Imperialisium wrote:John and NikolaiJohn and Nikolai had pulled up in John's 69' Mach 1 Mustang. The Russian vampire puffing on a cigar and swigging from a clear glass bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag. John often wondered how much vitae the kindred spent in digesting that. Not that he'd be getting drunk from it of course. But still...
Guess old habits die hard. Stepping out of the vehicle John moved over to the white Bronco. Nikolai following closely with his cigar clamped between his lips. His fangs barely visible between his lips.
"Mr. Whyte I assume." said John.
"Hey! Who the fuck is the red head?" blurted out Nikolai.
"Nikolai." interjected John quickly. The Russian shrugged and let the smoke of his cigar fume out of his nose like some alcoholic undead dragon. "Eh, just putting names to faces, John."
John didn't give that an answer as he nodded to Jonah. "Nikolai will hang back to assist in any impromptu escapes. I'll be following in my own vehicle."
Outside The Abandoned ConsiliaOutside the Consilia the forms of the four heavily armed and armoured figures slowly encircled the building. Before eventually coalescing into a semi-circle facing the front doors. One peered through advanced spectacles that responded to blink-clicks to change their fields of view from infrared, ultraviolet, echo location, and thermal, then on to X-ray as he peered through the outer walls of the complex. The wards and defenses being picked up by his optical finders on the more
reality deviant specific settings.
"I have one out front." whispered one of the troopers into the communications net. Indeed, they had eyes on the Archmage. Their Technocratic gear's camoflage assisting them in getting close. As the mages they fought where not the only ones capable of approaching objectives unseen. But by different methods. While the Mages used more arcane methods in their arsenals. The soldiers of the Technocratic Union used their advanced technological edge when conducting field operations.
"Copy that. Identified as structure typical of Pentacle Orders. Relaying data-packet to T.U.S. Nova York. Standby."
A trio of communication clicks signaled that everyone else in the unit had received the order to standby from what could only be assumed to be a Sergeant. His rank chevrons on his gear setting him apart from the rest.
Alexei - Peacemaking in War TimeAlexei sat in the back of Nikolai's car, trying not to choke on cigar smoke as he stared out the window. Coughing was his nature reaction, though he also wanted to cover his nose with his scarf. Very slowly, he tried to pull his scarf up over his mouth and nose, until only his eyes were visible behind the scarf. He occasionally checked his phone for messages from Morri, and when he had heard where she was going, he directed for Nikolai to head straight to the White Lotus. Apparently the entire party would be present, and thus now came his time to shine, to unite the different factions together for a common goal.
As Nikolai's car screeched to a halt, the former Inquisitor stepped out of the door and released a single loud cough. He then gave a few softer ones, as he straightened his cardigan and adjusted his scarf. and he looked around. Jonah, Mr. Whyte, and Morri were all present. Surprisingly, Connor had also arrived, and Alexei smiled at him as if to say,
I'm glad you could come. He gave a sympathetic look to Morri, as he knew that she was probably as nervous as anyone could be in such circumstances. He wanted to be back at his apartment with her, just watching TV, but now the moment of truth was approaching like a headlight in the distance. He stared at Nikolai as smoke came out of his nose, and a chill ran down his spine. The atmosphere was dangerous and tense. "...Nikolai...this is Morri," he explained, nodding to her as the vampire asked about her. He then looked at the rest of the group. "...You all know Jonah...and the...third member of this group is our Mr. Whyte." He gave an acknowledging nod to Mr. Whyte, making sure not to show any signs of weakness as he eyed him.
He then turned to face the entire group. He gave a sigh. "...Well...that should make all of us, then..." He approached Mr. Whyte, and handed him the book in his backpack. The pages were browned by time, and almost as crushable as fallen leaves, but he had wrapped it delicately in a leather-binding to protect it. Alexei knew he was paying a price, but he felt one small weight fall off his shoulders as he handed away the book. "...We are going to face the Autumn Court. We are...not fighting here for our own personal goals, except for that of...preserving our home. This is a home for all of us, whether we like this place or not...And its destruction will break apart not only our lives, but the lives of many others on a larger scale, in your own factions and elsewhere. This is a threat...none of us could face alone..." As he spoke, he gazed at everyone in the group. More often than not, however, his eyes flickered between Jonah, Nikolai, Mr. Whyte, and Connor. John and Morri would be easy to bring along, but the aforementioned quartet of characters were all hotheaded, with their own plans and undercurrents. Alexei had to rally them together as best as he could.
"...Tonight, we must plead for our lives. We must have only enough pride to walk this frightening path...and to know that any sacrifices we make are for the greater good of those we love...But otherwise, we must be humble, and grounded. We must show no weakness, but we must not fight when there is not a fight. All of us...we will have roles to play. If we must battle, then we shall. Together...If we can speak our way to save the city, however...and prevent a massive loss of life...then that is the path we must take first," he reasoned. Alexei's voice was once again soft, but just loud and commanding enough to draw attention. He did, after all, have just a little of his uncle's charisma, though he normally was not good at using it.
With these words having been spoken, Alexei turned to Mr. Whyte. "...You will lead the way. I have given you what you have wanted. If you do not follow with your promise...as I have given exactly as I said I would...You will be my offering of the night to God. I am sure you will be able to help us, given your extensive knowledge. Jonah and Morri know more about the Fae than I do, however, and I would appreciate if you help them as well. My word stands, if you do not. So please...guide us."
Epeiosa - Bullets In The GunWith Simone leading his team through the darkened Consilia, Epeiosa could not stop shivering. Even while she stood outside with Astorias, she could feel some forces were coming close from all sides. Not only did the two Mages have to fight whatever was trying to come through the cracks of the Abyss, but they were potentially being watched. Epeiosa could not shake that feeling. Ever since she had left Endymion behind, she could feel that eyes were always on her, waiting for her to make the wrong move. Waiting for her to realize some horrendous mistake and to fly back to Arcadia. Yet she could not go back. She needed to be here, to help Astorias however she could. He had progressed in his own skills greatly, but she had struggled. She could only support him, and perhaps figure the actions she needed to take along the way.
Yet with the sweat dripping down her back, face, and neck, and with her sweaty palms holding a Magical dagger she had sneaked into the building, she could only do so much. She had to gather herself, to focus, to prove that she too could help save the world from an impossible evil. The strong sense of justice she held, that same passion that had Awakened her powers as a Thyrsus, pushed her just enough to stand her ground, as she waited to see Simone again. As time stopped and looped over and over, she could not tell when that time would be. "...Astorias...Wh-Whatever is in there is...is horrible...I can feel it...Is there...anything...that we can do to save Simone?...Or...to stop whatever is coming?...Please...tell me you can do something," she questioned, her voice a frightened whisper.