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  Liam Haart Marquis
Posted by: Liam H - 02-26-2023, 09:59 PM - Forum: Biographies & Backstory - No Replies

Liam Haart Marquis

Age: 16

Origin: Born in Moscow

Occupation: Student, White Hat Hacker for Paragon, Underground Hacker

Personality: Liam is smart as a whip. He has a short attention span because not much can keep his interest. He’s rebels but not in the public eye. He does so under his highly secret hacker name Thyme. He separates hisself in three lives — Liam the perfect smart son with a touch of ADHD, Catch a white hat hacker for Paragon (as in Catch-22), and Thyme his dark net self.

Description: Liam has his father’s looks, with the blond curls and gray eyes. He stood just a centimeter below his father and still had some growth left in him.

Supernatural Powers: Can be taught to channel

Biography:

Mother: Genevre Marquis - high fashion designer and CEO of Zalya Fashions.

Father: Ephraim Haart

Liam’s father wasn’t a secret, but in order to keep the predators away, Liam was given his mother’s maiden name. It made getting into trouble easier and having been through all the local private schools, Liam was now forced into the public education system where they couldn’t kick him out unless he got caught. And he didn’t get caught changing grades, stealing test answers or anything like that. But it was all so very boring.

His father was a powerful man and owned a profitable company. And Liam worked there after school — and during school to stay out of trouble. That was the condition in which his father let him work in the IT department as security against intrusions. He might also have tried to hack the system a time or two, but when he told his dad about the flaws, he got mad, but then he put Liam to work fixing them. And that’s how he got the job.

But that didn’t fill the challenge. Liam was looking for a after a while and he spent most of his free time poking around the dark web, learning from the hackers there. He had a particular fascination with Phaser.

The hacker was unique — faster than any he’d seen work, he always left a signature behind and then something happened and he disappeared. Rumos said the government took him. The borg died with him. But later a new hacker emerged following the same patterns, revealing truths whether they harmed or hurt the person in question, and he signed everything.

His fascination switched to The Wicked Truth, and he spent most of his waking time when not in school or working trying to find him.

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  Toss of a coin
Posted by: Leon Corlinson - 02-25-2023, 02:09 AM - Forum: Past Lives - No Replies

[Image: Screen-Shot-2019-02-06-at-4.45.55-PM-850x560.jpg]

Lennox Orander

A cacophony of sounds and smells filtered into the room through the window and floor boards. The soft murmurings of the patrons below, the footsteps of the inn’s staff as they paced through the hallway outside his rooms going about their business, as well as the sounds of the city traffic coming through the open window melded with the smell of fat and meat being cooked in preparation for the evening meal. The busy main street of Cairhien never seemed to change.

Tendrils of Spirit snaked their way through the building, providing the man with the count of people currently under his feet in the main room of the Inn. The inn was called Happy Mourners Arms, but he knew it as his old home. His parents had long since left this Turning, and when he and his estranged brother had not been able to take it over, it was soon taken over by another family for a scant cost despite the prime location of the building itself. Before loosening his grip on Saidin the man wove a web of Air and Water to cleanse his body of dirt and sweat from his travels before clothing himself in well-worn tunic of white, a vest of sea colored blue, and dark colored pants.

Bare feet padded softly on the old wood floor to his bed where he sat down. He took out a small steel mirror from his bags and began to set his hair in order. Gone were the long locks of sun-streaked blonde hair as it was cut to a length just below his ears. Chestnut brown eyes, once dim and sunken, were now clear and healthy. A beard now covered some of the scars he’d earned during the Last Battle. Though it was disheveled from not being brushed regularly, it would still be passable at most dinner tables.

Though she would have me clean shaven most likely.

He cocked a small lopsided grin before returning it to his bag. He spotted a piece of a gold chain, a small gift from a little exotic starfish whom he checked in on from time to time, watching over the child in place of her father who gifted him with lessons which continued to shape his path more and more as the years passed. He set it aside, continuing to reach for what he was after, a worn silver mark from the island of Tar Valon. He spent a few moments spinning it in his hand as it invoked a wave of memories and emotions.

He allowed them to float within his thoughts, reliving his days as a young boy with Drekar constantly chasing him and his talented brother, Kentrillo, finding his bondmate and the joy, love, and pain that their relationship held. To his disastrous pursuit of strength and power that was not ordained to be his during this Turning that destroyed the very world he wanted to protect.

When he had his fill, he quickly summoned the Void and sent the surge into it. Shifting his focus onto the small round table and chair in the corner of his room, he looked onto the long black coat draped neatly over the chair as a gold pin on the collar captured his attention. It was a stark contrast to the rich blue leather that wrapped the sword’s handle that laid nearby on the table. 

The color was the same as the shawl from his memory.

He stretched his arm over to the pillow on the bed gathering a small bundle of flowers and pocket-worn drawing. On the yellowed parchment was the image of a woman with her blonde hair pinned up with a regal look. His mind pictured the pearls that she loved to adorn her hair with. Back then he would wonder why she spent so much time at her desk fiddling with them. He still didn’t have an answer to it, but he didn’t mind it. He was just glad she did, even if he did not understand that at the time. Light, I miss you.

Setting the picture back down near the pillow he looked again to the coin and back to his coat. A question about what he should do that had been plaguing him for a time now once again came to his mind. Since the Amyrlin Seat announced its acceptance of male Aes Sedai and the change that it would bring.

Lennox held a small bundle of lavender and lilacs, carefully preserved with a small knotted weave to keep their enchanting but subdued scent, to his nose as he took in a small breath.

“What should I do now, Cor?”

Soon a soft clink sound seemed to fill his room when he flicked the Tar Valon mark into the air before holding out his hand to catch it.

Heads or tails.

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  Crimsonthorn
Posted by: Eidolon - 02-25-2023, 01:25 AM - Forum: Past Lives - Replies (10)

[Image: mal-.jpg] [Image: brennaceletsedai.jpg]
Malaika Sedai of the Brown Ajah
&
Brenna Sedai, Sitter of the Brown Ajah

Brenna was dressed in finery, her gold curls braided and pinned in an intricate design around her face, finished at her nape with the clasp of a jewelled butterfly clip that she favoured often. The Brown’s personal maid Daniol often fussed about her mistress’ appearance, but Malaika assumed the particular attention today to be on account of the gleeman, of whom she seemed to have developed quite a fondness since Malaika had introduced them. 

She had not intended to take Zahir up upon his offer of a listening ear, but his quiet attention to detail had remained with her long after he’d spoken to her in the library, and when chance crossed their paths again he had stayed for longer, undeterred by the length of her silences. Finally she had paused to examine her small curiosity in his interest. He reminded her in a small way of Byron. Not the effervescence, which she had never witnessed quite the same in another person, but the comfortable charm. The sense that more churned beneath the surface than ever met the eye.

So she had agreed to speak with him, on the understanding that if it was her history he was interested in, the conversation was to be had in Brenna’s presence. If the tale of Malaika’s past was to belong to anyone, it was firstly to the Brown Sitter. As it transpired, Zahir had a talent for leveraging memories even Malaika had thought long forgotten. He said he had never been across the ocean, but he had a way of disseminating and recreating such vivid imaginings of the things she described. Brenna was quickly enamoured of his use to her project.

Seanchan was much on everyone's lips of late of course. Malaika had been slow to the rumours, else perhaps they died quiet deaths in her presence. Naturally it came up in their discussions; Zahir was more worldly than either of the Browns in his company, and he was curious for her opinion. Privately, Brenna assured her that everything was being carefully managed by White Tower resources; that monarchs did not so much as sneeze without an Amyrlin's approval, but the pall of fear had begun to settle into Malaika's bones like too long at rest in a cold place. It had been a long time since she'd felt the net of safety slip, so long she thought it entirely forgotten.

She had been thinking a lot about the collar lately. 

The gleeman had left hours ago now, the last echo of strings and his unearthly voice long faded to silence, and the two Aes Sedai had returned to other work, interrupted only by a light repast neither had paused to pay much attention to. Malaika shifted slowly through the parchments on the desk, each obtained through the various networks that had once helped Brenna uncover Chakai’s whereabouts. These were old documents, and Malaika had been corroborating and transcribing the pertinent sections against official Tower records.

The inked list of names had grown exponentially since they had begun the work.

Both of them had been surprised at the number of women.

The hours raced by. The gold lattice of sunlight which had spent all afternoon splashing the sun’s progress across the walls had finally faded entirely by the time Danoil leaned to whisper in her mistress’s ear. The meal had been cleared away, and the lights lit for the evening. Brenna’s expression did not waver from its haughty serenity, but she placed aside the sheet of paper she had been studying.

“Then fetch my shawl, please, child.”

Malaika stood as the maid bobbed deference for the instruction and then swept away into the depths of the apartments. The formality of a shawl at this hour could only mean Hall business, yet she realised by Brenna's tone alone that the Brown had seemed poised for the summons. Malaika did not ask questions, despite the unusual hour, though she did glance briefly at the darkened windows. She discreetly massaged the ache in her injured palm, flared uncomfortable from all the afternoon's writing. Brenna knew about the old wound of course, as well as where it had come from, but Malaika rarely brought attention to the shame.

The Sitter drew closer, pressed a hand to her arm; an unusual affection. “All will be well, Sister,” she assured. 

Confused by the touch and words both, Malaika only nodded, and took her leave.

***

She had no great desire to return alone to her rooms. Shadows washed the library stacks, but it was never truly kept dark in here. Aes Sedai attended unusual hours, and none so much as those Sisters in the Brown halls, whose schedules were rarely dictated by the sun’s path. Normally Malaika would seek a quiet sanctuary amongst the books to spend the time, and she passed through now like a spectre at haunt, but did not linger on the journey. Silence weighed, and it felt a heavier burden than usual. Tonight some residual tension made her skin feel tight, if she could not explain why; just that for once the library was not where she wanted to be.

Outside the sun had set. The paths were strangely clear, though the night was not cold. Her skin prickled with an ill omen unrealised. Malaika was a creature of some habit, and she sought the bench she had once shared with Eleanore Aramorgran, though it tugged her towards memories that drenched her chest in quiet sadness. Andreu Kojima was not a name she was ever like to forget. Nor a face. She did not lay aside the strictures of sorrow as they fell upon her. When she stared at shadows she saw him still. But worse was the echo of familiarity that stared back. Malaika had never had a life to lay down by her own choice. But she understood the reflection of despair she had seen in that man’s eyes.

By now her hand was cramping something fierce in her lap. Nursing the melancholy of her thoughts, Malaika settled into old routines usually performed in the privacy of her own rooms. The ointment she retrieved from her robes was itself new; a suggestion by the gleeman, and the very insight that had first softened her regard of his interruption. The rhythm of care was well worn by time though. Her thumb massaged over the deep scar tissue. Pain flashed but eventually the fingers on her injured hand would begin to loosen. It was the same every time she overused it. She never complained. Neither did she ever make concessions to the disability. 

Back in Ebou Dar, Eithne’s healing of her palm had been perfunctory. The Brown had professed at the time to having no great skill, and a Wise Woman had tended to the rest. Malaika ought to have had a Yellow take another look at it, but she never had. She had not even gotten the crimsonthorn salve from the infirmary, but purchased it from the city. The woman there had frowned and given her a stark warning about the quantities and risks. It smelled sweeter than the cayenne pepper Byron had recommended, but did not soothe with the same warmth upon the skin. Numbness travelled quickly, though.

[[running adjacent to the hall meeting in The Point of No Return]]

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  Mists
Posted by: Adrian Kane - 02-24-2023, 02:14 AM - Forum: Past Lives - Replies (14)

[[This is an older thread in Arikan's timeline. It takes place prior to meeting up with Nythadri and Talin Sedai in Respite and Resolve. There were other characters in this but I only have the scenes with Arikan and Byron. They're the best ones anyway. *grin. I'll switch back and forth to show pov since that handsome hulk of flesh Byron isn't going to post it himself.

To set the stage. It's underground in the mountains of mist. Lythia has captured Arikan and left him in a hole and Byron is on his way to extract information about the shadow under the guise of a Questioner.]]



[Image: byron2.jpg]
Byron / Inquisitor Jeorune


Byron just shook his head tiredly at both the pretty-boy Warder and emotional Aes Sedai and carried his bundle of supplies into a side chamber to change. It seemed likely the Aes Sedai would be a chore to work for, and there was little doubt that Blake would always be judging and condemning Byron for his actions to come and past. The pair were perfectly suited to each other. Situations like this were exactly why he never worked with anyone that knew him from the Tower. It made things unnecessarily difficult. How would the pair act towards him once this was over?

It would take some time for Byron to change from the unassuming farmer's garb into that of an Inquisitor. It wasn't some simple matter of changing clothes after all, other efforts had to be made. From within the chest came various items, ranging from a small mirror with stand as well as other odds and ends lifted from the Questioner's tent.

By the light of a lamp, Byron's hair was carefully thinned with a pair of tweezers, then liberally oiled and washed and oiled again. He would look as though his hair was thinning naturally, and would be a darker shade thanks to the oil. Time was spent for painstaking grooming; Inquisitors had a tendency of being very self-important individuals, and the Children were always overly interested in their own appearance.

When Byron did finally emerge again, he wore the chain and white of an Inquisitor of the Light, sword belted and an expensive leather satchel tucked under one arm. As they might have noticed with the role of Jarrick, the changes weren't simply in appearance. The way he carried himself had changed, mannerisms were different. It wasn't perfect; yet again he had been forced to adopt an identity with little time to prepare, but he was confident it would suffice for the task at hand.

His gaze flicked between the Aes Sedai and her Warder briefly. A Inquisitor in such a situation would be full to the brim with disdain for the pair; a witch and her dog, parading about as servants and protectors while digging their claws into the minds of kinds and queens. Puppet masters, the lot of them, taking skilled men as slaves through whatever dark machinations they weave with the taint of the Power. Naturally, Byron didn't believe a word of that but he kept such unpleasant thoughts near the surface to colour his expression, his tone. The added practice to get himself into character would be helpful, after all.

"Well. Let us be on with this charade then. Inquisitor Jeorune. We shall have to collaborate at soon, and decide how it is an Aes Sedai could convince an Inquisitor to work with her." He waved with a hint of impatience for them to lead the way. An Inquisitor, a real one of course, in such a situation, would have little interest in having either of these short-term allies at his back, no matter how closely he would have to work with them. Of course, knowing that he was protected by the Light, if Blake would be so inclined as to push the matter, Jeorune was man enough to let such an insult slip and have the dog at his back.

The walk to the prisoner's hole was otherwise in silence, and when they arrived Inquisitor Jeorune entered alone, curious to finally meet this fell Dreadlord with whom he would be spending so much time over the following weeks. No man, no matter how strong of mind, could withstand the attentions of an Inquisitor for long; it was a simple matter of the weakness of the human mind. But one so far fallen? It would be an opportunity to learn so much of the Shadow's methods.


[Image: Arikan..._.jpg]

His domain, Tel'Aran'Rhiod, was elusive. Among the remaining masters of old, the majority trembled in their fear of its magnificence with but a few competent within that glorious abyss. Old though he was, he was not a relic of the Second Age; a Master though? Well. He did not tremble.

He tracked the Stalkers of the Dream. He watched the Unseen Eyes. He fashioned the warp of the Dream's Pattern to his will. He penetrated the Layers of the Gap of Infinity. First among men of this Age, he explored other Tel'Aran'Rhiods and each of their Gaps. If these deeds a master made, perhaps he was worthy of the title.

He would think upon these things in the dark hours to come. Now, he jerked awake with the shocked rasp of one uncontrollably caught in another's Nightmare. Reality's relief was slow to dawn. A boring pain flashed his side, but there was no wound to accompany it. Only the pinprick of a blood spot, not the hilt of a dagger. His dagger. It had been with his own blade Elsae stabbed. So why when wounds taken in the Dream transcended into the physical was he left with barely a scratch?

A Master of the Dream World? Yes. Yet that wine cellar was not completely in Tel'Aran'Rhiod. Neither was the corpse lying within or the girl responsible for its dissection completely a part of it. A portal inside perhaps? A wormhole between? How had she managed to take him there? Why was he helpless to watch what unfolded through the mask of his own eyes?

He pulled himself up to sit. Waiting against the slime slicking the wall. Soon, calm evolved into the irony of coincidence when the corpse from The Dream walked in. His brows rose. One of the Hand? Interesting.

"Welcome." The greeting scorned a cold smiled. What an amusing turn of events.



[Image: byroninquisitor3.jpg]
Byron / Inquisitor Jeorune

The Inquisitor seemed unperturbed by the boy's arrogance. Such displays were common in the beginning, but that would change in time. The boy would learn humility and courtesy in the coming days. The Inquisitor's responding smile was faint, much like a father yet again unsurprised by some foolish act of his favourite son. The sort of smile that promised punishment and hinted more at a sense of disappointment in the child's attempts to hide his guilt rather then the actual wrong committed.

He set the leather satchel aside for the moment, the movement carefully planned to draw the boy's attention to the package. There could be little doubt of what was contained within, but the boy would become intimately familiar with each tool there in. Then he turned to regard the boy again, arms folded lightly across his chest, the only sound the faint clatter of chain and leather. This was no Dreadlord to be feared, this was just another fool that had taken to the wrong path. This one had no power anymore, no allies waiting in the wings. He was a wounded, wild dog, once the alpha of a pack perhaps but now naught but a ready meal should his old pack mates find him.

When the Inquisitor finally spoke, his tone was even and almost friendly, although it never quite touched his eyes. "Greetings, child. You shall refer to me as Inquisitor. You, are child. Once you learn matters, I might deign to let you have my name. Perhaps one day, you will earn a name too, but how long that takes is up to you." He turned then, a few deft flicks and tugs of gloved fingers releasing the intricate knot that held the satchel shut, and the lid was flipped open, a brief flash of various tools neatly arranged to the inside flap, and surely more waiting within.

"Know child, that not even one as sullied and abused as yourself are so far gone that the Light will not embrace you, should you prove yourself deserving. Unlike some of my brethren, I do not relish in what I will do to you, nor will I shirk away. It is the end goal we desire, you and I, although you do not admit that to yourself yet. For you know fear, under all that arrogance and hatred." He undid the clasp holding his cape in place and deftly spun it from his shoulders, folding it over in what would seem a long practised manner until it was a neat bundle to be set atop the satchel and opened flap, just enough space to accommodate the cape without it getting sullied with the squalid cell.

"Understand that I desire your redemption. Desire it so much that I would deign to work in the company a witch of the Tower." There was a touch of distaste at that; even the witches could seek redemption in the eyes of the Creator; the Wheel weaved as it willed, and their presence was an unfortunate necessity until after the Last Battle. As long as fools like this boy sided with that abomination, even the Children's glory and honour would not be enough at that fateful day, Creator bless and forgive him for so rogue a thought. "Now. Boy. Know that this witch has been coddling you. That shall change now. You will earn such things as you prove yourself to me, boy."

It was a simple matter to strip the already spartan quarters of what few belongings the Aes Sedai had allowed him; to her credit, they weren't much. The chamber pot was left for now, but washbasin and blankets were calmly stripped away. The boy would have to earn to have such things back. Clothes would be taken as well, and the bed space would eventually be naught but rough straw. The least comfortable of blankets, ones too small to be used in any but the fetal position, would be found. Only one, for now of course. And dirty straw. The boy would have to earn better, or learn to keep what he had clean. All the more to rob him of sleep and comfort, not that the Inquisitor intended to allow him much of either anyways.

His approach would go far beyond simply physical torture. The boy would be broken down in every way imaginable. There were far more effective ways to break an arrogant man's mind then with a knife to his skin. Far worse abuses would be brought to bear on this one. The Inquisitor would take his time, searching out and crushing every inkling of resistance or self confidence the boy had until nothing remained but a child ready to be brought back to the Light. A child with a willing mind, full of all those secrets he and the witch wanted.

Byron had learned much as a boy about how to ruin a man. Take away what they loved. Beatings and verbal abuse, lies and misdirections. Master Dekar had taught Byron much in those early weeks with the caravan. The unnamed street urchin's 'fathers' had done things that kept boys twice the urchin's age in check as willing servants, ones too afraid or twisted to run away or seek help. It had been a strange road that saw Byron to the Tower, and many terrible things had been learned along that path that would be put to use on the arrogant boy infront of him now. Tinctures and potions would be mixed into the boy's foods to rob him of sleep, wrack him with delusions and nightmares, pains and discomforts. It was all a very careful game to be played so as not to shatter the mind too quickly nor ruin the body and cause death. Between his life long knowledge and the books of the real Inquisitor Jeorune, even a would-be Dreadlord would surely stand little chance over time.

"The rules are simple. Speak only when I address you. Ask permission to speak when I address you. You will address me only as Inquisitor. You will do anything you are told. You will only act when told. There shall be daily routines, and you shall do these without complaint or hesitation as you are told. You will make no excuse and tell no lie." He set the removed items by the door, and turned to face him again, "Now. Strip, boy. You do not deserve clothes, as you are but a tool of an abomination. As you return to the Light, as you regain your humanity, you will earn the right to clothes."


[Image: Arikan..._.jpg]

Arikan held his arms aloft. A child welcoming the father home from a day in the fields.  "Strip?  Why, do you see something you like?"

He relaxed, laughing that he should entertain the notion, fully aware just which tier among the world's grand players he was ranked. And it was far above so tired and anorexic a man.

"What are you Hand?" Mercilessly spitting the Children's guttural name for their Questioners. He satiated his own desire by providing an answer. "Compared to the majesty that is my Master?  What can you do to break me? When I have broken others with a more elegant tool than yours?" Memory of the formless Father distorted his superior voice into the shrill screech of a soul ignited in the Lake of Fire; one bleeding even now that the magnificence of saidin was denied.

"You've short work, Hand.  I freely admit my allegiance." He stared proud as one who encountered one of his own; a headsman to the grave digger. They were cut from the same cloth, the Hand and him. "When i've groveled under Shai'tan's weight and choked on the firesands at the Pit of Dhoom tell me why I should waste one of my immense thoughts on your demands.” He smirked.

"If you want me stripped, come do it yourself."  Or he could try, he tired of talking about it.

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  The Beauty of Violence
Posted by: Nox - 02-21-2023, 12:39 PM - Forum: The Scroll - Replies (1)

Visceral clips of a brutal fight spread across the internet.  Gore added for special affected made it all the more surreal.  That was the first edit.

A second video made the scene with the first fight -- same guy being bloodily beaten except this time he's winning and flinging the much larger fighter across the caged area with ease.

A third video reemerged from the depts of the internet when a connection was made.  A low watch count of a burlesque show of the insestual Egyptian love story between twin gods.  Comments connecting the three videos pulled it from the depths and the view count rose... "Was this the same man?"

The program billet for Kallisti showcased a new show -- The story of Hades and Persephone -- the name Nox scribbled across the billet with the other stage names.  

The connections were made and collage videos emerged.  The fights and the dance merging together to form horrific scenes of the uses of power.  Others edited music and pushed the beauty of the power.  It was a war of violence and beauty from both sides of the line.  Those for the channelers -- those against them.  

But the one thing it did was boost sales of online tickets for Kallisti opening Night!  



Nut/Ged Love Story - Both Fights sequences here - Opening Night Kallisti

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  Same Old Routine
Posted by: Allan - 02-20-2023, 01:57 PM - Forum: Government Facilities - Replies (9)

Nothing was the same after coming back from the tunnels.  Allan had a taste for battles before, it wasn't like they hadn't gone on missions before with Vellas.  But this was different.  There was never any real threat to his life before this fight.  Those things didn't care if we lived or died -- they prefered us dead if anything.  And Nox and his infinite wisdom had seen to all their precautions because he'd understood the monsters they fought.  He was arrogant and Allan wanted to hate him, but he didn't think hating him because he was good at his job was exactly the most logical thing to do.  But he at the Ascendancy's ear and that irked him most!

But he had to push all that aside and return to the day to day life of one of the nine.  The boring training.  The routine drills.  The patrols.  The one off missions here and there.  It all seemed very mundane after battling with others like him in an all out fight for his life.  There were other monsters in the world -- he wanted to hunt them -- kill them.  It almost drove him to pick up the bottle again.  It pained him to sit idle.

Allan took on anything and everything he could to keep his idle hands busy.  Including sneaking visits to the Ascendancy's chambers to read the book the Atharim had lost the day they attacked Nikolai Brandon.  It made Allan smile that he had something no others did -- access to this volume.  But that was another days reading -- today he was to meet a man -- a specially trained man and give him a tour of the place.  And to be of whatever service he could be.  He had become a glorified babysitter.  He hoped it was more to othat.  But he'd rather be doing things elsewhere.  But he waited for the man at the entrance to the underground facility.  Someone would show him the way here.

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  Far from 5th Avenue
Posted by: Colette Moreau - 02-20-2023, 02:03 AM - Forum: Greater Moscow - Replies (2)

“I made it!” she sent a message to Evelyn once the private plane touched down. Colette had only visited Dominance VII a few times on holiday. The Moreaus loved to visit the islands in particular. Never had she visited so far east, nor would she have imagined having a reason to do so.

Moscow held her in awe. She’d practically been glued to the window the last hour. For a girl raised in New York City, she should not have been so impressed, and she did everything she could to remain aloof. But she watched the sprawling land roll beneath the plane like she’d never glimpsed anything before.

When Evelyn told her that her work was going to have to be carried out in Moscow, Colette could not have been more skeptical. After a week of Evelyn’s persuasion, Colette consented to the plan. In truth, she knew that if she found the efforts fruitless, it would be easy to simply return home. She was giving the CCD a chance as much she was here to shape a new type of society.

It would be the middle of the night for Evelyn, so Colette did not expect a quick response. She sent similar messages to her family. It had been an effort to convince her parents to let her go. She wouldn’t have completely disobeyed their wishes, but it was certainly preferable to have their blessing.

Colette climbed from the car into the Moscow evening air. The city block reminded her of 5th Avenue, but the street was sparkling clean in comparison. There were no homeless to be seen. Everyone looked impeccable, although for this time of day, she was unsurprised that they were primarily dressed for business. The second she exited the vehicle, men in valet uniforms approached to take the many pieces of luggage. After swiping each an appropriate tip, she took a moment to study the buildings themselves.

For a girl born and raised in Manhattan, she was rather taken aback. The skyline was marvelous, but the buildings were higher and more fantastical than anything in Manhattan. No new high rises had gone up in the last twenty years, and one project on Central Park South was altogether abandoned unfinished. It was breath-taking.

The building that she entered was a hotel as far as she understood. It was owned by someone that she had never heard of but was apparently trustworthy enough to send her toward. Her family estate had arranged for a long-term occupancy until she found something more suitable. For now, she was content to sweep inside and be swallowed up by the new adventure.

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  Leon Corlinson
Posted by: Leon Corlinson - 02-19-2023, 04:29 AM - Forum: Biographies & Backstory - No Replies

“Why are you using that crap one?” His companion, Jim, squinted and held his hand over his eyes to block out some of light as he looked over. They had come to port and while most were gallivanting about, Jim and Leon were too frugal, and preferred to spend as little money as they could. They took over a table a ways down the pier, but each busied themselves with their own things.


It wasn’t a perfectly shaped piece, but as it was going onto his handmade mala inspired bead chain. “Perfection is the enemy of good, my friend.” He held onto the perfectly shaped pieces for a later project. He took up a small soldering iron, its tip ground to a fine point and pressed it to the pearl, melting a small divot for his drill to bite into and run through. Leon would check his work before putting it in a small bag and repeating the process.


“Okay but why pearls? You’re about as big of a cheap ass as I’ve seen.” He said while he turned his attention away to people watch. “Frugal is the word you want, not cheap. They’re my mamá’s favorite. Plus, they’re cheaper here in the South China Sea, so why not take advantage? Besides, they each have their own little stories.” He said pondering his next piece. His face twisted in curiosity as the bead seemed to twist in on itself, seemingly pulling him in as well. “And the stories are almost as interesting as the actual piece.”
__________________

Leon gasped for air as he felt a searing heat from his cheek. More convulsing than coughing, liquid mostly clear with tones of red through it spilled out of his mouth. Restrained as he was, he couldn’t move the water from his face. He became distinctly aware that he was cold, soaked, and naked. He took notice of the three large men in the room, large tub with metal grate propped up. Heavy and quick footsteps bounced off the concrete walls and floor. The sound weighed on his conscious, ominous, inevitable… and thrilling. Mostly, he felt fear and pain, but there was a hint of excitement painted through his emotions. He survived.

Roughly he was hauled to his feet and a third, quieter but even more oppressive figure drew closer. With a practiced motion, as if kicking away a piece of trash, a boot caved in his stomach, driving out the air in his lungs. Vice like grips kept him from falling again, when his head was hauled up as the woman snatched his hair. She stared at him, like a predator stalking the herd, judging if he were the weakest one to devour.

She smiled at him; it radiated her satisfaction, pleased with whatever she saw. Leon didn’t even know when she left his vision and drove her knee into his face. “Take him to the sparring room. Teach him.”

The oppressive feeling still clung to him even when he was being led away. The last thing he recalled was her parting instructions. “Break him.”

__________________

Leon was one of the larger sailors hitting the gym. The clacking of the plates, grunts and heavily breathing, the light conversations that were being had, and the smell of hard work and sweat began more apparent to him when in between sets. He and his föður would train as amature power lifters since he was eight, their way of bonding and a chance to practice their Icelandic language. It was a habit Leon kept up all these years later. It was often a place he reminisced about kayaking through the fjords of Iceland in the beginning of his summers, or sailing a sloop during the high-seasons of late summer back in Greece.

His parents and their extended familia pushed their off-springs to be active. Rock and ice-climbing with siblings and cousins were common activites to get out of an honest day’s work. As he grew older, he found himself working with an uncle and cousin more often than continuing avoiding jobs, finding pleasure in learning the carpentry trade.

__________________


“Busted right orbital socket, broken left clavicle, bruising of the right ribs, left hip dislocated.” The frustration in the man’s voice was palpable. “But please explain why you decided it was an appropriate time to practice your switch hitting?”


“C’mon, doc, at least we left his knees alone. Besides…”


Doc slammed his clipboard on the patient’s chest without a thought, “If you say its ‘character building’, I’ll skull drag you to the Ascendancy himself.”


“Alright Doc, we get it. How long will he be out? I don’t want to let him backslide.” The overseer asked, redirecting the conversation. Her tone indicated her displeasure.


He threw one last glare at the ape of a man across from him before looking at his notes and the patient. “Twelve hours. That assumes no combative training. That would take weeks naturally.”


“That’s fine. Thankfully, it’s almost been two years. This worker cycle is almost done. Let’s go.” She turned her on heels while the two men quicken their steps to keep up.


“Don’t damage his head anymore. He’s due to report to the CoD after all.”

__________________

It wasn’t the sideways rain, nor the muted flashes of light, or the groaning of the building overhead. It was the lack of pressure. Super Typhoon Yolanda was forecast to skirt the Philippines, but the high pressure system stalled out over the South China Sea, allowing the storm to run straight over the island nation before stalling, drowning the main island and port his fleet sought safety in.


Leon struggled as he read over the data streaming into the monitoring room. The region had seen similarly powerful system over a quarter of a century prior. Leon stood in awe of the magnitude of it. This would be the definitive storm of the century.


He looked over to one of the local senior meteorologists, who returned in gaze, waiting. “Wind load will be 525 newtons per sq. ft with current ten-minute sustained values. Newer or angular buildings will fare better, but with the sustained winds and the system stalled, older buildings or those with unidentified engineering flaws won’t do as well.” He didn’t want to comment on the potential loss of life; it wasn’t his field but he understood history. This would kill thousands and a good portion of those would likely never be recovered. “Luckily there’s only so much surface heat and water vapor.” Leon mentioned quietly while turning over his worksheet, but they both knew that it was only meant to be a comfort, not a hope. “But since this system came in from the south and is moving north and eastward, the winds are in alignment with the system’s movement. The winds will be much worse once the eye wall passes by. The front right quadrant seems to be locked in on Manila.”


“Report received, thank you. Return to your station.” The senior pressed a few keystrokes to, presumably, update those at senior command. Leon returned to his assigned desk, to watch helplessly as the radar slowly spun on the monitor.

__________________

The fog seemed to help Leon during his exercise of evading capture. The sound of quick steps, the crunch of grass and brush as something moved through, and the calls of birds overhead. With the barbaric team that hounded his steps over the past few days, he knew his capture was only a matter of time. Vindictiveness spurred him on, though. The longer he made them work, he thought, the more frustrated he hoped they would feel. They would take it out on him of course, but he reveled in the thought of them suffering at her hands.


He paused momentarily at a small stream of water to hydrate, though he tried to keep his head on a swivel. ‘Okay. I should make it to the goal by tomorrow.’ The objective was simple: make it to the rally point and successfully evade pursuit. Make it to the rally point; his time in training would be complete, and he could move on in the program. He left the stream after a moment, and walked down a ways before jumping across and moving towards the west. Eventually finding a suitable thicket of bushes to hunker down for a quick rest, he closed his eyes for a few moments and allowed his thoughts to drift.


There had been quite a number of times during his time here where he thought about quitting. That was the constant message the Overseer repeated. It’ll stop as soon as he says he couldn’t handle it. It was harder to remain quiet as they peppered him in a hail of rubber balls being shot at him. What they said, that they would love pain or that they would enjoy it, was also a lie. They enjoyed inflicting it. Pain that was felt only reminded you that you were alive still. The months he was moving through the program also taught him something about himself; that he, too, would enjoy inflicting it. He understood that he would need to be stronger, smarter, and better than his targets if he wanted to get to enjoy the sensation that his trainers enjoyed.


Leon began to feel something was off. His surroundings became quiet; the bird calls had long since fallen silent and he realized he had let his guard down.


“Come out, come out, my little field rat.”


‘Damnit.’


Much like his newly acquired nickname, he scurried away as quickly and quietly as he could, hoping the fog would continue to linger.

__________________

The entire team braced itself as the eye wall began its painfully slow movement. The wind rattled the reinforced walls. The metal groaned unnervingly as it resisted the howling tempest. What was terrifying, though, was the water. Water from the storm surge began to pound the walls, the sound echoing throughout the building, as another crash beat the building like a drum. The cacophony of sound and the pressure that was building inside was jarring. But panic set in when the water came in. The storm surge was much worse than predicted. Than it should be. Leon watched as the water poured in.


He knew what that meant. They all did. There wasn’t a way out. Water that high meant that the doors were submerged. There wasn’t anywhere to go. Once the realization hit, the terror set in. Then the screams rang out, followed by everyone scrambling like literal drowning rats. For Leon, time elongated. The sounds of falling water, of the terror-filled howling, and palpable fear became muted. He wasn’t calm, but also not frozen. His head was was surprisingly clear when he thought back on this event in the future.


He was filled with a boiling anger. He was so furious that everything he thought of doing during and after the service was gone. That he wouldn’t die surrounded by familial faces of bittersweet emotions of the good memories they all shared. That he didn’t get to share all the little stories he collected along with the pearls that he would share with his parents.


He felt, more than saw, something just past his reach, like when one could smell the sea but couldn’t see it. Each time he tried to touch it, it pulled away, seeming to tease and provoke. Leon’s suppressed outrage and desire for survival did not need to be goaded by some alien source. Incensed, he grabbed it and squeezed it with his intention like one would snatch a chicken to wring it’s neck.


He felt hot.


Powerful.


Divine.


Leon moved by instinct more than thought as he pulled on threads of yellow, of red, hands clasping at the chain of beads gathered through the years. The drop in temperature wasn’t enough to distract the others from their own impending doom. Leon continued to follow his impulse and stitched together thick bundles of the colors, encouraged by the change in surroundings. ‘More. I need more.’ He chanted to himself as he continued to struggle, to keep whatever it was that he held in a choke-hold. The runs that he hastily knitted together wrapped around the building like a blanket, turning the building into a thin iceberg if one were able to see it.


Heavy knots of yellows, reds, blues, and browns followed his directions and were sent towards the skies. Leon couldn’t tell what was happening outside, but knew on impulse that whatever this thing he was doing was, it would begin to disrupt the weather aloft.


A sound unlike anything Leon knew bellowed out, shaking everyone to their core. Even he was not immune to the shock, and the power that he held escaped his grasp as he watched the ceiling cave in. Above the sky was illuminated by never-ending flashes of lights from the sky and through the view was… a devil. A massive monstrosity; a creature that towered over all the other buildings around the port. Its gaze locked onto Leon as a clawed hand rose over head. Leon could not make out details, but he knew the creature wanted nothing more than to snuff the life from him. It was then he no longer felt powerful. He felt nothing more than an insect that he could crush beneath his boot without thought.


As the hand fell from the sky, destruction came in its wake. Leon didn’t see the events as he and others were found days later buried under the rumble. Nearly half the city was destroyed. Meteorologists claimed that never had a storm been so destructive and unusual, but just as strange, the storm moved back towards the Pacific Ocean and almost immediately began to lose strength and fall apart.


In the days following, Leon kept to himself what he had caused and witnessed. By the time he and the few other survivors were able to tell the tale, any physical evidence had been swept into the sea. Besides, who would have bothered to look for anything out of the ordinary. Everyone’s memories were in shambles, and he expected no one would believe him anyway. ‘Best to keep this quiet.’

__________________

God, did he hurt. He’d been strung up by his hands for hours. His captors, as it turns out, were informed of his goal ahead of time. A ‘practical life lesson that plans blow up and intel can be leaked.’ All seven of them took their turns offering ‘character building exercises’. These were experts; they knew just how much to inflict before risking permanent damage to their worker. Leon often thought that these… animals were loyal to the Ascendancy and CCD secondarily to their needs for enhanced interrogation.


He understood that their teams would be the ones sent before any actual troops were committed to any given theater of conflict. Find sympathizers, train them, and sabotage the enemy in a plethora of ways. He understood that it took a certain personality type. During his two years of being in the program, not a day passed that he was pleased with his choices.


With a jerk, his head was lifted to face his overseer, her abyssal eyes staring into his, searching. Disgust followed a moment after before she removed her grip. “Weak.” The idle chatter from the others stopped and waited. Fear wasn’t the word for the emotion that was most prevalent, it was respect. The Overseer was a beast unto herself. She moved towards Leon’s kit, rummaging through it before retrieving his mala beads. She motioned to the group over to Leon, signaling to cut him down. Quick to comply they moved towards him, releasing him with quick efficiency and leaning him back against the tree.


He turned his gaze to her waiting. “Worker, do you know why when someone completes our program we don’t label you as one of ours? We aren’t like Vega or ZAR that once you pass, you’re in. We don’t allow reservists.” She looked towards her compatriots.


“Kill him. Make it look like a training accident.”


To his credit, Leon didn’t plead or beg. His eyes wide with shock, confusion laid plain across his face. As he turned to look at the others, their faces never changed. For all their expressions, they may have been asked to change a light bulb. He looked towards the overseer and began to seethe. His mind recalled the powerlessness he felt years ago. The towering creature cloaked in storm. He survived it and he would do so again. He recalled throughout his time with them, when he touched upon that otherworldly power. Setting fire to warm himself, only to fall sick some time after. Influencing the fog to cling to the ground longer than natural.


Many of failures of his training coincided with his inability to survive during maneuvers. He’d grown unconsciously dependent on the magic he’d began to call seiðr, a Viking age magic practice that spoke of manipulating the weaves of fate. His anger steeled himself, the imagery of the prowling giant at the forefront of his mind as he took hold of the seiðr, it’s heat tempering his will as he began to pull on the threads of colored fate and began to weave his own fate.


“You’re right. I’m neither a hero nor a warrior, like those you mentioned before.” His tone gave the others pause. Even the overseer herself waited, though more curious that taken aback. “You all keep asking me for what I think the Spets are.” A massive dark cloud began to form overhead, sheet lightning dancing through it. The men quietly looked up, their own confusion clearly exposed. The overseer, though, showed her own suspicion, realization, and the fear as she put the puzzle together.


Leon grinned predaciously, his satisfaction plain to see. “The Spets are monsters, you see. Workers are those that all they do is to work at being a monster. We are a necessary evil, you see, because sometimes…”


Leon paused, allowing the tension to build as he watched them watch him. A clear and loud snap came from his fingers as wind began to blow. Downwards. He quickly wove a small barrier of yellow seiðr over his head as the cloud bulged downward before a dry microburst fell directly on top of them.


The winds rushed onto the group, it’s tornado-force winds snapping and bending trees out from its origin point and like an air blasted bomb, the straight line winds fanned out for over two and a half miles in diameter, sending the group off, landing among the debris.


After the event had died down and the heavy cloud drifted away, he severed the rope with his power. He was well aware that his ability was something that would attract the pinnacle of the CCD. That thought, however, was cast aside for a time as he sought and found the overseer. He mirrored her movements that he’d watched for two years now.


It was patient. Intentional. Like a predator stalking its prey. His satisfaction was plain for to see as he showed her his canines. He lifted her battered body up and leaned her on a nearby fallen tree.


“Because sometimes there are jobs only monsters can do.” He crouched down and reclaimed his beads from her, before he let his smile go, his eyes filled with disgust, as if looking at an unsightly insect. “Call it in, Overseer. Call for help.”

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  Colette Moreau
Posted by: Colette Moreau - 02-19-2023, 02:06 AM - Forum: Biographies & Backstory - No Replies

Chapter 1


A Sunday morning in May, 2038. Colette was 17 years old, and volunteering at a shelter in the center of Queens. The borough was flooded in 2020, the year before she was born, following the worldwide disasters most attributed to climate change. First, the coastline was destroyed by hurricanes. Then the water supply failed and public health was crippled. Long beach was never even rebuilt and remained under water to this day. Millions of people were affected, and all these years later, even the efforts of the city’s most affluent barely felt like it made a dent.

Colette had been volunteering in the shelter for years. The wealthy daughter of the Moreaus was followed by a private security detail, who even when she was handing out plates for a hot meal, hovered close. It was sunset when she left, exhausted and clutching her purse. The man walked alongside. He didn’t talk to her much except to understand what she was doing or who she intended to meet, but he was nice enough. She didn’t really think about it. He was just another employee of her parents. Suddenly he touched her on the arm and had them cross to the other side of the street. Then she saw why. The car they’d driven to the shelter was completely destroyed. Glass sparkled the curb all around. The doors were beaten in. The tires slashed and she was sure that the interior was no better.

She swallowed. The guard was on the wallet, calling for a new car immediately, but his gaze was constantly watching.
We’re going back,” he said. Colette nodded. He had been hired by her parents, but she still felt strangely vulnerable. There were eyes watching she’d never really noticed before.

They didn’t make it back to the shelter. A group of nine people confronted them. Hoods up, faces covered, some held knives and other handguns. The guard pushed her behind him. He had a gun of his own.

Colette couldn’t explain what happened. All she knew was there was a light one moment, then they were running the next.

Chapter 2

Eight years later, it was a Friday afternoon and Colette was minimizing the screens hovering above her desk. Her volunteerism was dramatically restructured after the incident in Queens, and her family sent her to help the community in other ways. Which was how she ended up working where she did now.

Her office was buzzing with similar sorts of last minute organizing. The Foundation’s offices always closed at 3:00 on Fridays, a policy that she advocated for last month in this position. She always said that their hard-working staff deserved a head start to their weekend, but in actuality, it was so that those who would be working the weekend social scene had a brief respite before plunging into it come sundown. Herself included.

The last screen dissipated just an incoming message dinged, but Colette waved it away. She could read it later. For now, she had a dinner meeting and wanted to have time to go home and change out of her usual workwear first. A moment later, her assistant peeked her head in.

“Colette, did you see it?”

Cole glanced up with a smile. Her assistant was Elle, a woman easily 10 years older than her. At 35 years, she was beautiful. None of the women associated with the Moreau companies went without access to beauty, and the pursuit of it seemed to be an unofficial job requirement. Stella believed that every woman no matter who they are deserved to feel beautiful, and a hundred years later, she would be proud to know they were. Sometimes Colette wondered about their priorities, but even she approved of handing out basic hygienic soaps and shampoos to the poor. So she walked the walk herself. She was a Moreau after all.

Elle entered the office then. Today her chocolate hair tumbled in soft waves across a Chanel dress. She was wearing high heels that made her legs look a mile long. A small set of diamond studs adorned her ears.

“No? See what?” Cole replied as she tucked a wallet into a pocket in her purse. Designer, of course. Such things were very important symbols. By then, she was standing as well.

Colette’s ignorance made Elle’s eyes sparkle, and she danced nearer.
Look what you just received!” and she turned the screen of the device in her palm for her boss to inspect.

“Oh my gosh!” she lit up and immediately placed a call. Tickets bought and paid for filled the view.

A moment later, she made a call, and a face full of mirth and amusement appeared. It was a man a few years older than her. He shared the same heart-shaped face and dimples as Colette. His hair was brunette, but strung with threads of gold in the light.
“Aloïs! Cousin! I would tell you that you really shouldn’t have done this but I then I would be lying because you absolutely should have! You know I love him!” she was practically squealing.

“Colette, it was either I get you these meet and greet tickets or I was going to hear about it all weekend!”

“Oh but it's opening night. I know actors are always nervous on opening night.”

“Broadway would have been bankrupt by now if it weren’t for you. I am sure that any actor would be happy to thank you for their job,” his pointed look was telling. But Colette would have none of it.


“Stop that now. You know that’s not how we are. The Moreau’s don’t expect gratitude like that,” she crossed her arms, but the light in her eyes remained. She glanced at Elle, who hovered nearby off-screen. She was listening, and it was to her that Colette smiled, “But I don’t say no if Mael Durand wants to grovel.” She laughed. Her favorite stage actor was debuting in a show that very night. They’d been at the same events in the past. Fundraisers in particular and sometimes a gallery exhibit opening, but it took a heavy name like Colette Moreau to lean into the pockets of the city’s waning rich to save the theatrical institution. She’d never met him though, but she knew all his work. Now it seemed that her cousin had pulled the strings of their family’s connections to secure a private meeting after the show for his biggest fan.

Aloïs noticed her side-bar comment. “Who’s with you?” he asked and Colette turned the screen. Elle fanned the attention away, but just as the camera settled, she fixed her boss with a look and greeted the other Moreau. He worked for the company proper rather than their charitable foundation, but he was a well known site on this side of things.

“It’s Elle! Colette how could you not tell me.” Cole shuffled around to stand at her friend’s shoulder. Colette was shorter than Elle, even in her heels, but Elle seemed to want to shrink at the attention. She had an insane crush on Aloïs Moreau for years, though Colette had no idea how they ever met in the first place. Her cousin was an even larger socialite than even Colette, and he was handsome enough to be a New York heart throb well before he started working at Stella Moreau. His trust fund was substantially bigger than Colette’s, too as he had no siblings to share it. What Colette never quite figured out was if the crush was bidirectional. Aloïs was a natural flirt with everyone. She shook her head.

Elle smiled in greeting, “You two are going to have so much fun,” she said.

But Colette gasped. “Us three you mean!” Just as a third ticket populated the screen. “I can’t meet Mael Durand by myself. You have to come. I won’t take no for an answer.”

After the call ended with Aloïs, Colette approached Elle. “In all seriousness, only if you feel like coming, of course. There’s no pressure at all, but I hope you can.” Elle thanked her but said she was definitely up to the evening. They both rushed home to get ready. It was going to be a spectacular night.

Chapter 3

The three stepped into their private box at the Majestic Theatre. The heavy beads of her dress slumped around her ankles as Colette sat in the middle seat. At her right, her cousin offered her a glass of champagne. He teased her about it, but he was as much a fan of the theatre as she was. He wore a beautiful Valentino tuxedo, one that Colette hadn’t seen him in before. In fact, she had commented on it when she climbed into the limousine and viewed him there.  On the other side was Elle. She wore an elegant black dress. Simple, with ruching across the waist, and it fit her beautifully.

At Intermission, the audience filtered into the lobby. Those from the upper boxes had their own room, though. Colette was handed a fresh glass of champagne, just as a hand grazed her arm. Elle split off to find the restroom, and Colette discreetly gave her directions. She joined Aloïs after that. He was sweeping fresh headlines on the Scroll, but it was the serious expression that made Colette ask a question.

“What is it, cousin?” she peeked over his shoulder.
“Have you seen this?” he turned the view for her gaze. It was a headline from the CCD. Straight out of Moscow itself. 

They were both transfixed by the story and accompanying video. When it was over, she realized that they were not the only ones hovering above screens and speaking in whispers. There was irrefutable proof of magic in front of them, and the figure that had come to dominate most of the world was a source of it. A tightness grew in her chest, though she wasn’t sure what it was she feared exactly. She hadn’t much involvement in such politics or debate as what currently occupied American media. Should the US join the CCD or not? Colette deferred to her family’s opinion on such things, and so far even they were undecided. At their height, the SMC was valued at 100 billion dollars (USA), but the dollar was not what it once was and the CCD was incubating competitors.

It was startling to say the least. Then she realized that Aloïs was pale. His face drawn, lips turned low. She blinked and laid her hand on his. “Are you okay?” Then the chimes rang their warning the show was about to restart. He licked his lips, tucked the wallet away and swallowed his whole glass of champagne in one gulp. He was disturbingly quiet the rest of the night. Colette did not press him. She understood why, and she had her own reasons to procrastinate upon such thoughts.

The end of the show brought the audience to their feet. Many dabs were taken to eyes, Colette’s included, in order to spare her makeup from tears. The show was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet but set during World War I. No wonder everyone was crying at the end. Colette dabbed the corners of her eyes again.

The cast returned to the stage for their accolades. The lead actor bowed with a flourishing of his costume before inviting his actress compatriot to join him up front. They clasped hands and bowed together to enthusiastic praise, but it was Mael Durand that stole the show. In that moment his heated gaze swept the audience, Colette thought that he had looked right at her and she clapped all the more vigorously for it.

The Moreau cousins and their friend were promptly allowed into a VIP suite. There was fresh champagne. Lights twinkled the ceiling and chatter filled the air. Colette thought perhaps there were whispers from the news out of Moscow, but it felt no more concerning than any other type of gossip. Strangely, Aloïs went straight to the bar. He wasn’t unaccustomed to a night on the town, but Colette did not often see him drink like this. He was disturbed by the news, but no matter how much she asked, he dismissed the concern. Theirs was a family that spoke of serious matters only behind the privacy of locked doors. So she did not press him, but she intended to do so the first moment possible.

She was immediately introduced to the director, head conductor and stage manager who all waited within. They swept aside and lavished praise, knowing she was their patron, but it was Colette that padded applause for their artistry. “Please, it is I who stand in your greatness,” she told them with a reassuring smile.

The director, a slender man of about 50, was caught by movement and gestured, “Miss Moreau, please allow me to introduce our star, Mael Durand,” Colette’s stomach fluttered then as she turned.

He was about Aloïs’ height, and maybe a few years older. Honestly, it was almost impossible to tell since he just seemed ageless. Regardless, he must have changed and washed up. There was no trace of stage makeup and his hair gleamed freshly styled like maybe he had taken a quick shower. He wore a black button-down shirt open at the collar, untucked over form-fitting slacks. Simple and appropriate, but with the lackadaisical looseness of an artist riding the highs of adoration. He was just so different from her world of prim and proper breeding. It stole her breath as it seemed to for others. Indeed, the group had to part to let him pass. There were claps on his shoulders, and praise followed him like puppies.

Colette dipped her head in greeting. She was accustomed to gratitude, but when he clasped her hand and kissed her knuckles, her brows rose with genuine surprise. It made her feel like a goddess. “Miss Moreau, we would not be here without you. You have my unending gratitude,” he said. His natural accent was foreign, which she hadn’t heard when he delivered his lines. The WWI version of Romeo was American. 

The director laughed. “Our Romeo, ladies and gentleman!” and the group chuckled.

It was late into the night before Colette, Elle and Aloïs left.

Chapter 4

Outside a heavy sleet was falling. It was the holiday season, though, which made the wintery weather feel all the more seasonal. The limousine pulled up to the street, and arm in arm, the girls picked their way over the growing slickness on the sidewalk. Colette’s gaze lingered on a broken string of twinkle lights, but she didn’t think much of it. The fact there were decorative lights at all told them of the richness of this part of Manhattan. Year after year and there were fewer luxuries. Even the Rockefeller Center tree had ceased coming years ago. Elle climbed in beside her, and Aloïs slipped in from the other side. A few moments later, the car rolled into traffic.

“That was one of the most incredible performances I’ve ever seen,” Elle regaled. When she lay her head against the seat, she sighed dreamily.

Colette grasped her hand. They were both wearing winter gloves. “Are you still feeling okay?” Alois looked over, but he wasn’t aware of Elle’s secret. So Elle waved away the question. Her eyeliner smeared under one eye where she had wiped away tears. She’d sobbed at the end of the play.
“Yes, I’m fine. Sleepy though,” she replied. “It’s late.”

Colette signaled the driver. “Brief change of plans. Let’s drop off Elle at her house then we’ll go uptown.” Alois looked over. They’d all planned to attend an after-party. Elle’s home wasn’t far out of the way, but they would need to take a bridge. Luckily, traffic was strangely light this evening. It wouldn’t take them long.

Colette hushed her cousin before he protested. Elle put up a mild resistance, including the suggestion that they go to the party first and she can be taken home afterward. However, Colette was insistent. Alois was reading more Scroll articles and not paying attention. She pulled out her own wallet, and together they were reading the reviews of the show. Mael was being doted upon of course, and there were talks of awards and stardom in his future. The party scene was growing warm, and Colette put out messages to find out who would and would not be there. Elle had closed her eyes by then.

They were on the midtown bridge when suddenly the vehicle slid. Colette gasped, pushed into Elle’s shoulder, by the later movement who was herself pushed into Alois’. There wasn’t time to process. A force slammed back. They screamed. Terrifying weightlessness followed. Then noise like a bomb went off and everything was dark.

The next thing she knew, Colette was being pulled. Her head throbbed. Her arm and leg felt like they were on fire. She moaned, and dared to open her eyes. There was glass everywhere. The smell of gasoline wafted on the wind. The icy road was under her and sleet pelted her face. That was when she realized she wasn’t even in the car.

Elle? She looked over. A body was next to her. Still and twisted, but she was so weak she couldn’t hardly move toward it.

“Help..” said a weak voice nearby.
“Elle?” she called out. When Colette tried to move, the dark world spun. The lights of the bridge blurred to smears. Then the pleading for help fell quiet, and alarm spiked to near panic. “Elle? Elle!” she tried to move. Glass tore at her palms. Sleet had turned to ice and she found no traction.

That was when she saw a shape move nearer. “Alois?” she blinked as the figure stooped over where Elle lay. He was still for a time, then he hurried to her. Strong arms scooped her up like a doll, and in the closeness, she could see his face. Amid a deadly serious gaze flashed the sort of smile to offer comfort to one that direly needed it.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said, then he sort of stared at her and cold flushed her bones like she was dipped in ice.

The next moment, the dizziness fled. The cuts and bones stitched themselves together. The pain was gone.

She took a deep breath, and his gaze came into focus.
“Oh my god,” she uttered and snaked her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
“You’re going to be okay,” he spoke into her hair then helped her stand. She hobbled in her heels and had to lean on him. In that moment, the fullness of the scene came into horrific view. The vehicle must have slid on the icy roadway. They had crossed traffic and hit another vehicle head on. There were multiple bodies ejected. The vehicles crumpled. One was close to the edge of the bridge.

As soon as he was sure she was standing on her own, he rushed off to go to the aid of the people from the other car. Colette and Elle swarmed into each other’s arms. It was a miracle. Together, they just held each other while Aloïs went from person to person. Like a filtering angel of mercy, most of those he touched were standing soon after. Their driver was the only one unable to be saved. It had been too late for him.

Emergency lights were flashing in the distance, and the flood of adrenaline was leaving her weak as a kitten. Aloïs returned to them, confirming they were okay. Blood speckled his clothes, but it wasn’t his.

“How did you—?” she asked, white as a sheet. Suddenly, the image of that video out of Moscow flashed her memory. The clues pieced themselves together. His reaction to seeing it.

“You saved us? You saved all these people!” she couldn’t believe it. “Have you done this before?” Elle put a hand to her stomach just then, understanding just how many lives he had saved.

He just kind of shrugged. “I can’t really control it. It just kind of happens,” he admitted. The sirens were close enough to hear by then. Witnesses were amazed and terrified. But then he licked his lips, and a grimace flashed his face.

“Aloïs?” she asked, concerned. Then she gasped.

He fell to his knees, clutching his head.

She followed him down. Elle started waving at the ambulance to come toward them, but he was ignoring her.

Then he started screaming. The emergency technicians halted, daring to not come any closer despite Colette’s pleading that they do something. They knew what it was they witnessed.

The Sickness.

Aloïs was dead within a minute.

Chapter 5 

The funeral was tragically sad, and for Colette especially, it was heartbreaking. She shared the truth of what happened to her cousin with her family. How he had used this magic that was sweeping the world to save them only to perish himself moments later. Nobody knew he had been going through the Sickness, but clues began to take shape. It was all kept quiet, of course, and the Moreau family made sure to take care of the victims in the wreck. Non-disclosure agreements maintained Aloïs’ legacy. Even the ambulance drivers had put down that he had died of injuries sustained in the wreckage rather than the triggering phrase that he died screaming. There was no connection between the New York royal family and the Sickness after that.

Except Colette. She knew the truth, and it wasn’t right. She declared as much to her grandfather, implored him to do something. But there was nothing that could be done to bring Aloïs back he explained. So Colette took matters into her own hands.

Channelers had become a household word the past few months. Of course, the majority of these stories came from the CCD, and the most famous of them all was Nikolai Brandon, whose exploits had disturbed Aloïs the night he died. But America was not without their own spokespersons. Evelyn Avalon quickly became a familiar face and advocate for channeler rights in their own nation. So Colette took a trip to DC. She arrived with a large donation for Evelyn’s campaign and a plan for how that money might be spent. What she found was something she never imagined.

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  Aiden Finnegan and a God? (The Ascendant News Network)
Posted by: Aiden Finnegan - 02-15-2023, 03:04 AM - Forum: The Scroll - Replies (1)

<Transcript of a video recently posted to The Ascendant News Network’s website.>

“Good evening, Moscow. This is Mila Babanin, culture correspondent for the Ascendant News Network, and we are joining you live tonight from outside the Kallisti, where a large crowd has formed. We were surprised to find that the rich and the famous have come out in a show of force to this modest nightclub for a night of dancing and drama.

Infamous rockstar turned author, Aiden Finnegan, was seen arm in arm with an unknown, dark-haired man. Recent sightings of the reclusive celebrity have mentioned this same man, stirring whispers of a suspected relationship between the two of them. Ascendant News Network has not been able to confirm the identity of this mystery man that Aiden Finnegan has seemingly entangled himself with.

Indeed, the rumors were all but confirmed when local playboy, Jaxen Marveet, met with Aiden outside of the club – calling the mystery man an ‘ex-lover’ of Aiden’s. Marveet made headlines in the past months with his own one-night cabaret. Aiden Finnegan was reportedly in attendance to that same show. Was that night the beginnings of an enticing love triangle?

Shortly thereafter, a surprising display of lights and vocal tricks served to remind us of that night. Jaxen Marveet and the crowd surrounding him were covered in a strange red glow as blue flames erupted above the playboy’s head. The Ascendant News Network has to ask was this the display of a God? Indeed, reports from Marveet’s one-night cabaret seem to corroborate this theory.

We would like to remind our viewers that this is not a confirmed fact about Jaxen Marveet.

Jaxen was then seen kissing Aiden on the red carpet, causing our mystery man to lash out and storm off from the entangled duo. Aiden returned the kiss before loudly telling Marveet that the two men would have to fight for his affections. The pair entered the venue separately amidst whispers and flashing cameras.

We were unfortunately turned away at the door, and so we will be waiting eagerly outside the venue for further developments on this steamy romance. Aiden Finnegan and a God? The Ascendant News Network will be the first to tell you.

I’m Mila Babanin for the ANN, thanking you for watching. Tune back in later tonight for a post-show update.

<End transcript.>


 
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