[indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hQyGCk7.png[/img] & [img]https://i.imgur.com/oe0WSFO.png[/img] & [img]https://i.imgur.com/SizLDki.png[/img] [hider=Mood Music][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4fiJKuWRB4&pp=ygUdcHJlc3MgZ2FuZyBtdXJkZXIgY2l0eSBkZXZpbHM%3D[/youtube][/hider][/center][right][h1][color=f49ac2]Edict[/color] & [color=C67C12]Leon[/color] & [color=7B81B3]Kenshiro[/color][/h1][/right][right][sub][hr]Mentions: There's a lot, I'm being lazy. | Direct Dialogue: Too many people as usual. | Location: The House on the Hill [/sub][/right][hr] [/indent][quote=Luna][color=bcbcbc][b]“Talk to me after this, I can help you with that.”[/b][/color][/quote] Leon's spine crawled thinking about what sort of demons the Mafia kept in their collective closet. Edict mirrored the strain, still trying to stay tuned into the ongoing verbal chaos. He couldn't think of anything in particular that House of Cards was capable of producing; after all, Void Heart was gone. What could be more unruly or aggressive than what the Temple wanted Layla to deal with? The vampire dolls seemed pretty spot-on from what he'd seen in Layla's mind, and as his gaze slightly turned to see Leon's reaction, he found a bit of despair in those eyes. [color=C67C12]"Well... I'd still love to vet things, y'know? I'm not here to tell you how to live, but we're all responsible for your safety and your chance to learn, Layla."[/color] Edict tried not to grin to himself. He was amazed the girl hadn't been hooked on the food yet. Maybe they were afraid of feeding the siblings? [quote=Luca][color=6B8E23]”You can if you want to. I don’t mind. I’ll take on the responsibility for all the other 8th members I don’t believe should.”[/color][/quote] Ken was an immovable object at the best of times. Edict had heard Luca's small plea to Ken's consciousness and wasn't shocked when he heard the response. [color=7B81B3]"I simply refuse to believe this. My only reasoning is that you clearly never could've been aligned with that wretched Cunt and her pet lizard: Your heart is too big, and you act in compassion even toward your greatest enemies. I will not let your small voice burn out into the night as you try to save those who would harbor Evil."[/color] Ken's conviction rumbled through his chest as he stared dead at Luca. Of course tears welled in his eyes, his passions almost always getting the best of him in these darkest of days. [color=C67C12]"Kenshiro... Come on, my friend, we're all Adepts here. We should try to preserve [i]a little[/i] life, right?"[/color] [color=7B81B3]"I'm not interested in your Cult's Supremacist rhetoric. Honor yourself like you did at the Festival, and save your morality."[/color] Leon grimaced, and Ken's attention was taken up by Drake making an entrance. [color=7B81B3]"There's a man who knows the blade! D-"[/color] [quote=Drake][color=3874f4]”... [i]Why is she here?[/i]”[/color][/quote] Lynette Dominguez as well, and Edict couldn't ignore someone tall, dark and beautiful. She threw him off keeping track of Drake's brewing conflict with Luna; a problem exacerbated by the arrival of Love on her heels. Britney [i]and[/i] Linqian? Aryin too, but at this point he had a hard time not giving himself up. With Tayla around, it was only going to be harder as he did his best to keep surface level thoughts from echoing into her ears. [color=f49ac2]"You know you look damn cute with that sword Brit? We were-"[/color] [quote=Jack][color=6644ff]”We know how to move forward, how to find Kari’s notes.”[/color][/quote] [color=f49ac2]"I mean, yeah. I may've mentioned something kind of silly, but it ain't a big deal."[/color] Edict did his best to bury the bait idea since it seemed like nobody seemed to go for it. He had faith, at least in Britney, that her "target" status was questionable at best. She was a strong Adept, one of the most well-versed in her school of magic that he knew. Jack continued on about the entities related to the dreams, and wound up getting Edict, Ken and Leon's attention for different reasons. Ken's mind turned to a joke that he kept internalized, having listened to Kari talk about Britney so harshly sometimes. He couldn't help but relate the scant images of Sunshine to Britney, and hearing that they had Green Lux... A thought that Edict shared for a very different reason. He was worried that someone would try to point out the very same observation, creating a near-miss of thought that may've caused more sparks than necessary if they impacted. Leon was mostly concerned about the whole of it. The association, the Chalice being involved somehow, the feeling like he almost knew who Sunshine was despite never knowing the woman. It wasn't canny, and he didn't want to dwell on that face longer than he had to. Lelou Faim's energy rippled through him as he began to pass inward toward his mind's eye. Stormy arriving was a welcome distraction, and Leon began to move away from Layla hoping that his desire for involvement in her plans had been made clear. Jack continued on about his and Kenshiro's plan to recover the Brass Needle, continuing to cringe as he thought about what a burden it must be to fear the Apparition. Maybe in Luca's case, one was right to be fearful. But, he couldn't help thinking about his own prisoner. His Betrothed. [color=a36209][i]Oh, Leon... You know just how to wake me up...[/i][/color] He gritted his teeth, throwing back his head in slight frustration. [quote=Linqian][color=CD5C5C]”Don't dock my pay for being late, alright?[/color][/quote] [color=f49ac2]"Man, what do I look like, some kind of animal?"[/color] As he said this, Edict brushed a hand against Linqian and induced a quick Recollection to bring her up to speed. Not without getting a look at some nasty bruising and serious teeth indentations across her skin. [color=f49ac2]"Jesus, Linqian, were you fuckin' a bull mastiff or something?"[/color] he whispered. The bull mastiff in question began to blush as Leon did his best not to stare and wave at Aryin and Linqian. It had been a great time, after all. It was the perfect distraction to keep Edict from defending Luna from herself as she had her personal problems with Drake spilled out into open taunting. But Lynn had remained quiet in wait. Waiting to drop a bombshell of information, and a request for a mission that many never would've accepted. There was a slight burst of energy that washed away from Kenshiro, drawing attention through sheer force of will. The Wayfinders... Hatanaka... [color=7B81B3]"Oh, yes! Yes, absolutely, let's stage a suicide mission into the Multiverse's maximum security prison for some other -"[/color] Stopping himself, Ken's face became stone cold and frozen as he did his best to keep his opinions to himself. [color=7B81B3]"Yoko... Is not a good woman. Even if we find her, she will not want to help us."[/color] Leon's hand raised. The voice in his head, present now that she'd been prodded enough by his own thoughts, had him by the shorts as he struggled to not offer himself up... [color=a36209][i][b]THE PIT THE PIT THE PIT THE PIT THE PIT THE-[/b][/i][/color] [quote=Britney][color=f4eb93]”The Pit redirects [i]any[/i] teleportation [i][b]back[/b][/i] into it. Meaning it's going to be next to impossible to get out.”[/color][/quote] [quote=Amara][color=789caa]”Aaron’s right. That just ain’t an option. I mean… Just, how the fuck are you even getting there?”[/color][/quote] [color=C67C12]"We don't teleport out of it... We open a hole, we have someone keep it safe, do what we have to do, and then leave through the door we came through. The Temple would offer its services if that meant extending an olive branch to us, and I'd be happy to coordinate it. Especially if... One of the Blessed Pale Adepts says they saw me in a vision... I'm compelled to answer that call."[/color] Leon's voice was loud and clear as he offered himself positively for the Pit plan, having absolutely nothing to do with the ravenous, frothing desire of his Prisoner to have an excuse to unleash herself. He wasn't sure what would happen if he loaded himself up enough to give Lelou the time without having a Leash Keeper... One of the few times he missed Daisy... And then a familiar face that Leon never imagined he'd see again. Lelou quickly scanned through his memories of the old days, and found the tall, dark and handsome man as one of Leon's earliest male partners... He felt compulsion to speak his name into reality, standing in a spot that he could begin to step forward toward that face burned into ancient memories. [color=C67C12]"Mon Dieu, Bé!? Bé!?"[/color] Leon stepped forward, arms almost opening up into a hug before being rudely interrupted by the sludgy shadow monster bursting through the door. He'd smelled something strange, heard some loud popping, but attributed all these things to the neighborhood they were in. Now it was clear that there was a fight. His ears perked up, and as people began to rush around in an attempt to help the transformed Clancy, Leon switched gears to defense mode. He'd not be shot by another canister, and quickly took Bé by the shoulders to purposefully move him away from the danger, and out of his direct path before he made for the door. Ken was instantly locked in alongside him, though made for closer company like Drake and Jack. Without hesitation, he drew one of the swords from his hip and flipped it into a reverse hold. Positioning himself between the crowd and the thing that had burst in, he was quick to assume the worst. [color=7B81B3]"Have Greenwood betrayed us!?"[/color] The only thing running through Edict's mind as he slipped off the barstool and pulled the pistol from his waist belt holster was about how he could've swore that he'd shot that thing the other day at Kari's house... So, why was it back?