Ezvin waited in the lobby of the stylish Radiance Hotel. Tonight, it was the epicenter of the city's artistic scene, hosting the launch party for a new album by one of the CCD’s up and coming – a project that Ezvin had poured his heart into as a producer.

Dressed in a sharp ensemble that struck the perfect balance between elegant and artistic flair, Ezvin's attention occasionally swept over the entrance. He was waiting for Jensen, feeling a mix of excitement and a slight nervous anticipation. The party, set in one of the hotel’s event spaces, promised to be a vibrant affair, teeming with artists, musicians, and various creatives from the industry. For Ezvin, such events were familiar territory, but tonight felt different with the anticipation of such an intriguing date.

The lobby around him buzzed with activity. Guests arrived in groups, laughter and conversation flowing freely. Others filed into the Radiance’s lounge bar, teeming with life already.

Ezvin checked his Wallet casually, ensuring he hadn’t missed a message from Jensen.

Days passed and Jensen didn’t see Kaleb at all. When he finally worked the nerve to inquire why, he was informed that the Agent had been reassigned. They wouldn’t tell Jensen where nor how long he would be gone, and no amount of internet searching revealed anything of Kaleb’s fate. The guilt tore him up.

A great deal of time had lapsed since Jensen last took to his knees. Not since those last prayers with the Carpenters, and while he was sincere in his desire for Cayli’s safety, hope was never quite restored and he felt like a fraud. Yet despite the trepidation, Jensen went through the motions one night. Not for himself, but for Kaleb, and asked that the agent be spared hardship and eventually find the peace he deserved. That was all, though, and Jensen was quite numb afterward.

He was introduced to a new agent, and Jensen intended to behave according to the rules this time, but he was informed there were no missions that night nor for the next several after that.

Jensen was also allowed to go home, but as he locked the door to Doulou’s loft, he could practically feel Custody eyes watching him. A sigh was the extent of action they would witness, and Jensen spent the night alone... Again.

The next morning he realized he was out of coffee, and while an order could be delivered relatively easy, he looked around the empty loft and saw nothing but solitude. He briefly wondered if Doulou was well since the man hadn’t sent a message in a long time, and with a furrow of his brow, Jensen opted to go out instead. Surely nobody cared if he went to a coffee shop.

Several years in Moscow and he was still not quite accustomed to their winters, and the leaves indicated it was only autumn even if the wind said it was promising a deep freeze. He wore a denim jacket over a sweater as a result. A scarf was wrapped around his neck and gloves wrapped his hands though they were plunged deep into his pockets. He wore slacks and nice shoes also, but the wind tousled his attempts to style his hair as soon as he stepped outside. There was a shop nearby that he used to visit, though that hadn’t visited since before he went to America with Jay and Natalie.

He didn’t recognize any of the workers, and a quick scan of the patrons was just as unrecognizable. He ordered his drink black with cream in a mug along with a muffin, and sat near one of the windows to watch people walk. The room was comfortable, though not full to the brim, and yet, he still felt alone.

So I need to update the Operating system, the version of PHP we run on, WordPress, and the forums.

I won't be doing it until December, but it needs to be done.  

We haven't done it yet because I have been unable to get the forums to work on later versions of PHP.   Having said that, in December I will put a new server together and install the forums and the extensions and see how what we need to do to make them work on the latest versions.

I have started the process and have the most important one installed and working: Account Switcher.

I haven't found a fresh copy of My Alerts yet, which may or may not be needed for the notification of PMs I know we all rely on.  I haven't tested it yet to see if it's need or not.

@Mentions has been disabled for a while now it seems.  It breaks the site, but there are other ones we can try or when I get back to testing see if we can get it to work at all.

The only other two plugins that ya'll might care about are the Table Generator and the Spoiler bbcode.  (Does anyone use them?)

Discord and the Cookie Law will be used as well should they both work fine on the new code base.  (shouldn't be any issues don't think they gave me any problems in the past)

We won't lose any data, pictures or anything in the upgrade, but we might be done for a little while while I do the upgrade.  Chat will likely need to be reinstalled as well and if you use a third party app you should still be able to chat, but if you use the Lounge on our site, then it will go down.  Discord is also always available.

[[Continued from Almaz; this scene isn't in the world of dreams, but this was the best option.]]


The room with the far was brighter than he remembered.

The walls were white? They should be stone. Wood beams. A sophisticated bar.

He glanced over his shoulder to see if Ashton saw what he saw, only, there was no Ashton. Instead, a curtain of light shimmered floor to ceiling like a portal.

“Uhh—“ he licked his lips, but when he reached out to swipe the curtain, it disappeared.

He turned in a circle. Almaz had transformed into an impossibly smooth tunnel. The world around him was awash with a brightness that seemed to have no source; the light simply was, as if the air itself exuded a soft glow. Everything curved and spiraled into itself—the ceiling, the floor, even the air seemed to twist in a gentle helix above him.

Now this should normally be a little distressing. Jumping from Almaz’s underground club to some sort of sci-fi looking world, but given that Jaxen lived through two similar experiences, he was more annoyed than disturbed.

He began to walk, stepping lightly to avoid drawing attention to himself until he better understood what was happening.

The architecture was a marvel, he admitted, an endless enigma of snakelike structures that defied the laws of physics as he knew them. The walls bowed outward, ceilings arched into impossible heights before curling back into themselves, and the doorways were rounded, as if carved by the spinning of a giant potter’s wheel. Jaxen walked through one of these doorways, entering a chamber that seemed to lead into another, and then another, each one a perfect circle, each one leading back to the last.

At first, there was a calm curiosity in his stride. He admired the fluidity of the design, the way the circular windows refracted the light into rainbows that danced across the curved walls. He might have thought it an elaborate illusion until he ran his hand along a banister, feeling the smoothness of its twist, impressed by the craftsmanship and appreciating how real it truly was. But as he walked, a realization began to dawn on him: no matter how far he walked, he was getting nowhere. Each turn, each spiral staircase, brought him back to a place eerily similar to the last.

Panic fluttered in his chest, and with a frown, Jaxen picked up his pace. The rounded hallways seemed to stretch and grow with his expanding alarm. He started to run, the sound of his footsteps echoing against the undulating surfaces, a maddening cacophony in the brightness. Doors that once seemed inviting now mocked him, leading him in looping paths that had no end, no escape.

His breaths came in ragged gasps as he pushed himself to run faster, the world blurring into a whirl of light and color. But no matter how desperately he sprinted, the realm kept him ensnared within its serpentine grasp, an endless maze designed not to confine the body, but almost as if meant to entrap the mind. Jaxen was beginning to realize that this alien world of curves and spirals might be more than just a labyrinth—it might be a trap from which there was no escape.

At the end of a final spiral, he clenched his fists and summoned the Ancient Power to his grasp. One way or another, he was getting out of there. A sly lick of the lips and he prepared to hurl a knot toward the wall.

That was when he heard a voice, not unlike the speech of the naga, but more sinister.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” it said.

Anyone got any other ideas for places Spectra can cameo?    I promise she will be good! 

Kristian was contacted to meet with Pavel Vasiliev people and they scheduled a mid afternoon meeting.  Xander didn't exactly want to get down with the Russian mob, but he also felt he had very little choice in the matter.  Refusing the meeting could spell dangerous vibes and/or his rousting from the city, and Xander rather liked Moscow.  He hadn't yet found a big mark, not that he hadn't been trying, but it was almost as good as Vegas or New York -- Almost.  He missed home a little bit.

But he did visit the New Orleans joint run by Rowan often.  It gave him a good bit of nostalgia just enough to not miss the bayou anymore.

Xander dressed in one of his finer suits and pulled Kristian's guise over him like it was second nature.  All of them were riffs off other characters he'd played.  A fence, a broker, a dealer, a rocker, a slacker, a hacker.  Didn't matter, they all came from someplace.  And he knew the grift well.  And he got to use a few of his good ole'boys now and then like Z since there weren't many people who'd know him round town anyway.

They were to meet at the Casino again.  Xander went early, Kristian sat at the bar and wait until it was nearly time sipping at a drink -- it was happy hour somewhere right?  

When it was closer to time he'd make his way on over to the receptionist and inquire to how he was to meet with Mr. Vasiliev but for now he scoped out the place.

Happy Samhain. 

*dark laughter fades into the night.

There weren't any wake-up times for wrestlers. They had nights that could last until morning.
Alistair awoke, clad only in a thin sheet draped over his frame. He still harbored sensations from his recent escapade a few nights prior. His initial night out had been marked by discussions with a mystical man, listening to tales, and ended in a warm embrace.
A knock sounded at Alistair's door. He hurriedly approached, scarcely managing to cover himself with the sheet, and peered through the peephole, finding no one. Only a note had been slipped beneath the door.

Note read:
- Second match
- Location:  Busted
- Time midnight
- Type:  Bare Knuckle
- Ask for your gift

“What the fuck is with the notes. I guess this is their thing.” Alistair grumpily murmured after he had tossed the note on the island in his kitchen. Alistair had become accustomed to quirky wrestling promotors and patrons.  He had once wrestled privately for a man in a cemetery. Wealthy benefactors had their kinks and peculiar interests, so a note was not much of a shock.

Ezvin is one of Scion’s sons through an ex-wife. He is a few years younger than Maksim, but the two half-brothers have always been close. Ezvin is not particularly close with his father, and has no interest in working in the family owned business. He works in the music industry as a producer and singer-songwriter, and he and Maksim share a love for music. He's been trying to convince Maksim to record an album for years.

Ezvin is single. He’s had a lot of boyfriends over the years, but he has no interest in becoming a parent or settling down. He is more strong-willed than Maksim, but no where near as wild as his younger half-brother, Jaxen. He is generally protective of his family. He’s the kind of guy that gets along with a lot of different types of people. He has fun, but he will stand up for injustice. He won’t say no to an interesting party. He's a good guy.

Appearance:

Ezvin is in his mid 30's. He has brunette hair the same color as Jaxen's, though he wears it long around the ears. He has the same big eyes as his brothers, but most closely resembles Maksim. He's lean, and average height, and not particularly muscular or imposing.



((This guy might get his own account at some point. Will see where it goes.))

[[ with Thalia ]]

His life was falling apart and he wished for Aurora to be there or someone to physically be there.  But no one was, he'd normally rely on Raffe for comfort but that was over.  And he had no more tears left to cry.  It was the second night he'd cried himself to dry eyes.  And now he couldn't sleep so he sent Thalia a text maybe she'd be available to talk -- if she even wanted to talk to him anymore.  He was a monster... it was everything he had to keep going. 
 
  I so fucked up.  It's over. 

Nox didn't hesitate when his wallet rang.  He knew it was Thalia. No one else called him. And definitely not late at night like it was. She chided him for not just calling. Honestly he forgot, he rarely called anyone either.
 
“Just call me, I said. Any time, Nox. I’ll always answer if I can. Talk to me. You’re somewhere safe, right?”

"I'm home.  In bed." His voice sounded weak even to his ears. He had no tears left to cry and his voice only cracked with strain. "How are you? I didn't wake you did I?"

She let out a great rush of air, relieved by the answer, relieved to hear his voice. "No, you didn't. Sleep is for the weak, and, well, you know. Geez, my heart is pounding; you scared me. You don't sound good though. Do you want to talk about it?" The words were soft. There was some rustling sounds like she'd sat up.

Nox was so glad to hear her voice. He wanted to just hug her and the tears somehow started to fall. "I fucked my life too hell and back three times over. Raffe ended it. Basically said we needed to figure ourselves out. I'm barely making it out of bed. But not sure I am ready to talk. Tell me about your adventures."
 
She listened to what he said quietly, and didn’t interrupt. There were some more shuffling noises. The quiet close of a door.

"Well, you know all about the Pope already. And Philip the goat, who I believe might finally have been starting to like me. Though who really knows with goats.

Have you ever heard much about the lake here? It’s ancient – the deepest lake there is, like it goes all the way to the very heart of the world. In winter it freezes tight, but this time of year it’s beautiful. Like a secret. And well, I could never resist a secret.

There’s a rock on the lake, called Shaman Rock, and there are all sorts of folktales about it – Anastasia, the lady I was staying with, she told me some of them. I’ll tell you sometime; the stories are beautiful, but sad too. Only I drew it, that rock. So many times. Sage helped me find it, actually. I went looking for someone at the lakeside, stayed all day and night. Chasing dreams I don’t understand, honestly, but are there any other kind?

And, oh, gosh, Nox, you should see the stars out here! They’re so bright away from the city lights, like someone just flung a fistful of glitter into the sky. A thousand tiny worlds, a thousand miles away. And the brightest of them all, Sirius; I look for it sometimes, especially when I feel a little lost or like I need to know there's something more, you know? I can see it now actually. It always makes me think of safety.

I didn't find what I was looking for that night, but I did get found." She paused for a moment; a thoughtful sidestep of silence before her soft voice continued, like the turn of a new chapter.

"We discovered caves under the water. And when I touched the walls, the power in me rippled. It was like falling. I don’t exactly know what happened. Inside was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Walls made of water. Seascapes drifting beyond, like the bottom of an ocean. I thought I was going to sink straight through when I touched it. I would have said I was dreaming, except I couldn’t be, because I remember everything about it. I don’t know where it was, Nox. Nowhere here. Compelling, and dangerous too. It’s strange. I could have disappeared in there and never even realised I was lost. I’m glad I didn’t go alone.

We found the face I'd drawn, deep down in that place. The reason I didn't come home after Tartu. She was beautiful and alien, and I think it was a good thing she was so hidden from our world, because she was nothing most people would understand. Maybe that's why I went to find her. I think you know what it feels like too, feeling out of step with the world around us. I wanted to know if it was real. If it meant something.

Sometimes anger is really just pain, and she was certainly angry. There was something else down there too, though; an egg. Its shell was whorled with power like a net, all different colours and patterns. I didn’t even know it was possible to tie it off like that. Inside was a child, all folded up like a flower. That place was ancient and they must have been separated for a long time, Nox. I can't even imagine how that would be. The hardest thing in the world to endure, but she did endure. We all deserve connection. I'm glad we could finally help her."

Nox lost himself in the drone of her voice.  She knew he was having a hard time and she just talked.  It was warm and comforting and the only thing that would make it better would be having her laying beside him. 

She was right about a lot of things and he found his voice in the emptiness of the void that came with the power.  It shimmered and shifted in front of him. The familiar lights of the Aurora Borealis danced from his fingers. "I hate my self for betraying his trust. And there will never be a way I can earn it back since what made me react the way I did is part of me forever. How is anyone going to see past that? I will forever be a slave to the horde.  Its whims are mine. I will always fight it because if I don't I'll become the monster I was. And I don't want to be him. I don't want kill with out conscience."

"Some of us don't see monsters," she said softly. "Not even when they have teeth and tentacles."

“Listen to me. The horde doesn't change who you are. But it does mean you have to make changes in your life. I don't know if you can win back trust once it's broken. But you can't force it either, and there’s nothing you can do about that but to see what happens. What I do know is that you deserve someone who will accept all sides of you, though."

Nox interjected rather dejectedly "I thought he was the one to do just that." The words fell out of his mouth in a quiet whisper. There was pain and emotion tied to it, but words came out with nothing -- just a whisper over the phone. It was like watching the ancient games of his father's childhood bounce from plain pixel box to plain pixel box until it missed -- the rejection and pain bounced off the walls of the power and got lost in the aether.

"But he didn't," she said firmly. "And it sucks. I wish I could tell you otherwise, and I know it hurts. Maybe he needs time to realise what it means to be with you, or maybe it really is over, but for right now the important one is you.""

The words resonated.  She sounded like his sister and even in the void of the power he felt the tears fall and let the power crash around him.  The lights exploding into colorful shards dramatically as the expired into the thin air.  His tears fell silently, he wasn't sure if it was happy or sad or angry.  But that he found them again made dealing with his emotions only a tad bit easier.  Hard to cry when your body says you can't anymore. 

“I never told you this, but when I first came to Moscow my sister took me to see a woman at the Guardian. A patient. She called me a demon. I used to think about that a lot when I was afraid of what was happening to me. It matters what we call ourselves, even in our own heads. You are not a monster, Nox. What did you mean you're afraid of being him? Did you remember something?

Nox hated that anyone could be so cruel, but he understood it all too well too. His voice cracked a little with emotion, but otherwise he was present, the distance chill gone. "Only the most horrible hypocritical thing ever." The peace of before was gone, he was quiet and still in voice but the lights around him swirled with his lack of inner peace. The monster inside. "I saw a blast from my past. A man I admired and adored and loved like a father. A man who taught me to fight and kill without question, all under the Atharim banner. For the greater fucking good. The faces in my dreams have names. Those I didn't know, didn't remember. Didn't want to remember. I know who they are, and what they did to be a part of my murderous nightmares -- my failures weren't my failures. Well they weren't failures are the time -- victims of the cause. A boy who was like me -- who could channel. I can feel his blood on my hands. He did nothing other than be born the same way I was."

She was quiet a while then and Nox's thoughts went places he knew wasn't true.  But that didn't mean it stopped his mind from recoiling with the rejection and hatred he felt for himself. But Thalia wasn't like that and her words only proved the rational side right as she finally spoke. "You should remember them. That's only right. You can't change who you were or what you did, and it's a part of you as surely as the horde is now. But you can't punish yourself forever either. That old Nox is dead, too.”

“What if we did something when I'm back in Moscow? To commemorate those people, that boy. We'll do it every time you remember something horrible. Remember them, remember who you were, and remember that it's not who you are any more, or who you will be, horde or not.”

Nox chuckled softly. "That sounds nice, but I don't know if I'm not still him or not.  The horde is chipping away at it -- at the memories.  Everyday is a new fight.  And Jacob, reminds me everyday of how I used to be.  It's not in his words, or retelling memories.  He's a fucking long-lived Atharim hunter who's bread and butter is killing kids like me.  He's got some new angle, some new line he's trying with saving a few channelers but he still wants me dead.  I see it in his eyes.  He's everything I was taught I should be. I even pulled Salvation and Damnation out of storage against my better judgement.  I don't trust myself." Not that a pull of the power couldn't do even worse damage to himself with so much more ease that the knife and gun Jacob had gifted him oh so many years ago.  A razor thin string of air would be ever so easy.  Even just tugging on the power past capacity would burn him up completely.  The ijiraq's power had scared that fear into him.  Burning from the inside out was not pleasant. But it was always there.  And being without the power scared him even more -- more so now than ever before.  Now what would he become?

"I want to believe I'm not a monster.  But everything tells me I am, Thal. At the very least how is someone ever going to accept the fact that I might never live up to their standards.  Raffe or not. Who's going to jump into a relationship when I'm always on edge -- ready to fight.  Who's always going to have something else driving his desires and needs.  All it takes is a moment to slip and I've fucked up more lives. Raffe's been with it from the start.  Seen what it does and he couldn't do it. And he shouldn't have to."  Nox growled and stood up and started pacing in his room.  "I hate myself right now.  Everything about me. I'm going to fall back on old habits, things that kept me sane.  Be the person my father expected me to be.  I hate him too. I just need to not be me."

“And what if you’re wrong? How will you know if you don’t try?"

The words rattled around in his head.  He did try.  Though he pushed people away more often than not.  He didn't want to get close, didn't want to get hurt more -- again.  Even when he was the one who did the hurting, it was painful.  He'd loved Raffe.  Loved him so much it hurt, and not it was gone from his life and he had to cope.

“I still draw your dreams sometimes, you know. I know they’re yours because of what’s in them, and who. Usually when that starts to happen with people I know, I bail. Who wants someone knocking around in their head, digging up secrets they don’t want to share? It doesn’t end well, believe me, and I can’t stop myself from doing it. I’ve tried. Easier to make the decision to just leave, or never call. And then there was you. You’re the first person I ever stuck around for, and now you're my best friend. I've never had one of those. So don't write yourself off because you're in a bad place.”

Nox laughed and flopped down on his bed with a smile on his face.  "I've never had one either.  You know I couldn't make it through this without you.  All this I'm alone shit, isn't accurate.  I'm not alone.  Not completely.  I got you. And I'm sorry if I don't say it or don't act like I appreciate it.  I'm an asshole, self-centered prick." He chuckled to himself but kept going. "But I need you as much as I needed him. I miss Aurora. Miss my mom.  I thought I was making a family and now it's falling apart. I don't know." He sighed. "I got you.  At least I haven't fucked up one relationship because of the fucking horde.  Thank you, Thal for sticking through it. I should try to get some sleep.  Not that it'll be restful.  I need to go see if Ezekeil's got anything I'll try -- he offered.  And I can see the girls.  Get a hug from one and a punch in the arm from the other I'm sure.  They always make the day brighter -- something to get up for.  That's all I need -- just one reason to get out of bed the next morning.  I'll be fine.  I'll text you tomorrow so you know I'm alive."

"You got me," she agreed. "I'll speak to you tomorrow. Goodnight, Nox."