, but he has value and his moments.

But you still want to punch him in the face!

[Raunchel]

Hannah appears frightened and confused by the situation. She whispers something to herself. Then she seems to reach some sort of clarity and slowly follows Nicole and Sariel.

She says: "Truth and untruth always come in pairs, just like all other things. But in all cases it is important to not be bound by any force, freedom is like cool water. When it isn't there it is sorely missed, but when one has it, little attention is paid to it. I don't want to let it flow away on the words of the unknown."

[Starbin]

Sariel blinked, nonplussed at the girl's words. "Who brought the Golden Child?"

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

"Same demon bastard who brought the rest of us."

Nicole steps slightly behind Hannah and puts a protective arm on the child's shoulder.

"Smart kid though. Don't think I'd have been saying stuff like that at her age."

She pauses, thinking.

"Or even now, come to think of it. Never was much of a philosopher."

[Gem_Knight]

"Meh, anyone can be a philosopher, it's being one that matters that's hard," Aric chuckles.

He looks around at the others, "So, shall we see what sort of trap waits at the end of the black door, or shall we see what sort of wolves we have here?"

[theduck]

So far as I am concerned, the only thing the demon's offer had going for it was the promise of safety in numbers, but it does not appear that many people are going to sign, so... Ed gave a half-hearted shrug. While I am not sure I'd say I'd rather die free than live as a slave, I would rather die free than die a slave, if you take my meaning.

[commander panda]

stephen watched as one person after another chose security with leila and the black door. evidently, safety in numbers was not a perk of the contract. not signing now seemed like the clearly superior option. f**k him and his lack of self control.


who who f*** cares?


go on, boy!


just buckle down, you know what you must do.
it was not their place to speak. but they made sense nonetheless. griping would do little. stephen stared dejectedly at the scroll on the table. the name was written, clear as day. for better or worse, his path was chosen. he stepped up to the tan door, nodding, in order, to the doctor, rogers and lerage before turning to address the others. "obviously we have a difference of opinion-" he gave a disinterested heave of his shoulders. "but i see no reason why we cant cooperate all the same. considering the..." a moment to consider his words. "nature of wayland city, i imagine we'll be spending quite a lot of time there in the coming moons. if you don't mind working with us dirty sinners, i suggest we meet there in, say, two days time. come to the park on stag and broadview avenue at two-ish PM."

ooc:
sorry to start inventing locations, but i figured a fictional metropolis would have enough unnamed places that it wouldn't matter. i'll change it if you want a different location, V.

[Gem_Knight]

Aric smiles, "I wouldn't mind that, as long as the monkey doesn't get in the way of it," Aric hopes they take note of him worried the demon will interview, not caring if he approves or not.

[Starbin]

Sariel snorted at the sudden change of opinion everyone seemed to be having. "Do what you gotta do ... which I'm pretty sure includes the small print on that contract. I've got no issue starting up a Scooby Gang. See you on the other side."

Ready to step through, Sariel glances at Leila, one eye raised questioningly at her.

Sariel's waiting for Miss Thing to go through, so he can follow. If this lasts much longer, however, he'll simply walk through and hope Gus didn't completly f*&k him and send him into an ambush alone.

[Gnomes2169]

The Doctor put away his screwdriver and started hopping to the door. "Well, I guess I should just be leaving then-" He said, attempting to turn the handle. It didn't budge. "... Well now, that is a bother. Did I put my name on there right? Excuse me, Mr. Angel, can you check to see if I put 'The Doctor' on there?" He could have sworn that he had. Maybe the door just did not like him?

I'm assuming that to go through the grey door, you need to sign your actual name... which the Doctor is not capable of right now. :smallwink: If I'm wrong then this will be edited so fast...

[commander panda]

stephen didn't wait long for replys. they would come or they wouldn't, and in either case there was no time for debate now, wolves at the door and all that.
stephen followed the doctor as he went for said door, but the rattle of the handle as the man failed to pry it open stopped him short. he rose an eyebrow to lerage. "do the honours?"