Forum Thread

Asrra's gaze snapped to Carnelian's, then to the floor, and back to Carnelian; her eyes were clearly asking: "Are you seeing this sh*t right now?" incredulously. Hxr feet weren't exactly being dragged down to the ground by gravity anymore.

Shx felt lighter. Hxr hair, too, was no longer under the effect of gravity, instead levitating around. Astra tried (and failed) to smooth hxr hair down, and instead resorting to rolling hxr eyes. Great. Associating hxrself with such bullsh*t proved foolish, choosing instead to... try and tidy hxr appearance, growing worse by the moment.

S'ppose we should leave the carriage... shx thought, eyeing Carnelian's expression which looked far more baffled than hxr own, If anything, we might be dropped down and crushed into unflattering red pulps...

"What's going on exactly? Why, what's going on is that we're floating." Shx took a long moment to glare at Carnelian—a hobby of hers. "...If it didn't come to you before, it should be quite obvious.."

Astra shook hxr head and threw open the carriage's door. They were indeed floating. What in the world was going on?

---

"A headache?"

His ears were annoyingly sharp, as he stopped in his tracks for a moment, just to look at her with that odd expression of general complacence.

"I'm not entirely sure what's happened here, but we could just... leave. Is any of this necessary?"

---

Persephone O'Couna
---

"I would love to!" Persephone smiled. "Unfortunately, I don't think 'leaving' is possible." Her voice dropped an octave. "They won't let us leave, you fool. Watch them. If we make one wrong move, they're going to put a blade through us."

Then she went back to her usual charming smile.

"I'm sure that won't happen, though! We can absolutely find a way out of this. Peacefully." She pointedly glanced at the blood splattered over his chest. "How's that sound, hm?"

---

He paused. Then looked down at himself, then back up at her.

"...did I do something?"

He asked, after a moment. He pinched the front of his shirt, examining it. His breath quickened.

"Could you please tell me what happened? What did I do? Did I- again? No, no, no, I promised I wouldn't' I thought-"

A pause, as his breath calmed once more. He blinked.

"...Okay. yeah. Whatever you want."

He said, after a second of recalibration, sfill smiling like a maniac.

---

Persephone O'Couna
---

He's a liability, some voice whispered in the back of her mind. Kill him now and be done with it. He knows too much- who cares how? Just cull the infection before it spreads. Keep him from telling anybody else by removing that information from the world now. You can kill him. He would let you.

Persephone shook off the thought, weirdly unnerved by that last sentence. Nobody let you kill them. That was stupid. People would fight to the end to survive. It was their nature.

They wouldn't do that.

Not for somebody they didn't know. Especially someone like her. Whose goals were so obvious at even a glance.

Anybody could see that what Persephone O'Couna wanted was a life of ease. Champagne, caviar, and a maid to bring her whatever she wanted. For the whole world to see she was richer and better than they were; and to have earned it, every bloody step of the way. Because she was deserving.

People knew that. They saw it in the way she dressed; expensive robes worn from use. Her healthy but cropped hair made from a hundred products at the back shelf; it spoke words as to how she wanted to be perceived, but never would be.

It made her angry. Once upon a time, she'd been a princess.

And now she was-

"Nothing," she said. "You did nothing. Don't worry about it. You were protecting me."

Now that was the greatest lie of them all.

---

"Why would I protect you?"

He asked, smile gone now. His eyes narrowed sloghtly. He turned away for a moment, then looked back at her.

"Why would I do that? I can't see a reason I would. That's odd. Are you ying?"

He chuckled, closing his eyes a moment, then smiled again.

"But you wouldn't lie to me, right, Madame O'Couna?"

---

Persephone O'Couna
---

"I would never lie to anyone ever, unless I had to." Persephone smiled. "That's wrong. I like to stick to my moral compass. I only ever lie for the greater good, like our lives."

She was going to murder him.

"Now, let's say hello to our new friends."

---

LeQi let her spit vitriol and anger, words nestling themselves deep into her heart. It wasn't anything that she hadn't heard before, words whispered under layers of formality and behind closed doors now, finally, spoken to her face. They hurt, much like any criticism did, but at least they were said without any pretenses nor social barriers. That, perhaps was the balm to such a situation. Her entire identity as a Vie was being picked apart for an ever eager audience, brought down to simplicity because of her actions. Refreshing in some ways, being utterly humiliated to her face.

"If that is how I stand in your world, then far be it for me to point out the rock in your eye when I have a stick in mine." She acknowledged, tipping her head to yield to such barbed accusations. "But rather focusing on me, perhaps your... Ames may be worth attending to. You are not as blameless as you make yourself out to be." The title felt heavy on her tongue as the red ribbon fell from He Lei's form, leaving him free to move as he wished. Stepping back to allow them space, LeQi finally cast her gaze to those who had deemed it acceptable to obstruct the path. Familiar uniforms greeted her, a garb she so often saw hanging around the one person who seemed to adamant to rope her to his cause.

The glimmering sliver the reflecting off their helmets were almost blinding as LeQi felt dread pool at the bottom of her stomach. She didn't need her gift to connect the dots, but with it she could extrapolate more than enough. Not even the weight of fabric grounding her wrist to the earth could keep her mind from racing, countless possibilities, what ifs, potentialities, all sorts of strategies created and discarded faster than a hummingbirds heart scattershot through her mind. This was a stage, and she was the inciting incident.

---

"Okay!"

The Knight stepped out first, observing his surroundings for a moment. He wasn't exactly sure who he was supposed to be talking to, but it didn't really matter.

He glanced back at Persephone, voice dropping.

"Who am I supposed to talk to, Madame O'Couna?"

---

The moment Lumiere stepped out of the carriage it was like his world completely changed and flipped upside down. No, it literally changed right before his eyes. First came the trembling of the ground. The vibration under his foot showed the immense tragedy that may occur if not stopped. Lumiere wasn't a genius, but it doesn't take a genius to know who the cause of it all was.

Then came the sparks. The crackling. The firework like pops. The sound slowly grew louder to the point it overshadows the cries and shouts of the silver-cladded men.

Through the years, Lumiere has come to grown in understanding Tao Ruodie's psychology. One has to, afterall, she's seen him at his worst, and he has strived to see her on her knees in return. But Lumiere never gotten his petty opportunity throughout the years, and eventually just slowly forgot about it.

Never did he imagine today would be the day where the world would know of this destructive power of hers. All rooted from a single call for a rescue mention.

Before he could do anything else, a building toppled over and exploded into fragments of what it used to be. A part of Lumiere, the responsible part, the captain part, prayed that nobody was inside those buildings. Lest poor Terrian will have to deal with another loads of paperwork mailed straight to their company mailbox about their already towering damage fees. They can't bear losing more investor due to lives being lost on their behalf!

But thankfully, someone else was faster. Before the fragments of building could hit the ground, a separate force allowed everything to levitate before causing any real damage.

As a result? Everything was levitating.

This included, himself, debris, corpses, carriages, people in the carriages, as well the horse that drove the carriage. All the while Tao Ruodie was spitting out insults upon insults to their lovely lovely Madam Liu. (To whom, Lumiere can now tell is slowly understanding the situation finally)

However much it pleased Lumiere that Madam Liu finally understood her position upon the whole scheme, it doesn't change the fact that his lovely Vice Captain is on the verge of destroying the whole street. So Lumiere could only rack his mind. Disregarding the appearance of Carnelian who didn't listen to his orders. Cleverness was never a strength of his, but rather his previous partner. But ever since he stepped up, it was only natural for him to learn how to use his brain.

But no matter what he thought of, nothing guarantees his group's safety. The more time he's in turmoil the graver the situation gets. Lumiere very much understood that. So what could he possibly do?!

He knew talking to Die'er won't bring any results, especially when her patience is then. He knew talking to the iron clad men were a bad idea since it could very well backfire on them. Adele's power was barely helping especially with the temper of that woman. So what could he possibly do?!

Ah.

Well there is this one thing he could possibly attempt.

Lumiere specifically dialed to Shuto. Without wasting a breath, he immediately calls out a command the moment the line connects. "Shuto, I need you to head over here tight now. Your ability is vital, and time is short. Your goal is to bring everyone to somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from here. Far far away."

With that he cut the line, without waiting for a reply from the other side.

Lumiere took a deep breath, and looked up into the evening sky. It was mid autumn, so the sun is gradually setting earlier. The cool air rustled between his hair, and Lumiere closed his eyes. It's been a long time since he has done this.

The space around the alley slowly turned dark. The lights flickered. The wind paused. No the wind didn't pause to be exact. It was flowing... very slowly. Just like everything else in the space. Everything was in slow motion, engulfed in darkness. One can now no longer see the sky lest you'd be looking into the dark abyss.

There was once a saying, "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you." There almost seems to be an invisible force squeezing the air from ones lungs. The immense pressure was almost overbearing. However everything was in place. Everything was silent. Deathly silent.

All that was left to light the dark space was a singular copper lantern. It wasn't a fancy lantern. Quite dingy actually lest for it's elegant engravings, it showed clear sign of use. However it's pure white flame contrasted greatly against the pitch obsidian. Its radiance was like hope in the dark.

The light that guides lost travelers back from their long, long journey.

---

Gabriel could only accept that hit into his solar plexus and watch with contempt as both the man and women ran out from his watch. His men lay scattered beneath him, showing the blunt of the natural disaster that has fallen upon this brigade. He grits is teeth, one hand clutching his abdomen, and his eyes filled with cold fury.

He stands up and calls forth the duo, mercy lacking from his voice. "You may hide, you may run, but neither you dirty Ames will never escape the eyes of his highness!" His voice was loud, and very much promising with vengeance. "You will receive divine punishment and retribution!"

Gabriel chased after the shadows of their tail, his blade gleaming under the evening sky, never relenting.

Then suddenly, before his blade could strike once more, his world was suddenly engulfed in darkness as an immense pressure hit him.

---

Seraphina gasped as the air seemed to be knocked from her lungs, the world plunged into an abysmal darkness. "RuoDie? Lumiere? LeQi?"

She squinted to make out the sight of a dim, old lamp.

There was no way to be sure if they were still on the street or not--- gravity had been turned almost fully off, so it was impossible to feel the ground beneath her.

"Hello?" Sera called again, noting that she heard no echo.

**

A cold, damp box. the air tinged with an earthy smell. Sobs that felt miles away, a name etched on a rock---

Adele snapped back to reality, the crowded street replaced by a dark emptyness. She felt her power supporting people and rubble--- the only hint that she was still on the city road.

What had happened? RuoDie lost her composure, a building shattered, and then...

...there was a cold tidal wave of memories or visions gripping hold of Avery...
...Memories that couldn't have been hers?...

and then this. This choking, suffocating blackness, only illuminated by a single lanteren. Whose power was this? But as she thought the question, the answer came to her, dripping with irony. "Lumiere", the captain called himself--- the name of someone meant to brighten, with the soul of someone who would drench the world in darkness without a second thought. A sense of disdain for the Vie rose in her throat--- the unsettling familiarity of blindness set the amnesiac on edge.

"RuoDie? Lumiere? LeQi? Hello?" called a voice in the abyss. So the lightchasers were also stuck in this state.

---

Persephone O'Couna
---

Persephone froze, her hand poised on the knife, ready to throw it into her enemy, the man spewing vitriol and lies-

And then, suddenly, everything was dark. Ominously so. As if the whole world had been plunged into a vat of ink, and left to sit. She half expected to hear bubbling by her ear. Perhaps a pen to come stabbing down, crushing her beneath its tip.

But nothing. The world had just been engulfed in nothingness. She could still breathe. For how long, though?

Her breath quickened at the thought. "Ruffian," she said carefully. "Are you there?"

And then she heard another voice echoing through the darkness. So she wasn't alone. That was good to know. Perhaps their sight had just been shut off. That meant they should be making their escape... right about now, hm.

---

Miyako Hiroto
---

"Are you always this boring?" Miyako asked, propping her chin up on her palm. "Or am I special? Because lemme tell you, I was really hoping for some better haunting action today. The neighbours assured me there was a downright haunted ghoul here. Heh, haunted."

Terrian the baby ghost raised an eyebrow. "The only thing I'm haunted by are floating property damage bills. In my dreams, I mean," he added when he saw her jumping up with an 'aha!'. "Or rather nightmares. I'm not a fan of property damage, let me be clear on it."

She rolled her eyes, sitting back down. "So when're these property damaging ghosties coming by?"

"Early morning, probably. They like sleeping at ungodly hours, so 2 or 3 seems right on track."

"I see. Surprising that they would sleep during the witching hour, but perhaps they prefer to haunt within their dreams. That is a reasonable pasttime for a ghost."

He frowned at her.

She grinned at him.

"...Okay then. Um... I don't suppose you're interested in joining a vigilante cause?"

Instantly Miyako perked up. That sounded right up her alley. Vigilantism? Heroics? Moneymaking? Absolutely the dream. "Tell me more."

Terrian the baby ghost blinked. "Actually no. I think they'd enable you. Bad idea, sorry."

"Too late ghost-boy. You've said too much."

"Well then... I'm a part of a group called the Lightchasers-"

---