On The Road (Heading Towards Gretna Green): Things for the girls in the carriage are going as smooth as one could hope for right now. The driver does not like the fact that there is a haze going on but once they hit the open road outside of town and are actually heading towards Gretna Green, he is a bit better. If only for the fact he isn't having to dodge people in the street. The road is bumpy of course, a little bit more since the driver seems to be pushing the horses a bit, trying to get there as quickly as possible. Hopefully things will stay in tact until the girls get there. Both girls are bouncing around a lot in the carriage.

Gretna Green: Veta wrapped her arm around Constantin's waist and nodded. "Da, center of town. Find Vlad," she said as she drew her sword with her free hand. She didn't know what was going on but she did't like it. Granted neither did anyone from the way the people in the streets were panicking. She couldn't blame them. Most people these days were not trained for Soulless. That is if this was Soulless causing this. Even if it wasn't, being trained was a good thing in any day and age in her book. It meant you were prepared to defend yourself at least in some way. At least the streets were starting to clear as people were trying to get into businesses and houses.

Ny looked over towards Vlad and grinned. "I am Ny," he said before looking at poor Ludwig. "Oh poor child, his mentor will weep," he added and started towards the church. Using his walking cane to push people out of the way as to clear a path for the Russian. "You Russians, so colorful, really very delightful," he said as he kept moving forward.

While Ny was smiling, Millicent was doing anything but. Her face was contorted in horror as she moved over towards William and was finally able to get to him. "Yes, holy ground," she said as her hand came down and her fingers laced with his. With the crowds, the way things were going, and her own fear she didn't want to make it easy to get separated from him. Rutherford was standing there, reaching up and touching his face. He could feel it.

"Milli, I won't hurt you, I promise!" he called out as he took a step towards her, the crowds seeing him and trying to get away from him and the haze at the same time. Millicent was not believing him. Pulling herself closer to William and tugging on William to move with her away from the man. She didn't know where the church was, but anywhere was better than in the direction of the monster that was forming in front of her. Her head spinning around, she spotted Vlad taking the man off the horse and started tugging William in that direction. Sooner they could get over towards someone that didn't look like a creature from the depths of hell the better.

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Virginia nodded, understanding Vlad's instructions after thinking through them for a moment. His diction and speech patterns weren't what she was used to, but she managed to figure out what he wanted from her. Doing as he asked, Virginia untied the rope and then gave the corpse a decent shove, so as to help Vlad get the corpse up onto his shoulders. She wished that Mary was there to go ahead to the Church - she was better at communicating with them. Virginia looked a bit like a Soulless with her pale skin and she hoped they wouldn't mistake her for one.

"Yes, this is Ny," Virginia said, after Ny had introduced himself and went forward clearing people out of the way. "He is a friend I met back in Carlisle," she said, without giving much more detail to it. It was Ny's choice to reveal what details he wanted to about himself - and all that was really needed to be shared was that he was a new friend of hers. Of course, she imagined that Vlad would be able to figure out that Ny knew Ludwig from what he had said, but Virginia still had another task Vlad had asked her to complete - she needed to go forward to the Church and ask for them to be able to take Ludwig's body to sacred ground. The haze in her eyesight was worrisome, but she pushed onwards nonetheless and headed into the Church.

She wondered what the Dark Mother was thinking about that.

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Maeve could not help but watch the people outside as they left the House Kirkpatrick and began the journey. The haze was still clouding her sight and there seemed to be people panicking in the streets, enough that the carriage driver had to continually avoid running them over. It greatly limited their speed, though Maeve wasn't familiar enough with the immediate area to know how long it would take for them to get to Gretna Green. Colette was surprisingly forthcoming, something that Maeve had not expected from her at first. She was used to members of the peerage not really wanting to associate with those who were beneath them. Lady Kirkpatrick had told her a great deal and there was still an aura of mystery to her, but Colette seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve. It was pitiful, Colette's talk of needing to see if her fiancé still wanted her, as if she didn't have a choice - though Maeve imagined she probably didn't. She was probably just a pawn.

"Ah've only recently become employed by de Lady Kirkpatrick," Maeve explained, her voice still thick with her native Irish accent. As for whether she enjoyed it? She hadn't worked for her long enough to really know that. Her friend, Calum, had perished so soon after she had met him. Lady Kirkpatrick though had managed to arrange for her daughter's safety and education. She then gave Colette a pleasant smile. "I do enjoy de work," she told her. "De Lady Kirkpatrick is inspirin', ain't she?"

Once they finally reached and surpassed the edge of Annan, the road got a lot bumpier and Maeve held onto her seat tightly, trying to stabilize herself some but she was still being bumped around. The pace had quickened as well, so that was something.

"Right." Constantin said as he heard the confirmation from Veta and nodded as he ushered the horse ever forward towards their destination which should be the center of town. If towns followed normal town logic, important places were usually at town center. Who knew, they might even find that Vlad was at town center waiting by the church that was sitting in the middle of town? Constantin was reasonably convinced that it probably wouldn't be that easy. After all nothing about these lands had suggested to him that these people valued sensible logic.

"I have never seen or even heard of something quite like this." Constantin commented as they were moving, paying really close attention to surroundings and well Veta who was holding onto him with one arm for security on riding behind him. He could see the people of the town panicking as well. This was just getting really weird. It didn't match any soulless events he was familiar with. At first when haze appeared he was pondering if it could be that flying bastard with the fog again, but well this haze wasn't the same as that fog. So it probably wasn't the flying bugger that nearly drowned them. That fog was neigh, no impossible to see through.

"Vhy are all these people experiencing this, ve included? I originally thought it might be a soulless, but... if it vas, they vould have attacked someone already, right?" He asked Veta, eyes pearing still at the hazy surroundings. There was a certain degree of beauty in this seemingly hazy world right now. It made the surroundings look unearthly and to a small degree mystic. Still that did not make him lower his guard any! As far as he was aware, this could very well be just the prelude to a storm.

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Instinctively, William slung his violin case over his shoulder, freeing up his other arm. He was used to the case's weight there, this wasn't the first time that he had had to defend himself while carrying his instrument. It was the tool of his trade after all, and he had spent years travelling the roads alone. The Soulless were a far rarer sight now than they had been in days gone by, but they still lurked in the shadows. Despite all of his appearance facing the things that go bump in the night, he still didn't want to have to face whatever Rutherford had become alone. He considered himself a brave man, but he wasn't an idiot. He didn't even know what the creature calling after Millicent was, and until he knew how to kill it, then he wasn't going to try and find out.

Millicent finally reached him, her hand grabbing his. In any other situation, William would have been taken aback by the gesture, but considering her fiance had just transformed into a monster before her eyes, he was willing to allow her this slip in etiquette. She agreed with William about where they should head towards, although amongst the chaotic panic that seemed to be taking over the town, William still had no idea where the church was. For now, he would settle with their destination simply being away from Rutherford. For a second, he was entranced by Rutherford, watching as the man, or whatever he was, called after Millicent, before seeming to be distracted by the grotesque appearance of his own face. Something was wrong with Rutherford's voice. William couldn't place what it was, but it seemed sweeter than it had been before. It was only Millicent tugging on his hand that finally pulled William's attention away.

The young woman seemed to have a direction in mind as she continued to pull on William's hand, the two of them still fighting through the crowd. It didn't take him long to see what she had seen. The flamboyant Russian that had greeted the Duchess earlier didn't exactly blend in, and William could see him through the crowd, not far from where they were. He was starting to regret not making introductions earlier. If he knew how to address the man, he could call out, but he had no clue, and even if he did, his voice might be lost amongst the noise of the crowd. Regardless, for all William knew, the Russian may recognise what Rutherford was. At the very least, he should recognise Rutherford as a threat, which put him firmly on the right side. William kept his grip on Millicent's hand as he moved towards the Russian, pushing through the crowd. He glanced down at the young woman for a moment, but now wasn't the time to offer any words of support, not until they'd left Rutherford far behind them. So he opted for practicality instead.

"Stay close"

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Though the cab rustled about, Colette kept her composure. She had traveled via carriage before many a time and the roads were not always well kept in places. She was sued to the rough riding. Horse riding got you used to such travel too. She managed to hold herself in her seat so as not to wind up on Maeve’s lap, which would be an awkward conversation to have with someone she had only just met.

Her mind wandered to her fiancé, if she could still call him that. She hoped whatever that woman intended to do, she did so quickly and without having it come back at her. She closed her eyes, picturing the man again and it sent a small shiver down her spine. If Lord Rutherford was half the man her fiancé was, then Millicent needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Perhaps if Colette shared her own tail it would make for some courage or a fighting change against the man. Either way, Colette would see this through.

She came back to the current and nodded her understanding at Maeve’s comment. She had only just met Lady Kirkpatrick, but she could tell by just a few words that the woman was formidable. ”Indeed. She seems quite capable of herself. If you do not mind me asking, how did you come to work for her?” She hoped the question was not too forward, but really what else was there to talk about?

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The comparative sense of wrongness and urgency in the air seemed to increase. There were screams in the distance, echoing the closer sense of foreboding if not exactly the ambient sounds nearby. The haze that now permeated everything around Vladimir was not especially helpful in this regard either, seeming only to magnify whatever pressing preternatural events were unfolding. Perhaps this all had some normal, mundane, rational explanation, and eventually cooler heads would prevail, but Vladimir knew the power of appearances. Smoke and mirrors were his stock and trade. The value of appearance and setting a mood was the difference between winning and losing a crowd; the mob could be fickle, even dangerous if influenced properly. The stage in Gretna Green was being set by unknown hands, perhaps Providence itself, for something potentially ugly, even if Soulless were not involved.

There was a more serious look to Vladimir's face as he hefted the body of the fallen German fellow. He gave the other, living German fellow a look, regarding him with some consideration as he introduced himself and mentioned that Ludwig had a living mentor, then began helping to clear a path for him to follow. "Truly? Is for good. Master Zimmer has pupil under care of Circus, must be given thought for. Vhen this is over, ve should find." His words were a little subdued, for a Bazhooli. Maybe it had something to do with him carrying a corpse, or the general attitude of the town around him. In truth, he was bracing for something to happen.

Vlad followed Virginia and Ny into the church; in turn being followed by his fine horse (who was given a command earlier to keep at his heels) ad immediately began looking for a place to set down the lifeless husk of Ludwig, wrapped in cloth and rope. "Perhaps, vill make vith the formal greetings in little bit of timings, da? For now, dark business of our being here must take center stage. Is for sad. I make intense introductioning." he confided. Okay, the living, the dead, and the horse were all upon holy ground. It was time to brace for whatever was to unfold. Vlad quietly set down the body and crossed his arms in front of them, surreptitiously keeping hands where he could get at his many sharp implements upon his noble personage.

On The Road (Heading Towards Gretna Green): As the girls continue, things are going about as smoothly as they can go right now. All things considered that is. They are making decent time though despite everything, which is good news. Seems LLA is playing nice to you right now. It isn't until the carriage is about a mile or two outside of the edge of Gretna Green that the carriage finally starts to slow down. It has to. There is some debris in the road, like half a carriage, it looks like there was some kind of carriage accident here. What happened one can't just tell right away, it would take a closer examination. The driver has to stop and climbs down, muttering about his eyes and this not being a good thing. He is going to have to clear away the debris for their carriage to get through as the road dips off sharply on either side and they can't just go around it.

Gretna Green: Veta wished she knew what was going on but she was as lost as everyone else was. This wasn't something she was used to dealing with, she had never dealt with anything like this. This wasn't anything of the Soulless that the world knew in general and this wasn't anything that she had ever been taught about when it came to the Soulless of their homeland. Maybe there was a Soulless out there that could do something like this but the only one that seemed to know anything about things elsewhere had been Ludwig and may he rest in peace. "I vouldn't dare to speak of the ways of the Soulless, their minds and hearts are not something ve could map out," she said quietly. Why they did what they did was always up for debate, it was not something she wanted in her mind. She didn't want to be able to think the way they did. Sure it might help to stop it but at what cost? Could one lose their own soul from thinking too much like a Soulless? Was that how the first one came to be? Had man just been pushed to the Black and lost their humanity? Their Soul?

Millicent looked around, the haze making it harder to tell what was going on. She made sure to keep her fingers tightly laced with Williams as they moved through the crowd, trying to place as much distance between them and Rutherford as possible. This was not what she had signed up for, not by a long shot. She had already endured a lot to get this far but this was not part of the deal, this was not part of the contract. "I will," she said to Williams simply instruction of remaining close. One hand in his, the other gripping her weapon and ready just in case. Rutherford seemed to not following them at this point. Turning and running into another direction. Where he was going she didn't know and she didn't care. Yes his voice had changed, it even seemed kind but if his features could change like that? What all was he hiding? Or what all was taking over him. Either way, it didn't lend any air of trust to him. Holy ground was all they had right now and that was just a toss up, could that even help them now?

Ny kept the crowds back and moved up to the doors of the church. Pushing them open so Ludwigs body could be moved inside. "Yes, much to talk about. Friends. If a friend of the dark light lady, then yes, friends of mine. Yes, indeed. Much to talk about, in safety, yes, move, move quickly," he said propping the door open with one door and using his walking cane to keep people back. "Ladies first," he said towards Virginia with a bit of a solemn grin on his features. It was all he could do for now. "Oh my, is that the Duchess? Yes, must be," he said as he pointed over towards Veta on the horse with Constantine. He had heard of the woman from another and took notes on her. Yes, that had to be her. If it wasn't then he was a Persimonlark.

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Virginia nodded as Vlad discussed the introductions and all, and as Ny beckoned for her to cross the threshold first, she did so. She could feel the macabre and morose in the air - the haze that was in front of her sight, the ambiance of screams, the corpse they brought in with them... And not to forget, the Crypt walking into a church. It had the makings of an excellent All Hallow's Eve and Virginia was a bit sad that James was not there to appreciate it. Would Ludwig have enjoyed this atmosphere as well? While it may have been unnerving to some, Virginia found it very calming. She was more at home among the forces of darkness than among those of the light.

At Ny's direction, Virginia glanced back and saw Elizaveta along with another man. She smiled slightly, seeing her friend - she looked like she had fought through a great deal, but there was no sign of the Grand Duchess losing her soul. She appeared human as always. "The Dark Mother has brought our threads together," she told Ny with a sad smile. "Do you feel as if we are on the cusp of an extraordinary tragedy, one that history dare not forget?" she inquired, looking at her friend. Although she had just met him, she felt the strongest kinship with Ny out of those assembled. His presence and mannerisms made her long for her family, but he essentially was a Crypt, making the slight homesickness increase. With Elizaveta there, though, they could perform the ceremony and lay Ludwig to rest.

"Ny, do you know what faith Ludwig kept?" she then asked, a more practical question. Ludwig deserved the rites of whatever gods he followed, or at least, as close to those rites as they could obtain.

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Maeve nodded at Colette, figuring that this question was going to come up. "I wus in need av work, so I applied ter 'elp Lady Kirkpatrick wi' runnin' de House an' al'. I wus lucky enough ter be picked." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, as there wasn't really all that much to that story. Of course it was a lie, but she was skilled with deception and was able to pass off a basic lie as being genuine. The trouble would have come with an exceedingly elaborate one. But there was no reason to go all out here - it was a simple question and thus warranted a simple answer. The haze had not left her vision, something worrying but there wasn't much she could do about it.

The carriage started to slow and she glanced outside, seeing what looked like the wreck of someone else's carriage. Had the wreck been caused by the poor eyesight they were all experiencing at the moment? She had no idea, and had she not been essentially charged with escorting Colette (and monitoring her), she would have left the carriage to assist. As it were, though, her job was to remain inside of the carriage for now. Their progress was definitely slowed down for the moment, so she decided to ask Colette some questions in exchange. "If yer don't mind me askin' - 'ow wus yer journey gettin' 'ere?" She had to wonder if it had been simple and straight forward for the daughter of a peer to travel with potentially one chaperone? It really hadn't been clear.

Constantin didn't reply to Veta's comment, but he gave a silent nod to it even if she wouldn't be able to see it. Despite everything, he had to once more remind himself that soulless weren't really brainless animals. The assumtion that they would have attacked held little value especially since many of the soulless were fully capable of cooking up schemes. Some of them did seem to continue to possess some sentience and hell even animals could be scheming. Wolves for one easily hunted in packs which by nature was a plan. He was forced to recall the flying multiheaded icy bastard of a creature that nearly killed them. That one put up a fog to hinder visibility and hinder people and then also bailed for unknown reason. Yeah Veta was right, figuring out the minds of Soulless was a fruitless task and one that was not for humans.

"Sadly, Ludwig died with many ansvers." Constantin said quietly as he sighed." When it happened, I had just asked him to try to identify that thing that attacked you by the lake. I still felt that it's appearance at that time was of importance." The firewalker explained to Veta as they rode forward. The haze didn't seem to be vanishing and THAT was just plain weird. It wasn't relaly too hindering, he would have been concerned if it was fog, but with the way this was, he just felt curious. He seriously pondered what Ludwig would have had to comment on it, had he not met that unfortunate fate earlier.

"Ohh... there's the church? Good." Constantin commented as he saw the building some distance away. At least the chuch was reasonably and logically located in the town. This was at least something good he could say about this place so far. Be it bad food, crazy seas, scary monsters, and dangerous events, overall Constantin didn't have much of a pleasant or good impressions of these lands. People were somewhat nice most of the time, but the rest of it...

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William knew that the Russians had been seeking holy ground, and he was glad to see that their aims still aligned, as he saw that the flamboyant Russian horseman had reached the church. Although in truth, the haze that seemed to still cling the town hardly made it easy to see what was going on. He assumed that the shape rising above the surrounding houses was a church, and he didn't see any alternative to that assumption, so he would have to work with what he had. He kept a tight grip on Millicent's hand, tugging her towards the building. The crowds seemed to be thinning now, as people continued to flee into their homes. Panic still filled the air though, and William had to fight to keep his own composure. Whatever was causing the very fabric of the world to shift and warp, it was unlike anything William had ever experienced. If something was causing, or someone, then they held a power greater than anything William had witnessed before. If William couldn't kill it, then he sure as hell hoped he could outrun it.

The church suddenly loomed above the unlikely pair, and William urged Millicent towards the doors as best he could. If he had had the time to look at himself in that moment, he would have laughed. William would gladly accept plaudits for his charisma and courage, both of them had been tested more times than he could count after all. But he was self-centered, and ultimately vain. He was good-looking and talented after all, he was allowed a little vanity. And yet some part of himself always seemed to rear it's head when he wanted it least. Some heroic intent, the same heroic intent that saw him willingly putting Millicent's survival above his own. He would never willingly admit it, but he valued that heroic intent, because it was the part of himself that was most like his mother.

William glanced over his shoulder as they reached the doors, half-expecting to see Rutherford at their back, but if the creature was close, then William saw no sign of him, although that hardly put William at ease. Until he had the stone walls of the church between himself and whatever Rutherford was, he wasn't going to relax his grip on the handle of his Dirk, or Millicent's hand. As he did what he could to watch their surroundings, he gestured to Millicent.

"Get inside, I'll watch our backs."

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Colette figured as much. Maeve seemed competent and someone like Lady Kirkpatrick would require someone who could handle whatever was thrown at her. The question was if she was considered a servant or something else. She managed to land herself the job, which is impressive enough considering that type of work went to qualified people with experience. Her own maid, who she now realized was still maintaining her family’s home while she was running around, had years of experience, even before she was born. Maeve must have been very lucky then to have been picked. Colette wouldn’t say such things though. It was not her place to critique anything and the woman seemed capable and smart.

And then the conversation went back towards her. She wondered if it was mainly curiosity or something more. Either way, there was no need to hide anything. ”The journey was somewhat difficult. The gentleman I was traveling with and I found ourselves attacked on the open water by some creature and were saved by pirates, who brought us here. Afterward, we went our separate ways and I came to be here.” She wondered where Fyror was, considering the man seemed most desperate to find Millicent too. Perhaps he had other engagements he did not share with her, which was find considering the two of them had not known each other long. Either way, she was somewhat alone still, even if she had someone to travel with.

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Conversations kept swirling around Vladimir of which he was sadly not a part. Ordinarily very happy to be involved in the vocal comings and goings of persons both friend and stranger, today seemed to be an odd sort of day. Even for someone such as himself, today was unique. It wasn't every day that you had to drag a corpse to holy ground for a cleansing while a swirly haze of unknown origin made an entire town a little crazy. But then again, his entire adventure in England started with an evening of oddities. Vlad knew about oddities. They had several such attractions at the Circus.

On the same note, whomever was tending the church in this quaint Scottish town probably had never seen a gathering of foreigners (and a horse) quite this eclectic gather within their walls. So this was a horizon-expanding event all around. Vlad was happy to be a part of an edifying experience. He had other priorities at the moment, but it was nice anyway. Some of those priorities were headed to and/or entering the church at that point in time, prompting Vlad to nudge his Tolstoy(!) a bit further out of the way to safely admit the others. After he maneuvered the noble beast back, Vlad took a sharp look out of the church doors. это отлично! Da, is excellent. However threads are coming together, are coming together! Ve make readying, da? Vhen Grand Duchess is here, she is making soul of fallen friend Ludvig purified. Ve..." he smiled a dangerous but gleeful smile, sliding two of his larger showpiece knives from his belt in an underhanded grip. He twirled them up between his fingers and then back down, both hands simultaneously, until they returned to their original position with the clear sound of steel slapping against calloused flesh. Vladimir then rolled his shoulders back, and craned his neck from side to side, eliciting a series of impressive join pops in the process. The smile still present, he continued, "Ve vill make sure she remains vithout interruption."

On The Road (Heading Towards Gretna Green): There was a knock on the carriage door and the driver waited a moment before opening it. "It's going to take me a few minutes to get the road cleared enough for us to keep going, just hold tight," he said, letting the two women in the carriage know what was going on before closing the door and getting to work. Normally he would have probably needed a hand to help him as carriages were not exactly light things to move but considering the amount of damage done to the carriage and that it still had two wheels left on it, he was able to take one of the horses off their traveling carriage to help move things off to the side of the road and into the ditch. It was about twenty minutes but once it was finally cleared he climbed back on top of their carriage and started on their way again. The only real good thing about taking the time to clear the road was that by the time they reached the outskirts of Gretna Green most of the people that had been panicking in the streets were now in their homes or in businesses panicking, at least they were off the streets. "Where too?" the driver called down to the women in the carriage. He wasn't sure where to go from here.

Gretna Green: "All moments are great tragedy to the right person," Ny said before looking over at Ludwig. "We try not to follow a single faith when we know so much. The more you know the less you trust in the unknown and the more you trust in what you do know," he said. It was a simple way of saying that those of German training didn't pray to any god in particular. "Our knowledge is our god."

Veta sighed and nodded. Thankfully for them it wasn't hard to get to the church doors. Once they had, Veta dismounted and quickly rushed passed the others to find Vlad and the body of Ludwig. Time was of the essence now, if he were to change it would be horrible but change always took three days but the thing was, with everything going on, would that process be sped up? Veta wasn't counting anything out at this point.

Millicent kept close to William as they moved up to the church and nodded. Barely able to side step the Grand Duchess as she rushed towards the church. "Last I saw her there was a tiger," Millicent said quietly towards William before going into the church and looking around, her weapon gripped tightly in her hand. She hoped that them being on holy ground would give them a moment to breath. From what she could tell Rutherford wasn't following her. "Virginia!" she called out as she spotted her old friend. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she quickly moved over to the pale woman.

Veta nodded towards Vlad. "Da, yes, need time," she said as she rushed to the front of the church where the cross and holy relics were located. Pushing the unlit candles from the alter she looked back to Vlad. "Move body here," she said as she started to gather what she felt might help her, sheathing her blade as she went. She was used to doing this with a family relic but her egg was with the circus. It wasn't with her. She would have stopped to say hello to Virginia and ask about Myska but now wasn't the time. She had to tend to Ludwig first and foremost.

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Virginia was not phased by the Great Bazhooli's subtle implication that he would use his knives to ensure that Elizaveta could go about her work. Her entire family was filled with morose and macabre eccentrics, so his antics really were more or less seen as normal to her. Ny thankfully knew the faith that Ludwig practiced - well, more of didn't practice and Virginia nodded. "Then perhaps we can find a book to bury with him," Virginia suggested. She didn't know if Ludwig would have wanted that, but it seemed right. "Or - as lovely as it is and I would not wish to part with it - perhaps the journal you gifted me? So he might record the knowledge he gains in the next realm?" She hoped that Ny didn't take offense to her suggestion to bury the journal he had given her with the corpse. She loved the gift he had given her, but perhaps Ludwig's soul could make more use of it and it might be appropriate for his burial rites. Elizaveta came through the Church and hurried to Ludwig with apparent urgency, which Virginia could appreciate. While she did not share the Grand Duchess' faith, she could appreciate that her training and skills allowed to prevent the transformation into the Soulless.

She couldn't fathom what was going on with the haze, even reflecting back upon her family's history and legends. However, it was perhaps a good thing she couldn't get much headway, as her name was called out and she turned her head. She set her eyes on Millicent for the first time in what felt like a century. She smiled, happy to see that her dear friend was alive and well - that wasn't the case for most of Virginia's friends these past few days. "Millicent," she responded. "Might I embrace you?" she asked, noticing that Millicent was clutching her weapon tightly. It also was just a matter of simple respect and courtesy. She didn't wish to force a hug on her friend.

"The Grand Duchess had a vision that you would be in danger and need our assistance here," Virginia explained to Millicent, giving her the short summary of how they had ended up here. "Are you well? Do I need to slay anyone for my dear friend's sake?" she asked, concerned.

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Maeve raised a slight eyebrow as Colette told a brief portion of her tale. "Pirates? Nigh, dat sounds like a tale for de ages," she told her, curious to know more about this. She wondered why the pirates had helped them. From what she had heard, those sorts were pretty much like any criminals and only served their own inherent self interest - Maeve would know, she was one of those criminals. Had Colette and her friend bribed them for safe passage? She had to imagine some sort of deal was struck, but they didn't have the time to discuss it. The carriage driver had finally finished clearing aside the blockage and they eventually reached the outskirts of Gretna Green.

She considered for a moment his question. "De nearest Church, please," Maeve requested. It seemed like a sensible location for Millicent and her fiancé to travel to. If they were planning to get wed or just were going to partake in some sort of confession or religious rite along the way, then the Church would be an ideal location for them to stop at. And if they weren't there, well, they would just have to come up with another idea as to where the two lovebirds had gone. Hopefully Colette would have some sort of notion, as Maeve's mind had only produced the Church as a starting point and hadn't come up with any other ideas.

He ushered the horse somewhat faster forward, but even that had a limit as to not have the horse bumpi nto someone. If there was one thing that didn't mix well with horses in movement, it was people who weren't looking where they were walking. Never the less, they had arrived at hte church in a short notice without any experiences of sudden evil winds or simply the world ending or whatever else could happen at this point.

As Veta jumped off the horse and stormed forwards to deal with Ludwig, Constantin didn't hurry to disembrak in quite the haste. He moved the horse a little away of the main entryway and then hopped off it, then moved his horse towards Vlad's, keepign them together. These were Circus horses, good horses, well trained. He didn't want anything to happen to them. While doing so, he looked about, noting some somewhat familiar faces around, but be it Virginia or Millicent, neither were people whom he actually knew much of aside seeing their faces earlier in London. Still he pulled his attention away from them and out to the surroundings again.

This haze was here for a reason and as interesting and curious as it was, the fact it was present was more than a lil suspicious especially since the wind earlier, made sure htey wouldn't have Ludwig to possibly say what it was. Of course maybe he was being a little paranoid in this. He had a good reason to be, this concerned the survival of Veta, Vlad, his parents and hte rest of the circus - all people he cared for. Thus he decided that while Veta was concentrating at her task at hand, he would stay vigil. With the horses out of the way, he focused his attention on teh surroundings, searching for anything that might be of danger once more.

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The unusual pair had almost reached the church when a figure burst into William's peripheral vision. He barely managed to move out of the way as the shape moved into the church itself. Although he only got a fleeting glance, the Duchess was a distinctive figure, and not one that William was likely to forget in a hurry. Everything seemed to be coming together, but William had been playing the game for long enough to not let down his defences too early. The haze still clung to the town, and even standing on holy ground hadn't cleared it away. And Rutherford was still out there. Whether the two were related, William didn't know. But he wasn't going to take any chances.

Millicent's low voice caught William's attention, and he glanced down at her as she spoke, her own gaze looking after the Duchess. For a moment, he was sure he must have misheard her. A tiger? He glanced after the Duchess himself, not being able to stop himself from double-checking if there was an until-now hidden tiger near her. William had only ever heard about the big cats, he'd never had the chance to see one himself. He made a mental note of the information. Just one more reason to spend time in the company of the Duchess. That list was growing longer by the moment.

As Millicent led them inside the church, William followed close behind, and saw that there were others already inside. The flamboyant Russian that they had seen outside was unsurprisingly inside, clutching two knives and wearing a disturbingly wide smile. The Duchess had already rushed to the side of the corpse that William had seen earlier. Another man stood nearby, but it was the other woman that caught William's attention. And he was clearly not alone, Millicent calling out and moving towards 'Virginia', her hand finally slipping from William's as she moved towards the other woman.

She stood around the same height as Millicent, and clearly recognized Millicent as she approached, the two warmly greeting each other, although carefully maintaining the proper etiquette, rather than rushing into each others arms. Something about this Virginia intrigued William, and he found himself listening to her as she spoke to Millicent. It didn't take long for him to be glad that he did. Knowing that the Duchess had seen a vision of Millicent in danger, and that this woman had been sent to give assistance, answered some questions, but it inevitably raised still more. For now, William resolved to roll with the punches, and stick with what he did know. Regardless, he still found himself drawn to the stranger.

She was willow-thin, light-brown hair hanging just past her shoulders, but it was her eyes that caught William's attention the most. Like pools almost, blue-grey and seeming to promise there was a great depth behind them, even through the haze. They were the kind of eyes that awoke the musician within William, and despite the uncertainty that surrounded him, William's hand, that had been holding Millicent's until a moment before, began to tap a tune against his thigh. The sound of movement at the front of the church finally tore William's attention away, and his hand fell still. The Duchess seemed to be busying herself around the corpse, presumably carrying out whatever ritual she had mentioned earlier. All at once, William found himself somewhat adrift.

He was out of his depth with whatever the Duchess was doing, he was in no place to intrude on the two women reuniting, and he didn't know either of the other men within the church. For now, he would stick with his word, and watch their backs. And as far as William was concerned, the greatest threat lay beyond the doors, so it was there he would watch. Keeping his grip tight on the handle of his dirk, he turned to face the churches main doors, slightly squaring his stance as he waited for whatever was to come.

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Had Colette heard her own tale, she would be right alongside Maeve in thinking it was like straight out of a novel. The sheer idea of individuals being washed out to see, coming face to face with a monster, only to be swept up and saved by dashing pirates. Yet, it happened and it happened to her. ”I would normally agree with you, but it happened. Wildest thing to happen to me. And I have proof.” She took out the gold coin she received. ”Told me to keep this if I ever need them again. Since I don’t intend to go out into the water anytime soon, I believe it will be a while before I see them again.”

With the carriage stopped, she wondered just how far along they were. She had no idea where she was going if she had to admit it. She only knew of the name. She had never traveled to this area. And if she had she would had to have been too young to remember. She wondered if her brother had been out here. She would have to write to him and ask.

Soon, though, the driver returned and asked where they would like to go. She had no idea, but it seemed Maeve had some recollection. The church would be a good starting point. If they were not there, they could ask around. If Lord Rutherford was as she assumed, surely the people at the church would at least know of him.

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When the Grand Duchess speaks, it is he obligation of those in the service to her family to listen, and if appropriate, to fulfill the desires thereof. And so, with a sly smile and the bow of his head, Vladimir sheathed his knives and stepped over to the fallen form of Ludwig, now laying across a wooden pew. "As you are commanding, Grand Duchess," he said with a flourish. Indeed, looking upon the scene it was obvious, especially to an experienced performer. This would not do. Even if he was in an adequate place for the purification of spirit, the scene was set all wrong. There was no presentation value, no panache here. Elizaveta was correct, naturally. So Vlad hauled the the former Ludwig over his shoulder and placed it with as much respect as he could give to a wrapped and bound cadaver onto the altar. Vladimir had seen this before, many times. This was going to be quite the show for those present who had not yet borne witness.

As soon as the body was deposited upon the altar, something clicked in Vlad's brain. Though it was a little out of the prearranged order, he had a gift to give and now seemed like the time for it, as those in the know or just those with a healthy dose of life-sustaining paranoia already felt, there were otherworldly shenanigans afoot. They would all need to be at their best, and best equipped. "For please excusing me, Your Grace. The Arming, you see."

He looked back to the rear of the church, or nearabouts, where he left his great, black Brivaldi horse, Tolstoy(!). There was still something that technically did not belong to him upon the tack, nestled among the lighter travel gear of a hasty departure. It was a large black shawl, covered in bright floral patterns. It was beautiful and glided in the wind just so. But the large, pretty shawl was not the most immediate concern, it was what lay within. Vlad retrieved the package and placed it at the feet of Millicent. "Vas for 'vedding present'. Am thinking you need now, eh?" He rose and began checking his own armament, walking back over to Elizaveta should he be needed. "Vill need scarf back!"

Gretna Green (Streets): "Right away miss," the driver said as he urged the carriage forward. It was not exactly a speedy movement as people were rushing in the streets still. It was far more cleared out than it had been earlier but there were still people out there and they were in a panic. The driver had to be careful not to accidentally run someone over with the carriage since they were not paying attention in all the chaos. Then a man nearly ran into the carriage and the driver yelled out. "What in bloody hell!"

Rutherford stood there, his face looking like it was half gone, open to an eye socked and cheek bones and muscles and teeth on one side. He covered his face quickly and ran off, trying to avoid being seen or have people look at him. The driver sat there wide eyed and pushed the carriage forward much quicker now. If people were having their faces melted off the lat thing he wanted to do was to be a sitting duck on top of a carriage. Pulling up to a church, thankfully the dice were nice and made it the same one the others were at, he stopped. "Here," he said as he jumped down and opened the door for the ladies. "Quickly, it isn't safe," he said. He wasn't sure if it was or wasn't but if there were people with half their faces gone on the streets he would rather take his changes in a church.

Gretna Green (Church): Ny shook his head. "I think he would want his books to be passed, be of use. You are brains as well as beauty, yes, you will do fine," he said with a grin, solemn as it was. He stepped away as Millicent and Virginia spoke, giving them some space. Millicent nodded and looked teary eyed as she rushed over to her friend Virginia and embraced her tightly, shaking some what. It was the first time in a bit she had let go of Williams hand.

"I.. I am fine and perhaps. Rutherford, he changed. His face, it melted, it was horrific, like candle wax on his skull," Millicent said in a trembling voice as she held on to Virginia. Millicent usually did very well in battle, she had shown this at Almacs despite everything but right now she was shaking like a bird. She wasn't sure what to think about the fact that Virginia had come because of a vision of the Grand Duchess's and frankly right then she didn't care. She was just glad to be among someone she truly trusted again above all else. Virginia was hardly as frail as her lithe figure would lead people to believe. Millicent's eyes went to Vlad as he laid something down, picking it up she looked over the scarf but did not open it yet. There wouldn't be time.

As Veta started to prepare for the ritual, Constantine would notice there was a shadow, something off in the room. Something dark, something wrong, hidden in the rafters. It was large. The others would smell a hint of fire in the air but no signs of smoke currently. Veta was not noticing thing, as she was focused. She had already begun, whatever came their way this time, she couldn't move, she had to stay fixed in the ritual if she were to be sure that Ludwig would not change. If she didn't finish, it could be a far worse outcome. The Circus folk would know this.

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Virginia returned Millicent's embrace, holding her dear friend close. While Millicent was shaking and seemed frightened, Virginia was strong. These sort of circumstances - the dark, strange, and unusual - they were what her family thrived in. She was calm, cool, and collected despite the haze clouding her vision - and despite the tragic death of Ludwig, a kindred soul she never had the fortune to truly meet. She listened to Millicent's description of what had happened to Rutherford - it was quite odd. And had Millicent been in better shape, Virginia would have inquired as to where the man was - she would very much like to see a person with such a description. "That is rather interesting - I experienced some abnormalities on my travels here as well, you see... At one point, it was as if the earth bent and contracted, sending me a greater distance than should have been possible. Perhaps time contracted as well, I do not know."

"I believe that we are in the center of some storm, dear Millicent," she said gently. "If you wish, I can be your refuge and guardian," she then offered. She didn't want to presume that Millicent was incapable of protecting herself, but she seemed to be in a state that wasn't conducive to fighting at the moment. If Millicent needed to take shelter behind Virginia's blades, then that was fine. It was what friends were for, after all. She then caught the scent of fire in the air, but no smoke. That was odd. She glanced around but wasn't able to notice anything amiss. "How peculiar..." she murmured.

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Maeve was rather curious about the coin that Colette produced - how was the golden coin going to signal the pirates that she was in need of aid? She supposed that there had to be something more to it, but unfortunately she didn't get a moment to inquire about it. People were running around like it was the end of the world, but one stuck out in particular. It was Lord Rutherford, the annoying man she had met before - just missing portions of his face. Had the haze not been impacting her, she would have found it funny - okay, she did find his disfigurement a little bit funny. And horrifying. But also - he deserved it. He was irritating.

"After yer," Maeve said, getting out of the carriage and beckoning for Colette to enter the Church first if she wanted to. In her opinion, most people that were in the upper class were horrible when it came to taking care of themselves - some of them didn't even bother with training when they could afford it. Sure, Colette struck her as stronger than most but still, letting her go into the house of refuge first was a good idea. Maeve didn't even care if the Church was Catholic or Protestant at the moment. Shelter in holy walls was a good idea and as she entered, it seemed they were in luck - she could see Millicent embracing a rather pale woman. "Look," she told Colette, pointing her towards Millicent. There was a slight fiery scent in the air as well.