[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QIUSezo.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/ycOCuCr.png[/img][/center] [right][b]Interactions:[/b] Lila [@NoriWasHere], ‘Alizée’ & Layla [@Estylwen], Ken & Leon [@AtomicEmperor], Ruby [@Shin Ghost Note] Everyone Present [code]The House on the Hill[/code][/right][hr] [quote=Layla]“Yes… I want this. I want to adjoin with Alizée. Perhaps… With Alizée's help, I can forget about the Void Heart.” [/quote] Luca nodded, smiling. If it was what Layla wanted then he wouldn’t stop her. Hopefully she would get some more peace… Perhaps they would be good for each other. Luca knew that not every Apparition was like his. There’d been other coven members with good ones, and ambivalent ones. They were just like humans in that way… [color=6B8E23]”It was an accident, but I should’ve been more careful,”[/color] Luca continued. He turned to look back at Leon, around Ken, who he let move him slightly further away. He was glad for the support, but he wasn’t scared of Leon. If Leon had taken a shot… Well, it would be a quick and painless death when his neck snapped. [color=6B8E23]”I'm sorry, Leon, I didn't mean to hurt you. Magical healing should fix it,”[/color] Luca grimaced. He didn’t want Leon to think that it was - it was hard to tell. [color=c6e100][i]But it was on purpose. You lingered.[/i][/color] [color=6B8E23][i]No[/i][/color]. Luca shook his head. He'd just wanted to make sure Layla was being given the choice, rather than being forced into something she didn't want. Like he had been. He still let out a slight sigh of relief as Leon started to move towards the door, and away from him. [color=6B8E23]”You’re right, I’m okay, Ken,”[/color] Luca once again smiled at his friend. [color=6B8E23]”I just stumbled… Do I look like I feel not okay? I’ve never felt better.”[/color] A lie, of course, he’d felt better plenty of days in earlier years. But compared to recently… After the healing, he was doing just fine. Rotting away a little flesh wasn’t a strain at all. Pushing down the Rot like this was routine. It was just the guilt… always the guilt. [color=c6e100][i]Just embrace it.[/i][/color] Luca ignored the Rot. He leaned into Ken slightly, where his hands were against the telekinetic bubble, careful to not touch him with anything that wasn’t. The almost-contact was enough to push it away. [color=6B8E23]”Hey, why does everyone think I’m so fragile I’m about to fall over?”[/color] Luca spoke up, with a light laugh, as Lila suggested Jasper and Lynn took him home. He was as recovered from dealing with the Crystal as he was ever going to be. This, right now, was him functioning. [color=6B8E23]”I was just talking, and tripped. Unless you’re saying you want me to shut up, Lila?”[/color] Perhaps a poorly time joke, but it was easiest for Luca to stay positive by not dwelling on any of the bad that had happened. [color=6B8E23]”But I agree about splitting into smaller groups,”[/color] he continued. [color=6B8E23]”Even if we all got on, there’s to many people, and no clear leadership. We can’t [i]have[/i] a one leader who makes all the decisions because then we’ll be repeating the mistakes we made before. As Lila said, we’re held together by trauma, and circumstance. We were ten years ago, and are again today. There’s a reason we didn’t last… unfortunately.”[/color] He’d turned to Ruby towards the end of what he said, smiling at her genuinely, even though she’d essentially gone through all of the reasons they sucked. He understood. He didn’t agree with all of it. But they hadn’t seen what Sycamore was like in a fight, when they needed to come together. When the stakes were high and the pressure was there, they could do it. But only then. [color=6B8E23]”Even if you decide you don’t want an ‘alliance’, please let some of us help. Keep in touch. Because we all live in this city too. Some of us are trying to make a difference too,”[/color] he gestured to Sloane, and to Ken. [color=6B8E23]”Even if we can’t do it in the same way you do. Anything to do with nature, well… I’ll do more help than harm. But outside just the Father Wolf situation, I want to make the city safer. And I… have my own investment in making sure Emily and Vashti are stopped.”[/color] And that certain 8th Street members weren’t harmed in the process. But everything he said was genuine and open. Calm, and selfless, as if this wasn’t for himself in any way. [hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/FaCzAxe.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/1Hvat1r.png[/img][/center] [right][b]Interactions:[/b] Edict & Leon [@AtomicEmperor], Aryin [@NoriWasHere], Ruby & Britney [@Shin Ghost Note] [code]The House on the Hill[/code][/right][hr] [hr] [color=5487FF][i]Training, yes. Spying, no.[/i][/color] [color=CD5C5C]”Training, I can do,”[/color] Linqian said in response to Luna, shrugging one shoulder. [color=CD5C5C]”Spying… that’ll just get us killed. But making sure we can fuck up 8th when they come back? That’s my fucking strong point.”[/color] Linqian was silent as Ruby went into all the reason their Coven was shit. Normally, Linqian would lose it again the moment Ruby looked at her and implied she was a liability. She should. But there was Jinhai whispering to her that she wasn’t, to not pay attention to it. She managed to clamp down on her anger at that, just, but… [quote=The Almighty Greenwood Leader]”We don’t have the luxury of falling apart."[/quote] [color=CD5C5C]”Oh right, because we totally do have that luxury,”[/color] Linqian sneered. [color=CD5C5C]”You think that after my bro-”[/color] [color=5487FF][i]Calm down, Qian-er. Not now.[/i][/color] Linqian took a deep breath, shaking her head. She then held up a hand. [color=CD5C5C]”Alright, I understand. We’re dysfunctional as fuck. But we’re not looking for a fucking babysitter.”[/color] That was all she had to say on the matter, because Lila and Luca did enough talking between them. Especially Lila, but… Linqian couldn’t say she was wrong. She’d much rather work with the few people she did like that have to keep coming to these fucking meetings and getting nowhere. So long as the information [i]actually[/i] got back to them, because fuck, she needed to kill that bastard with her own two hands. Then she wouldn’t have to see Lynn, and that was more reason to agree with it than any. [color=CD5C5C]”Sure, we split, actually get shit done. I’m cool with that.”[/color] She didn’t bother saying much more than that, but she couldn’t help her gaze from moving over to Leon as he started to leave, dropping some shit that had her eyes rolling up towards the ceiling. [color=CD5C5C]”Fucking hell, Leon, that's some self pitying shit you got going on there. 'Don't want freaks like us' my ass, fuck, count me and Aryin out of that statement for obvious fucking reasons.”[/color] [color=5487FF][i]Keep that to yourself, please.[/i][/color] [color=a22929][i]Come on, that wasn’t that bad.[/i][/color] She didn’t really care what he thought, anyway. It did seem like everyone was getting ready to go… At least two of the three people she gave much of a fuck about. With things settling down, and her own mind less chaotic, it allowed her to think about things she actually did need to do. Beyond training, beyond working with the coven. Mundane shit. Shit to keep a roof over her head. Linqian patted Aryin on the shoulder. [color=CD5C5C]”I'll text you about moving tomorrow... got some shit to sort out.”[/color] She made her way back over to Greyson and Britney, swiping up her jacket from where she’d dumped it on the back of a chair and hanging it over her arm. Far as she could see it, there wasn’t any point in sticking around. What else were they going to do? Argue more? Linqian was too tired for that. [color=CD5C5C]”We fucking off?”[/color] Linqian asked them both. She then leaned in towards Greyson, head turning towards him to make it obvious she was talking to him. Her voice lowered slightly but Britney could probably still hear - she wasn’t so bothered about that, just didn’t want her around for the actual conversation. Too many people already knew about her money problems and it fucking sucked. [color=CD5C5C]”I have some shit to talk to you about after this... Or tomorrow if you're busy, whatever, shit isn't that important."[/color] [color=5487FF][i]Or never.[/i][/color] [color=a22929][i]Shut up.[/i][/color] At least, it could wait another day, since it was just about her money shit. If he was going to turn up to all of the meetings because of Britney, or if they were going to do some kind of representative shit... Well she certainly wasn't going to be chosen for that. Hell, she knew she was part of the problem normally. but then what would she get paid for? Maybe he'd have some other shit for her. And if not, she'd need to properly look for another job. She was reluctant, though, because Edict paid much better than any job she qualified for. [color=5487FF][i]You should just take the out, Linqian. Don’t keep working with that scumbag. In fact, stop talking to him. You agreed to before. He hasn’t changed. He’s just using you.[/i][/color] [color=a22929][i]You think I don’t know that?[/i][/color] [color=5487FF][i]I do. Just like before, you don’t understand. He’s a dangerous criminal. One night and some money and you start trusting him. It’s exactly what that backstabbing bastard wants. I would freeze him until he wished he’d never looked at you again if I could. You don’t need his money, Qian-er. It’s dirty money from an immoral piece of shit. Now that he’s in your head he-[/i][/color] [color=a22929][i]”Controlling asshole, you think I’m stupid… Don’t shit talk your creator too much.”[/i][/color] Linqian muttered in Chinese, unable to keep the words internal - most people couldn’t understand anyway. She rolled her eyes before bringing herself back to the present, ignoring Jinhai’s words in her mind - both frustrating and comforting in equal measures. Just like the real Jinhai. [color=CD5C5C]”Ah, I didn't bring my car, so...”[/color] Linqian was somewhat awkward as she swapped back to English, but also played that off. She raised an eyebrow, looking at Edict, who’d just thrown his keys away. [color=CD5C5C]”We’re taking Brit’s or we’re walking.”[/color]