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 Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 2:07 pm
Nathaniel Parrish - 25 / 25 - with Lily
He was dimly aware of having dropped to the ground, one throbbing knee pressed against the floor, hands resting on either side. His fingers were curling against his palms, Nathaniel trying to remember how to breathe properly, his eyes half-lidded as he focused on the toe of one shiny boot.
Stupid, he thought, way to be stupid.
There was a voice beside him, familiar and low. Nathaniel lifted his head and caught sight of Lily's face as she reached towards him, and he stretched out a hand and accepted hers, climbing to his feet with a slight wince. His leg and his neck ached, but he didn't want to think about that now, or anything else involving the doubles.
Especially seeing as how he'd apparently made a fool of himself in the process.
"Thanks," he said to Lily, giving her hand a small squeeze before letting go. His gaze flickered out across the hall towards Jeremiah, and then to Algernon, his heart beating too fast, Nathaniel feeling that same sense of fear as he had before, like icy hands across his heart.
"There has to be something we can do," he said, even though he knew there wasn't. "We can't ask Algernon to do this."
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 2:36 pm
Isobel Penrose || 25/25 HP || having a meltdown
Oh gods. Oh gods.
Tibbie stared at the dais, attention on the masked gentleman and the lovely lady who was about to be murdered.
She had known this; not this, specifically, but the general know of being told that someone would be killed. And she'd, she'd-
breathing hitched, the rose-haired girl held a hand to her throat and another to her stomach. All the blood had rushed from her head, leaving her face stark white and her fingertips were tingling like they'd been sleeping for hours. She'd voted for this, had known this was what Alg would advocate, had put her vote behind him anyway. But she hadn't really known; before this moment, all of the night had seemed a dream to Isobel. There'd been low points and the overhanging sense of the tithe, but it hadn't been real. Because somewhere in the back of her mind she'd still been convinced that magic wasn't real, that all this wasn't real and any moment now she'd wake up and find out it'd all been a daydream.
Only Tibbie couldn't dream up anything this cruel, this barbaric; someone having to die for some inane reason, forcing Zac's friend to kill someone - having a hand in deciding this girl as the sacrifice. It was all so terrible and horrible and she didn't have enough words to describe how awful it was, how awful it felt.
She'd been selfish, caught up in the dream and playing at being an adult; she should've stuck with the lady who didn't want to nominate anyone as tithe, the lady who was now making a beeline for the doors. Gods, she wanted to join her, but her legs were leaden and her feet wouldn't move - and maybe she didn't really deserve to leave, to stay innocent of what was about to happen.
But then another lady was moving forward, calling for things to stop, for another solution and wasn't this what she wanted? But the council scared her, and standing up to them...
Just letting things happen was what she'd just been beating herself up over, though. Determined, Isobel mounted as much strength as she could and slowly, unsteadily, took a step forward, fists bunched in her skirt. Maybe- maybe she could help, if she was only brave.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:31 pm
algernon mercer || 25/25 || *george bush snl voice* not gunna do it The anxiety rose every second as the guests were filed up into the higher levels and eventually the Eldritch Gentleman took the stage, if you could call it that. His voice sent cold goosebumps up Algie’s spine that seemed to collect into a cold dark pit in his stomach. He shouldn’t have been surprised, he almost wasn’t, when he was called upon and given the knife. No. No. Absolutely not. Alg would never do it. Not to a young girl. Had it been Melany? Some monster? There would certainly be less reticence. Perhaps it was hypocritical of him as well but he’d never claimed to be a saint. He was only honest. Algie was not a paragon of men, but he wasn’t a killer of girls either. And he gave two shits about what their traditions dictated. No words passed the choking feeling in his throat as his fingers closed around the handle of the knife. It felt too light and disappointingly lacked the impact he expected of something that could so easily take a life. It felt cheap. The professor took a few steps, faltered when he heard yelling and cast a glance to the offending parties. One of the unmasked girls was coming in the doors… and Autumn’s voice was unmistakable. Alg was almost insulted that anyone would think he’d truly do it. Still paused he glanced back at the patrons. Melany looking displeased was little consolation and his eyes drifted to Noeh. He didn’t want her to see him do something like this…. But something glinted in her hands. He wasn’t sure if she noticed, through her veil, that he saw, but his husband was then found and given a look as well. Jeremiah would trust him. Jeremiah knew he wasn’t a killer. Alg inhaled deeply, and stepped forward to Adoelle. His brow furrowed, looking harsh, and he offered his own hand to her. The knife was held loosely, pointed at the floor, at his side. His throat cleared and it took everything he had to keep it steady and firm, to not belay his uneasiness and discomfort. “ Excuse me. A moment please?” Which was directed to the Gentleman. He was free to go. The man needed a moment with the girl he was meant to murder. silverah forgot to quote for gentleman XD
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:38 pm
jeremiah mercer || 22/27 || trusts algie; interrupting autumn There's a look at Jeremiah catches it, his eyes also flicking towards the object glittering in the hands of Noeh (because that was where Algie looked). Algie can handle this, he knows he can, because he is - in the end - a better man than Jeremiah ever will be. Then he's having to move quickly, disappearing briefly and then reappearing near the mock stage and grabbing at Autumn. There is no cold fire this time, just him and his hands reaching for her. " Stop," he hisses out and then continues in a whisper just for her. "Do you really think Algie would just kill some girl? You're playing your hand before it's time. Just. Wait." His hands are gently holding her, not hard, not something she cannot escape from. "If we need to stop this, then we will stop this, but for now wait." It's hard to see his face, the set of his mouth is unreadable but his words are plantitive and he is clearly trying. "Let Algie do what he is doing." His head tilts, as there is no intent in Algie's posture, he is clearly not trying to do anything to attack Adoelle or anything like that. Moonstone Dazzle autumn, autumn, we gotta wait a mo' before we launch the attack
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:45 pm
Autumn Smith 20/25, Pacified (for now) Jeremiah is there, stopping her, and it's- it's not that his husband is a killer. Not at all. It's that this place seems to warp people. Alois, giving up on his life and freedom. Mynn, testing her that if better was truly better, when it came to who you know. And now, all of this, presented as a spectator's game for watching. She looked up to Algernon, really looked- and the distrust melted away, to a fixed look of acceptance. Trust, knowing that if Jeremiah had married him... there had to be something good about the guy. She gave a single, curt nod to Algernon, and allowed Jeremiah to pull her back.
"...I trust you," she murmured back, finally turning back to look at Jeremiah and moving away from the stage. At least, this way, it looked like some of them wanted it. Like she was the crazy one for wanting to stop it. Autumn furrowed her brow, and sighed.
"I just... I'm scared, chief. I don't want another Michael. You gotta understand, it's not distrust of you, it's them. It's all of them." She headed back with him, mollified for now.
"But I trust you." Please, don't let me down. It was so, so hard. Trusting again. Trusting herself again, not to fail. Not to let someone ELSE die.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:54 pm
Shun Kuroda 25/25
Shun lifted his head as he saw the expression Autumn gave him before she rushed off. His mind raced to try and think of what to do here, but Jeremiah was already there in the blink of an eye to stop the girl.
He didn't relax yet, though.
The detective's eyes fell upon Adoelle. Was this really what she wanted?
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:57 pm
[Maskless Temperance 25/25 well]
Well, she guessed that really told her all she needed to know. The chosen tithe wasn't even one of the people back in that study. Where are they, anyway? Probably still holed up, waiting for something that won't happen.
Near the stage, there was the girl who'd been in that weird house a while back, that detective dude, his husband. Temperance looked around and tried to identify who she could. Obviously, they should not allow this to happen - even if the tithe wasn't 'one of them', so to speak. Of it had been Ezra or Melany - would she feel differently? For now, it was a waiting game. She moved closer to the stage, her face pale.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 6:21 pm
jeremiah mercer || 22/27 || speaking with autumn; keeping an eye out Jeremiah does not pull her too far away, but he keeps a hand on her that is familiar and comforting. His heart aches because he understand but at the same time- "I know," he whispers quietly to her. "Kin not kind," he says a breath later. It's all that much more poignant because his eyes - his eyes that glow here no matter what - glance up towards the antlers that Autumn has and then back down to her face. "... it's not just me," the words are still soft, "but Adoelle as well. We have to trust her." More importantly he does because if he doesn't- Well, he wouldn't be holding her as he was. Still he glances to Algie and then once more to Noeh because what he knows now makes her that much more important.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 6:41 pm
Chris Watts || 25/25 || Does not want to watch
He knew what the decision was going to be, the outcome, what was going to happen. That didn't mean Chris wanted to watch, to see anything, to take part in this tithe. But it was like a trainwreck - once you started, you couldn't stop, and from his position Chris was only able to look on with a vague sense of dread and horror.
He could only hope that Alg had a plan in mind - which from his movements and looks at Jer and Autumn, he did. But Chris didn't want to get close, not yet. It was better to stay back.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 6:56 pm
Zac Bantock - 25/25 - thin shreds of hope. Temperance! She’d vanished when they had drawn away those who could be tithed, she was one of those whom had vanished for not wearing their mask. Her dress was tattered and she bore a new slit up it that seemed at least half intentional, though eh couldn’t be sure. Then Autumn was moving forward. ‘I won’t let you’ the words on her lips. Part of him marveled that this was the same young woman, whom had implicitly trusted Pax, here she was a fighter, and there she had been a princess. Other people speaking, speaking out to stop her and all he could do for a moment was sway on his feet like the world had turned to sand and was slipping away under his feet. How did everyone else seem so sure? Yes it was the right thing said some, no it was wrong said others, but his own thoughts kept jumping back and forth. The rest of the ones taken for tithe, where were they? He should ask after them, what if they were trapped, he didn’t know. What if they were scared hadn’t Alois mentioned punishment? His mouth was dry and his heart was hammering. He didn’t think Autumn was wrong to do what she believed in, he wasn’t sure anyone was ‘wrong’ for it. They might not be making choices that could be looked back on as right, but they. they could make choices where he felt, in this moment pinned. Afraid to be what he’d been called, a martyr, but unwilling too to just let things slide. Maybe he was too selfish, who knew. It wasn’t like he made these choices to feel better about himself. Alg though, he couldn’t… no, he wouldn’t do it. He knew it in his gut. Maybe that was the point of this all too, maybe it was hoping for the people who wouldn’t cross that line no matter how fundamentally suicidal the willing subject was. He had a question… He had a thought that crouched in his mind with a cat’s smile painted on it. He raised his hand, a foolish gesture, an old habit of schooling and rules, adults and stern gazes. He raised his hand because Algernon said ‘Wait’ – because Jer had his hand on Autumn’s arm, not hard, but trust shared there. “I… I have a question.” He stammered. He had more than one, but, this one could be addressed to those present. Shibrogane welcome to my shitty ramble post
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 9:48 pm
The Eldritch Gentleman | 25/25 | the show must go onA moment please?The Eldritch Gentleman turned his head slightly, giving Adoelle the slightest of glances. "A̛pǫlogi҉es̵," he said, tone matching his mask's expression, "But̕ ͟I'͟m a̕fr̴aid ͜t̡h̸at w̶o̶n'́t ̨b͡e ͠p̡oss̵ibl͠e.͟ ̕T͠ime̴ is o̴f ͢th̀e ess̀e͘nce,͞ af̕t͞er̕ a̡ll." He appraised Algernon, mask suddenly scornful - or was that a trick of the light. "Àre͏ y͢ou̸ ha͢v͝in͝g̛ ̡seco̧n͜d t͢hoưg̨h͝t̨s̴?͝" he asked. "It̕'͢s̸ ̶a̸ ̷t͠r͏emendo̶us̀ ̛du̶ty ỳou͡'v҉e̷ ͢be̡en hand̡ed̷,͡ ̷I ̸k̕n͢ow - but if y̷o̴u d͢on͢'t̴ ͜th̷iǹk̵ y͜o͜u͢ can͘ ̷fu̢l̨fi͡l̶l ͡it,͠ ͡beşt̡ ͞to͜ ̀şa͘y s͞o ̡ņo̡w̧. You͜ ̧ar̡e sea̸te͏d ҉i͠n ̵t͟h͞e̵ ̨proverb́ia̕l̕ ex̨it́ ro͟w̕. ҉Y͟o͢u m̀ay̧ ǵȩt̡ ̀w̕e̛t." His attention refocused suddenly, flicking up to the gallery where Zac had raised his hand. "I͝ h͞a҉ve aǹ a͡nswer̛, Mr҉.̢ Ban͏toc̸k̶," he said, "t͝hoùgh̡ ̧I ̧d̛ou͟b͟t y̨ou̧'ll l͏i̷k̛e̶ ̸it̀.̀"
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 10:51 pm
"If you won't," says Adoelle, her grip on the eldritch gentleman's fingers so tight it's surprising that she hasn't yet broken them, "I'll do it myself." She swallows, the motion visible in the fine lines of her throat. "Refuse if you like. But there's no way out of this where you don't lose something." "Time's running out," says the survivor. The mask turns towards the assembled human crowd in the galleries. "A refusal to act is still an act." Quote: If action of some kind is not taken by Monday morning at 9am, things will get... DICEY
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:12 pm
bristling vale || 5/25 || moving in Vale found great comfort in his own abilities, for blending into the scenery offered a long, integral moment for him to cool off from flared tempers and view the party from a far more removed point of view. The guests certainly had a way about them with inciting violence, unrest, and animosity. Vale himself was held hostage and hunted down by Autumn and her friend, and relied on Corr to pull him from the mess. Father stepped in to solve that problem, which left Vale such time to recover in his out-of-the-way location. Unfortunately, lulls often met their end in high tension times like this.
Save for Corr’s ever-infectious personality getting into a young man, the room remained relatively under control during the council’s picking process. It lasted, perhaps, not as long as he had hoped. He imagined that the council was largely set in their picks before heading back, and the discussion that occurred swayed few minds. Again they emerged, and Melany halted all aggressions in the hall for the eldritch one to deliver the results. Adoelle was their choice, and the paunchy old man had to do it.
Except he wasn’t doing it, and Father crossed arms over his chest.
Vale knew precisely what that look meant.
Cacophony stirred, and posturing began, and objections came while the humans sorted out how to process this turn of events. They received warning of it all night long; it never ceased to amaze Vale how the human race allowed their expectations to form blinders in events like this. The tithe is tradition, and tradition it will remain regardless of the cunning and creativity of those trying to stop it. The tithe simply was, and the humans were invited to watch. A shame that they did not appreciate their firsthand experience of it.
Vale broke from his pleasant swath of magic to approach the burgeoning scene, his eyes on Algernon throughout his move. Moving such a distance demanded little effort from him despite injuries still predominant over his body. Vale was, in this moment, still assumed of Alois’ visage, though he doubted any around still confused him for the Wretched One.
„Father,“ he cast with a smile in passing. Thy will be done - even if we must break tradition.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:57 pm
[ thorne (unmasked) | | 25/25 ] : ******** U CORR
The reappearance of the Silver Hall was unwelcome and welcome all at once. Thorne's arms ached a little by the time he reached it, his pace easy and languid. The tension in the air singed though, his arms tightening sharply against the two smaller tithes in his arms.
This was where Shiloh had wanted to go though. This was where everything ended. They would either go home tonight, or - well, try.
Thorne's eyes flicked to Adoelle, to Algernon and Jeremiah and the knife. Oh, the knife. He turned his head to Noeh in the backdrop, sorrowful as ever. He searched for Chris. He searched for Aleksy. But he didn't let go of the people already in his arms.
Especially when Corr materialized near the Council and the other fetches, his mirror face reflecting a cruel, cruel smile. Of course Corr would be the first to recognize him, even though Thorne had made no attempt to mask his entrance. He was adorned with two tithes, his expression baring on hostile.
"Hello, brother," Corr said, purred, snarled, "Didn't anyone ever tell you how to heel and stay?"
Thorne scoffed, the sound bouncing cruelly between them. <******** off."shibrogane your ride has brought you here! Melancholies welcome back 2 hell beep beep everyone in the room HEY LOOK HES BACK damn it
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 5:47 am
“There was just something said at the outset, so you may not like the question.” Zac replied, letting his hand slowly fall back to his side. “The Cats, said not every tithe results in death, sometimes it’s the p***k of a finger. Realizing that Adoelle is determined to force assistance in what seems to amount to assisted suicide. “ He took a breath and then pitched his voice so that people could hear, he didn’t want anyone to feel like they had been blindsided after all. Is there any reason the tithe could not be less blood from more people? Does it HAVE to be a life?” Moonstone dazzle Cause you're with Jer-Bear
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