EVENT #21: SPECTER - IC LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #21 - Specter

OOC Event Log ⦁ Nocwich

In light of the odd happenings throughout September, it might take a few days or longer for you to notice that yet more is going on. Perhaps you catch your neighbor walking out of their house in a daze at midnight, or the bartender tells you his wife went missing two days ago. Maybe the fisherman claims he found his friend staring into the lake in horror before wading into the water and nearly drowning.

Whether you investigate further or dismiss the stories, you soon find yourself confronting some hauntings of your own.

Participating in the hauntings is optional! For players who wish to opt-out, characters can help others or attend the Eifstide festivities. You may also play with the onset aspects only. The hauntings do not need to escalate beyond the onset stage.

Haunting Echoes

For some of you, the incidents don't stop with your neighbors. They begin to impact you, as well. Indeed, after the eerie effects of the Heralds, you might even think they've returned. However, you realize this appears to go beyond Gods or spells. Instead, it's as if the land itself is crying out...the echoes of which you are absorbing.

How affected you are depends on how vulnerable you might be to such specters, the number of regrets or fears you have, and how much of your past follows you into the world of Abraxas.

Onset

Whether it begins while you're awake or asleep, or both, the effects are subtle at the start. You might shake it off as a lack of sleep or a trick of the light before you understand what's truly going on.

◎ Waking Visions

If awake, you'll notice it first in shadows and reflections. Mirrors and windows are common sources, but it can be anything where you might glimpse yourself in its surface: the blade of your sword, a polished dinner plate, or the side of some steel machinery.

What do you see? Is it the face of a terrible monster? Your own corrupted features? Someone you lost who's returned? It might not be a person at all. You might catch a splatter of blood across the sawblade you're using that isn't there. You may see your eyes bleeding when brushing your hair in the mirror or spiders crawling from the ceiling.

Alternatively, your glimpses might be surprisingly pleasing rather than frightening. As you apply your makeup, you find it looks incredibly nice - a surprise when you normally struggle to like how you appear. Of course, as you walk by a shop window later, you realize, to your confusion, that your lipstick is smeared, as though applied wrong. How could that happen? What's your real image? You may need to ask someone to discern the reality.

None of these tricks will last long. They could be accompanied by whispers or be solely visual.

◎ Lucid Dreams

While dark and frightening imagery can occur in your dreams, other aspects may be involved. For instance:

If you often have trouble sleeping, you'll notice that while you've more easily started falling asleep, you also dream immediately. You may find it difficult to tell when you're awake or not. You "dream" of sitting down to read a book...then discover that the pages are bleeding or the ghost of someone you lost appears over your shoulder. When you jolt awake, you're right where you dozed off on the same couch, book in hand. Everything is normal once more.

If you're prone to nightmares, you might experience something unusual: your dreams begin to take on some oddly cheerful aspects. Bright flowers bloom where you usually dream of corpses, or your stormy skies become sunny. The incongruous images might cause the scene to feel more unsettling. They can either overtake the dream or appear in subtler ways.

Most significantly, regardless of your experiences when asleep, they are strangely vivid. Further, you have to wonder, are you seeing glimpses of someone else's dreams overlapping with yours? Like ink bleeding through a page, the imagery creeping into your dreams could belong to another Summoned and vice versa. As the days continue, you might even see that person for brief periods.

Escalation

As the hauntings grow stronger, the effects equally increase in frequency and intensity.

◎ Whether they're visions or dreams, the brief and unusual flashes grow more frequent, last longer, or increase in intensity. Soon, you begin to see things that aren't there. You start to question reality. You find yourself in places you don't remember traveling to. Perhaps you end up at the market stalls with no memory of how you got there...or somewhere more dangerous, like the ocean or the forest. It may be that you're sleepwalking, or you could simply be following a nonexistent figure without realizing it.

◎ Other Summoned begin to see what you do. Eventually, they become drawn into your visions or dreams - or you into theirs. Your visions start to blend into a surrealist experience and you become trapped in the scene. You realize that danger lurks nearby, but your ability to affect or control your environment is limited. After all, you don't know that this is a dream. It feels so very real, though you may recognize that some of what's happening shouldn't be possible. You'll have to rely on each other and your wits to make it.

When inside a waking vision or lucid dream, characters will not know that it's an illusion regardless of how impossible the scenario or events might be. They'll behave as if the stakes are real.

Players can write the dreams and visions however they wish. The danger can be genuinely serious or something lighthearted that characters treat solemnly. For example, characters could be attacked by a monster or they could be fleeing from a giant chihuahua that's a manifestation of somebody's fear of dogs. The atmosphere of the thread is entirely up to you!

Dispelling

As you navigate the illusion you're trapped in, you eventually stumble across an Arcana sign. By now, you're familiar with the symbols. The one you see depends on what choice you made during the previous event: it may belong to you, it may belong to the person you're with, or it might be that of Justice - the Arcanum of Zorne, the Herald of Last Blood.

It'll appear anywhere: floating in the air, hidden in a vault that needs to be cracked, or held in the mouth of a dangerous animal. Regardless, you understand instinctively that you must retrieve it and that it's the only thing that'll help you. There could be multiple Arcana signs if the others with you manifest their own, but only you can activate yours.

There won't be any doubt which one is yours, either. The symbol's shape will carry an identifying mark somewhere on it or around it that you know inherently belongs to you, such as runes in your native tongue, your family crest, or equivalent.

The moment you reach for it, it begins to heat up until you can hardly stand it. Then it shatters, leaving behind the very thing you need to break free of this vision or dream once and for all.

See the Plotting Post for an OOC explanation of how the dispelling mechanic works and the impact of previous choices.

Eifstide

Although the incidents can be disturbing, the majority of Abraxas is either unaffected or only mildly affected. Most are preoccupied with the upcoming Eifstide celebration. Additionally, Nocwich has opened its doors for the Summoned to enjoy their version of Eifstide. They intend to provide a brief haven for any who want to get away from the troubles of war for a bit.

Of course, this doesn't mean everyone's safe. If you catch your neighbor walking off in a daze, you should probably try to help. You might also hear about a child who's run off and gone missing or somebody operating dangerous magical equipment at the lumber mill.

For aiding locals, players are free to come up with scenarios on their own. Situations may occur in the major three territories or Nocwich. If you have any questions or require further details, just ask!

Eifstide in the Major Territories

Thorne

Throughout THORNE, the cities and towns turn red and orange with decorations befitting the season, with garlands hanging between lampposts and awnings. Carved gourds are placed on windowsills and in entranceways of homes and businesses alike, with the gentle flickering of magical flames inviting family and friends to come in and enjoy a cup of warm cider. Eifstide is a happy fare, a time to gather and share in the company of the people you care about the most and share what you have with strangers.

Children run around in cobbled-together costumes of old clothing and hats, mimicking the university students of Hayle or the scarecrows that now stand as décor throughout the town. This year, though, they may ask for something from you to add to their costume: your trusty hammer, a feathered hat, or your scarf. They'll also Roam from house to shop to market, asking for Blessings in the form of treats and toys from anyone they see. The most popular blessing is the dolls, whose outfits and designs change year to year. Possessing the prettiest or best-made doll is a sure status symbol in the following months.

The spirit of the season peaks during the street fair on the final night. A plethora of seasonal goods like pastries and sugared nuts, jars of preserves and pickled vegetables, and crafts made from natural materials are sold for cheap so that patrons of all classes can enjoy them. Shop to your heart's content! The night concludes with the releasing of the lanterns into the sky, a symbol of carrying the light of summer into the darkness of the incoming winter.

In Nott and Borrel, the festivities are nearly the same as that by Castle Thorne, if with a more nautical flair. There's far more seafood available, and popular costumes include sailors and mermaids. They send their lanterns over the sea, and it's common to give little strands of unsellable pearls as a blessing.

Additionally, Queen Lia is rumored to be visiting Nott this year, but without the usual royal fanfare or her husband. She can be spotted in town, dressed plainly and giving Blessings to the children or encouraging her own children to explore the sights. Nonetheless, as the Queen of Thorne, she's followed by a few guards wherever she goes. While they do their best not to intrude, they're not difficult to pick out.

The Free Cities

In THE FREE CITIES, the weeks leading up to Eifstide provide a boost in local trade and commerce. Even with the unprecedented inflation due to recent conflicts, the markets are full and lively as citizens of every standing buy up all the party supplies that they can. Dark costumes depicting older periods in history are always popular while the grim decorations often contain a touch of humor like smiling skulls or signs that cheekily say "wish you were here" over a tombstone. Despite the dark and mysterious energy, Eifstide is undeniably a celebratory affair in the Free Cities. Locals may ask for assistance in hanging decorations or carrying supplies from the markets and storehouses. Just don't be surprised if a few good-natured pranks happen along the way. Usually, this involves children jumping out of bushes in "frightening" costumes or making scary noises from behind the trees.

Recent incidents aside, local museums continue with their plans to host macabre exhibits and art walks. If you have your own pieces to contribute, donations are highly encouraged. This year also includes a ghost tour in each city. The tour in Cadens follows the final path of a platoon defending the outskirts, Aquila's tour follows the exploits of a charming con man who met his end fleeing from authorities, and the tour in Libertas follows the sad story of a starving artist who famously cut off their drawing hand to force themselves to paint in a new way. Tours are scheduled regularly and can be joined at any time with only a small donation!

Parties held in individual homes are also popular. They frequently spill out into the streets and strangers are usually invited inside - including the Summoned. Laughter can be heard from dusk until dawn. Seances and spirit boards are common. Ironically, the spirit boards are twice as popular this year due to the eerie phenomenon that occurred last month. It seems all the frights and rumors have only made people more eager than ever to try their luck, hoping that it means they'll be able to contact a real ghost for once. You might be asked to join as an observer or direct participant.

Solvunn

In SOLVUNN, Eifstide is a somber occasion. In contrast to the festivities of Thorne and The Free Cities, the end of the harvest is when death walks amongst the living. The lighthearted attitude about getting the work done before noon is almost gone, its residents working harder and longer hours as if a fire was being lit under their feet. Children may take time from lessons to help and any volunteers from the Summoned are welcome and almost expected. Whether it be harvesting crops, turning the earth, delivering goods, or tending to livestock, everyone must do their part before proper preparations can begin.

In the days leading into Eifstide, wreaths of branches and bone are carefully crafted and hung upon the doors and walkways about houses and any buildings where animals sleep. Lines of salt or soot are placed in front of the door and the hearth. The work can be done by any family member or friend but a Summoned's hand is considered blessed, so your involvement would be pivotal to the particularly pious.

Daylight hours are spent in small groups with family and neighbors in quiet contemplation and reverence. The elders ask for Summoned volunteers to assist with warding rituals. You can decline if you wish, but locals will doubtlessly feel more secure seeing you smudge with sage around the Settlements. At night, all stay indoors and don the masks they created the days prior. This is to confuse any gods and spirits should they not be deterred by the wards on the doorways.

On the night of Eifstide, all gather at the center of the Primary Settlement where the Council members perform sacrifices of small animals born the week prior, each doing their ritual for the safety and prosperity of their settlement as well as for those who reside there.

Eifstide in Nocwich

Eifstide isn't as large of a celebration in Nocwich as Wintertide, but the Lunae and Ikorrans still observe a few traditions. For the werewolves of Luna, Eifstide is about hunting, while for the vampires of Ikorr, Eifstide is about memories.

Oleuni Square

Traditions in Oleuni Square are tailored for visitors rather than the culture of either Luna or Ikorr. As a result, you'll find a wide array of treats, drinks, and decorations not unlike what's available in your home territory with the usual Nocwich twist: glowing flowers, decorative bottles of blood wine, and appropriately spooky "dolls" knit from yarn spun using werewolf fur.

Tattoo artists will also offer discount prices for their unique glowing tattoos with set designs themed for the holiday season. If you pass by one of their booths, you'll be coaxed to take a look and consider getting a piece!

Taverns, inns, and gambling dens will also offer themed specially themed cocktails, including a delicious apple cider and spiced wine. All in all, the Square is bustling with tourists eager to leave behind the troubles of war and spend a few days enjoying themselves.

Luna

To prepare for the upcoming winter, hunting is an important part of fall. Thus, Eifstide in Luna has been structured around this need. The werewolves demonstrate their connection to Solvunn by also donning masks made of bone and antler during this period. However, rather than for any ceremonial reason, the masks are worn by hunting parties instead. They're seen as a symbol of good luck.

If you're interested in joining a hunting party, the Lunae will be happy to have you along. You'll be warned that it can be dangerous and that they won't slow down or stop if you fall behind. If you can keep up, though, you'll get the chance to hunt a variety of beasts in several forests around Luna. The most popular animal to hunt is the Fisceime. Wildly populous and destructive to the environment in large numbers, hunting them is an important aspect of maintaining the ecosystem.

Should you not be the hunting type, you can instead visit the Trail of Unseen Eyes. Here, masks from previous hunting parties over the years are displayed along a path that winds around all of Luna. Following this trail will take you to some beautiful views and popular spots in which you can dine or shop.

If you're the collector type, you can obtain a small booklet containing lovely sketches of specific masks and a small hint as to where they might be. Participating shops and inns will stamp your booklet if you can locate the shop displaying the mask matching the one in your booklet. Earn enough stamps and you'll receive a modest gift basket filled with cured meats, cheeses, and jams!

Ikorr

Due to the long-lived nature of vampires, typical concepts of spirits and the dead are not a part of Eifstide. Instead, Ikorrans revisit the past by sharing old memories. Many will use the opportunity to visit a friend they haven't seen recently or recreate an important event in their history. Couples might dine at a restaurant where they had their first date or a group of friends might dress in the same outfits they wore to a memorable party years ago.

Though your memories may not be as from long ago, you're invited to do the same. Why not recreate a fond memory with a friend?

You can also honor old memories by weaving a wreath of flowers using the unique glowing blooms that grow in Ikorr. Use colors and florals that remind you of someone or something important. You're encouraged to describe what you're making. It's considered not only polite to provide an answer when asked, but it's also courteous to ask others in return about what they're making.

Once your wreath is complete, you can take it home or gift it to someone. Those who carry a wreath in Ikorr will receive tokens from shops and stalls they visit. The tokens consist of small samples of desserts, miniature bottles of wine, beautiful colored crystals, and scented candles.

---

Comments

rowena macleod ★ solvunn ★ the high priestess

[magike]

starters below!! all open unless otherwise noted
notes on my plotting comment ♥

★ waking visions (solvunn + nocwich)

[magike]

( there's been as much confusion to her first week and a bit that had made rowena not entirely certain what to believe. the strange pamphlet of information that those in solvunn seemed to peddle hadn't helped and whilst rowena had asked questions... that always led to more questions. whilst discovering that her magic was actually in tact had been something of a relief for her it hadn't been settling enough.

in solvunn she spends a lot of time alone, though most of it she can be found across the settlement or in the woods. there are moments where rowena forages, gathering ingredients and pieces that may be useful in a spell to her, though other parts that seem entirely more meditative. spending time with nature, communing really, trying to ground herself and feel the nature and magic of this place... things she hasn't drawn from since she was a much younger witch but something she helps will strengthen her magic here. (in the hope that it's not a byproduct of her being dead).

except it's during some of these more meditative moments that she realises that something else doesn't feel right. at first, rowena can't put her finger on it but the longer that she spends in the woods the clearer it becomes -- a whisper, not the wind but a voice that's far more familiar to her. lucifer. and though she knows that he's not in solvunn it doesn't stop her from feeling that same fear, from making her seek somewhere that feels more secure: somewhere with people.

in nocwich she spends the time there a little more exploratory, asking questions about things that she finds in the market, querying some of the food, and certainly trying to charm others into buying something for her, not really yet having gotten any money to her name.

but that voice hasn't left her, and throughout the market, glimpsing into some of the reflective surfaces she even feels like she sees him, startling a little, turning in expectation of him being there but never actually seeing the devil himself. though none of that stops the very clear fear from being on her face )

𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑤𝑖𝑐ℎ

[righteously]

( As she travels through the market, that reflection — fleeting though it may be, gone the moment she looks — seems to be happening more often. The time between each glimpse gets shorter and shorter, the frequency rising, and what's worse is that the reflection seems closer every time, too. What starts as a distant figure some yards away, becomes the hint of a smirk just on the outskirts of her personal space. Inch by inch, closer and closer, until one glimpse is within arm's reach, and the next-

A hand clamps down on her shoulder.

Rowena startles and turns, only to be met with Dean blinking in surprise at her reaction, letting go of the gentle grip he'd settled on her and instead raising his hands up in surrender immediately. )

Woah, hey- easy. You okay?

( She is not, in his experience, the jumpy type. That's an immediately concerning response. )

[magike]

( the more that rowena sees lucifer, the closer that he feels as if he's looming right over her shoulder the more afraid that she feels. so when dean's hand grasps her shoulder a spell is quickly pulled to her, and only a split-second of realising that it's dean with her stops her from casting that spell, from throwing him across the market.

so there's a pause in response to his question, rowena grounding herself again, taking the security that she feels in having dean winchester by her side. and taking a few deep breaths )

He's here.

( and rowena knows that she doesn’t have to explain who he is for dean to understand, not when they'd already spoken about him once. she might have confronted him once, maybe kicked his ass a little with her own magic, but it didn't stop this particular archangel from terrifying her. her experiences were too much, and he didn't need power to get under her skin )

[righteously]

( Ah, yes, that would've sucked big ol wangs. It's been a hot minute since he's been a victim of the whole supernatural force flinging him into the nearest wall thing (though... not as long as he'd like), and even the Witcher signs and three years of Singularity gifts wouldn't really be enough for him to deflect it.

If it helps cement Rowena's certainty of who he is at all, she might find comfort in the fact that he's wearing a flannel shirt. Yes, it's over a peasant Henley and literal breeches, and yes the 21st Century Earth plaid flannel is in direct contrast to literally every other person wandering around this market square, but does he care? Absolutely not. These bitches just started showing up one day, he's going to wear them whether or not they're fashionable and the world can eat his ass about it.

Once she seems to recognize him well enough, his hands slowly lower — hovering in her general area like his impulse is to touch her again, but he's got enough restraint to know better. )

He's here- who's here? Lucifer? Lucifer's here?

( It's a rapid fire flurry of questions because they fall out of his mouth in tandem with the dots connecting in his brain, and they're followed by a quick and thorough examination of the surrounding area. An assessment that comes up... relatively lacking.

Slowly, carefully: )

...are you seeing him now?

( Look, man, it wouldn't be the first time he's dealt with halLucifer okay, plus this place pulls some weird shit. He's gotta check. )

[magike]

( there's a mild look of impatience that in the time it takes for dean to connect the dots, though her panic disarms some of the strength of it. and he gets on the same page, leading to an important question.

her expression says yes, giving him a look as if to say why else would i feel like this but she does at least look past him, look for where she'd felt lucifer standing, where she'd last seen him and-- nothing. no archangel.

so she keeps looking, checking different directions in case he moved a little until-- )

Bollocks.

( though it felt such a lucifer move, creep up on her only to disappear once dean was there )

He was here. I saw him-- heard him.

( believe her, dean, is the beg that she'd never actually beg )

nocwich

[theidlemaiden]

[ Hilda hadn't been following the woman. It was purely an unfortunate case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time just as Rowena's reality snaps back into place.

She had been peering over a display of jewelry mostly shopping for inspiration than actually buying anything when the woman beside her sharply turns, wide-eyed and fearful. Hilda startles herself, but after a moment concern floods her features. ]

Is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.

[ It occurs to her a moment later that she could have seen something that wasn't there. Jumping to those sorts of conclusions isn't technically in Hilda's nature (at least, she would claim that that was the case despite her penchant for dramatics), but with everything that had been going on it made the most sense. ]

[magike]

( she'd been enjoying the glimpses around the market, the view into another world and what they valued. at least until her nightmares had started showing up. she'd seen them with dean and whilst he'd made her realise that lucifer wasn't actually following her around nocwich it didn't little to keep her calm each time she caught a glimpse of him again or heard his taunting. hence her reaction now.

there's a very slight shake of her head at hilda's question, rowena taking a breath to steady her words before opting to answer )

A ghost would be easier to deal with.

( rowena knew how to deal with those and relatively they were simple. an archangel that haunted her? there was never an answer to that )

[theidlemaiden]

[ Hilda's concern lingers as her suspicions are confirmed. Not that she gets any sort of satisfaction from that. In fact it only serves to add to the growing list of things that she disliked about the gods and the things that they'd been put through here against their wills.

The concern lingers, but her expression shifts and her tone changes into something more akin to sympathetic levity. She doesn't recognize the woman but that doesn't mean that she can't try to help in some way. In fact if she's a new Summoned then that was all the more reason to. ]

Ghosts are easier to deal with? I don't know about that. In my very limited experience they're even more mischievous.

[magike]

I didn't claim they were simple.

( it's a little snippy, the paranoia of how rowena feels after seeing lucifer haunting her vision jabbing at her words. and since rowena doesn't particularly want to talk about that she sighs, forcing some of that energy out )

Ghost can be dangerous, though they're not the only dangerous thing in the world.

Nocwich

[bealufull]

[ Normally Kaz would be exploring Nocwich in attempts to actually be social and find ways of embracing his life here where he's not the monster he once had been. After two years it was easy some days.

Now though it has nothing to do with pleasure or relaxation and everything to do with exploring this place for answers that have become imperative of late. Eventually he and Jesper will need answers, a place to go and start over, and Nocwich, if they could make it work, seemed the best answer they had.

He wasn't even aware of Rowena anymore than he was anyone else who was window shopping and exploring Nocwich. Not until she spun around suddenly and he moves without thinking, bringing the gold top cane up in defense, but not swinging with it as he catches the look on her face. ]

Are you okay?

[ Obviously not. ]

What is it? What did you see?

[magike]

( she's still looking past him for a minute after he speaks, almost two, trying to catch again the sight of lucifer that she thought she'd seen.... but it's gone, something that wasn't even there. and then rowena realises that he'd spoken to her, a slight frustration flickering through her expression at the fact that he'd paid attention before her expression drops )

Just... someone.

( it wasn't there, he wasn't there and whilst lucifer did exist in this place, and whilst nocwich was the place she'd perhaps run into him one day, he wasn't there now. and that was the fact calming rowena )

It doesn't matter.

[bealufull]

[ Kaz snorts at that, his head canting slightly as he shifts and leans against his cane. He glances back behind himself as if he might see someone that looks odd in this place.

Sadly he's been seeing too much of that of late. Again. ]

Oh it may well matter, given this place. Is it someone you're avoiding here or someone from where you came from?

[ He's yet to run into someone where it's both. ]

[magike]

What is it to you?

( her tone's a little harsher than necessary, defensive from her paranoia, the feeling of lucifer there, projecting that onto his asking of questions to try and find out more. prying )

They're not there.

( even if they did exist in this place )

nocwich

[unwings]

[ castiel doesn't so much need charm to be convinced to buy something for rowena so much as an inherent disinterest in the value of currency. by the fourth or fifth bag full of glamorously expensive clothing and retail therapy, he suspects he's made a critical error.

the recent hallucination shenanigans haven't been too kind to him either. there's only so many times he can pass dean napping on a couch and see him covered in blood, neck at an unnatural angle, eyes void. To hear Chuck's voice a whisper from his ear, Jack's screams jolting him to attention in a silent room. Shopping about with Rowena is a welcome distraction, even if a curse upon his wallet.

Rowena's latest designer hat sits atop castiel's head (for lack of storage space in his hands), when they round a corner, passing the festively decorated windows of a store front - rowena starts. sensing the alarm in her, cas's celestial guard dog danger reflex kicks in and he drops the shopping bags to grab at the blades under his coat, elegant hat at an accidentally fashionable skew. ]

What is it? Did you sense something?

[ is there a disturbance in the witch force? him and his (rowena's) fancy hat are ready for it. ]

[magike]

( walking with him had been nice, not simply because she was getting more out of the day than she'd expected, getting clothing more of her style to start her off as she continued settling into solvunn. but also because it gave them chance to catch up, for rowena to quiz castiel on things that she might not quiz dean about... and she did like the angel's company. she'd even been well behaved and only flirted once or twice, mostly in trying to fashion something for himself at the same time.

she's got her hand tucked at his elbow as they walk, comfortable familiarity, and it means that he feels her startle easily. the voice had been whispering at her periodically, something rowena had shaken off (tried to), had focused on him rather than it, but when she sees that flash of lucifer across the market... there's no brushing that fear off, even with an angel who quickly jumps to her rescue.

except... when she looks again, looking back across the market nothing's there. a trick of his, terrify her and leave? though why do so so quickly when he could taunt them both? )

Lucifer. ( she shakes her head just a little as if trying to shake some of the feeling off ) I saw him... I thought I did.

( knowing that he's in this place gives her worry enough, especially when nocwich is open to all territories. here she really could run into him )

[unwings]

[ while it isn't typical of how castiel spends his time here, it's quaint, strolling arm in arm with an old friend through the festivities brightening the nocwich streets, filling her in on developments in their post-mortem lives here. a repreive from the creeping, haunting fog obscuring the minds of the summoned. nothing lasts forever, and it's rowena's nightmares that slink past the buffer of holiday cheer first.

a quick scan of the surroundings doesn't supply any concrete evidence of his brother lurking about, but cas winces, unsure if anyone's broken the news to her yet. ]

This, um. May be a bad time to tell you. But Lucifer is, actually, in Thorne. [ though he hasn't punched through many chests of late. regardless, cas reassuringly tucks her arm back into his, keeping her close and hopefully with some sense of guarded. ] But with a significant decrease of power.

[ cas wouldn't call him a wet noodle, exactly, but they've had a bizarre, not exactly peace, but more begrudging non-violence? a small handful of occasions he and his brothers borderline got along, or in one instance involving hallucinogenic bugs and struggles with self-acceptance and love lives that neither of them are willing to acknowledge - something dangerously akin to bonding. but cas doubts that'll help Rowena feel any more safe. ]

Strangely enough, he's in a long term relationship with a decent person of respectible moral character.

[ how istredd managed it, cas cannot, and does not wish to, fathom, but here we are. in this fucking weird reality. (and once again, cas spills all the angel tea unprompted - this is the way).]

[magike]

Dean mentioned it.

( her voice is a little quieter, and even whilst she hates the reminder rowena does appreciate castiel's honesty, his careful phrasing. and the gesture as he tucks her hand back onto his arm, moving it just to settle it more comfortably, resting her other hand atop his arm also. comfort and safety, letting the strength of him be a reassurance, a protection, and it is, knowing that he would defend her, which means that slowly as they walk again he'll feel her start to relax a little more in how her hands are less tense on his arm.

though castiel also did give her something new. whilst dean had told her that lucifer was behaving because he had people he'd never confirmed it as romance, even if that's perhaps something she could guess in reading between those lines. though she doubts castiel's statement that he's of respectable moral character, not if he's willingly in a relationship with the devil )

But you also know as well as I do that Lucifer doesn't need to be at full strength to be dangerous. Words are enough.

( words had led to him manipulating her for his freedom, getting under her skin to get released when the boys were in the other universe. and castiel will have other experiences of that from when lucifer had possessed him )

I told Dean that I'm not going to seek him out, I plan on staying as far away from him as I can... which works for as long as he doesn't know that I'm here.

( she's assuminv dean wouldn't also give the devil a heads up in return. who knows what might break the truce )

[familysucks]

[That place with people that she seeks out remains populated only so long. In the way these hauntings sometimes do, her nightmare merges with another's. The conversations around them die down, the footsteps stop, and the noise of the crowd going about their business fades. Silence falls over the market.

When Michael raises his head from the stall he'd been browsing, he thinks he sees something—maybe someone—blow away, carried off like ash by the breeze. The market is suddenly abandoned. He is alone, except for a nearby woman he doesn't recognize.

This is all too familiar. Michael hasn't felt this close to fear since he arrived in Abraxas, but he sees the same edge of panic he feels in the way she startles. He doesn't question the reason for her alarm. He assumes it's the same as his own. That's how dreams often go, incongruities overlooked and obvious questions never coming to mind.]

We need to get out of sight.

[They can't stay out here, where nothing else living remains. He'll notice them. Michael's already headed for a narrow passage between two buildings before waiting for a reply. She can take his advice and follow, or she can stay out here and be His next target.]

[magike]

( it's perhaps fortunate that rowena's never seen michael in this vessel, had never seen him in the cage or during her time in hell: he'd already fled when she'd died and taken over. but there's a fear snooping around her, sometimes lucifer, sometimes the memory of that final death and why. god.

it's fear that has her following him anyway, paranoid over what might be lurking just past her vision this time, whether something might come for her. especially after meeting lucifer in a dream, in realising that despite his little pact with dean that he'd probably still kill her. (or so she expected him to).

so she looks to him, seeing him moving quickly and following after him, and finding it easier with the flat boots that she'd picked up in solvunn (as much as she misses her heels) )

What is it?

( it's a whisper once she's tucked down that passage with him, hoping he'd gotten a better look at it than she had )

[familysucks]

[Likewise, she's just another Summoned to him. Maybe a little shorter than most, but outliers like Nanaue tend to skew the average. That's an unimportant detail. What matters is that Summoned tend to stick together, especially within factions. It doesn't surprise him that she goes along with fleeing the scene.

Her question has him glancing back at her, a tense expression on his face. His voice is low but not quite a whisper to match her own.]

It's a long story. [Forgive him for forgoing the details. He hopes it makes sense to her regardless.] I can't be certain. The last time I encountered this, it was the work of m—

[That's all he gets out before another voice joins the conversation at full volume.]

Where are you going? I just got here.

[Michael stops the instant he hears it, stilling and going rigid before the sentence is even finished. He knows that voice. His head whips around to face the suddenly occupied path ahead.

Sure enough, it's all five feet something of Chuck. The tone of His voice is playful and His expression filled with false cheer, but Michael knows how to read Him better than that, even in this body. There's a hard set to His posture and an edge in His look that suggests displeasure. If there's any joy in Him, it's that of a cat getting ready to bat a mouse around until there's no longer a single unbroken bone in its body.]

★ sleepwalking

[magike]

( between the fears that's plaguing her mind, the mild hallucinations that only she seems to be able to see, it makes it more difficult for rowena to find sleep: she already sees his face when she closes her eyes, even after these years.

that night it's especially difficult, whispers having touched her mind making her avoid trying to go to sleep and instead walking through the settlement at night, seeing it from an entirely different light.

it's here where she finds the first of the sleepwalkers, realising that they're not really present when her question is ignored, and when rowena can't get them to stop she uses a small spell to halt them, hoping to guide them back a little easier without too much magical force )

[aquaveiled]

[ Dreams ought to be a place of safety and refuge for the dream-havers, private and sacred. But Abraxas has often not respected that boundary, making dreams a reality or somewhere in between. Himeka's not sure where the line of the recent events lies.

Some days she feels perfectly fine, having bested old haunts in her sleep with a sense of accomplishment. Other times, she wishes she'd stayed awake than revisit pieces of her past. Staying busy is the best way to keep intrusive thoughts at bay and Himeka has never been one to stay idle for long. Whether the other Summoned she comes across is feeling the same or is simply a good Samaratian, she can only guess--but Himeka always assumes the best intentions of others.

It's with a heavy curiosity she watches the woven spell, a local stopped in their tracks as if by an invisible hand. Not one to be shy herself, she doesn't hesitate to approach, looking between the spellweaver and her subject. ]

Were they heading out into the woods?

[ The last place you want to be at night in Solvunn.

(Says the woman who literally walked from her house out in the woods into the Settlement, but eh.) ]

[magike]

( she hadn't looked to see if there were others around before casting her spell, not needing to be so careful in a place of magic, particularly when (this time) her actions were intended to help. so when the other woman approaches rowena quickly looks up, one hand still directed at the person she'd cast the spell on, holding them in place )

They were.

( and though her arm lowers the position of her hand doesn't change, very carefully still holding them, stopping them from walking )

I was going to guide them back, though I couldn't say where to exactly.

( another spell to walk them back before hoping to find someone to leave them with. she wasn't taking them to their door -- a door she didn't know )

[aquaveiled]

[ It is a fascinating spell, if a little terrifying were Himeka not under the impression the intentions are good. The way this woman moves makes it look a little effortless--well-practiced, mayhaps?

She rounds the local to get a better look at their face. Squinting, Himeka tries to wrack her memory... ]

I think...this is Harri's brother. Harri with the cantankerous rooster.

[ Yes, that must be it. He looks familiar enough! After being in Solvunn for over three years now, she ought to have some familiarity with her neighbors, shouldn't she? She nods, crossing her arms with a sense of finality. ]

They live on the eastern side with that shard yard with the other houses where all the chickens are. I can show you, if you'd like?