[hr][center][h1]The Doppelganger[/h1][/center]
[right]Interactions: Elijah [@Theyra]
[code]The Cozy Bakery[/code][/right][hr]
The Doppelganger almost seemed shocked as Elijah disappeared, creepy, disembodied laughter temporarily ceasing. There was a horrible crack as the spear went for its head. Its skin stretched, shifting and snapping as all of its limbs were twisted to one side.

Where there had been a head was now an arm, sticking out from between two shoulders. The spear embedded into it and the Doppelganger stumbled forward. Blood dripped down the arm as it twisted around as if made out of putty, and reached out to grasp the spear. 

“That was a nice trick,” it laughed, head turning one-eighty where it sat in the shoulder socket. A too wide grin revealed sharp teeth. The blow had hurt it- badly- but it wasn’t going to let its prey get away. It would kill this one first… it could leave the girls cowering in a ‘protective’ circle. 

The man that had gone for Elijah and missed recovered from his near fall, coming around to his left. To his right was the man that had been going for Elena- head bleeding, face burning and barely able to see… but he didn’t need to when controlled like this. Their arms reached out in an attempt to grab Elijah.

Sickening crunches echoed round the room. [i]Snap, snap, snap.[/i] The Doppelganger’s whole body twisted around to face Elijah, even with the spear still stuck in it. Nothing was in the right place anymore. The hand grasping the spear tugged hard, trying to pull it out of Elijah’s grip. The other arm came out of its stomach, lashing out with sharp claws for Elijah’s abdomen. 
[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/WZyxkRP.png[/img]     [img]https://i.imgur.com/Ykr0chB.png[/img] [/center]
[right]Interactions: Elena [@Qia]
[code]The Cozy Bakery[/code][/right][hr]
Each moment without anyone else in the protective circle was like torture for Loni. All she could do is maintain it and watch as a man tried to get Elena- and tried to get her baby girl. It was difficult to breathe. Just keep it up, just keep it up-

They made it. For a moment, she thought the man was going to get them, beginning to push up onto her feet to completely leave the circle behind. But they made it. Luciana was right there, held carefully by Elena. Thankfully she’d made the right choice…

Loni gave a shaky nod and a weak smile to Elena, body trembling. She could keep up this barrier for hours normally, but hurt as she was… she didn’t know. But 

[color=ff7360]"Thanks- Can y’keep holdin’ her for me?"[/color] she whispered.

Luciana started wriggling in Elena’s arms. Soft cries of ‘mama’ over and over again spilled out as she reached her little chubby hands out towards Loni. The glowing barrier flickered again as her heart trembled, (sorrow) pushing through the [i]apathy[/i] that came. It hurt so much to see Luciana upset like this, tears still flowing down her cheeks. Loni reached out with one hand, curling around her daughter’s. It didn’t stop her crying, but she stopped struggling. She was terrified, but she recognised that her Mama was there and she’d been safe while held by this stranger.

“[i]Mamaaa[/i].”

[color=ff7360]"I’m sorry, baby, Mamá‘s here. I can’t hold you but I’m here,"[/color] Loni’s hand completely covered Luciana’s. It was a small amount of warmth against the coldness that was her Black Lux creeping in bit by bit. She looked up from the little curly head to Elena with eyes that looked a little more dead than before. [color=ff7360]"I gotta keep it up. Soon as I focus everythin’ on her it’s gone."[/color] 

The circle wasn’t so large she couldn’t talk - with space for maybe two more, at a tight squeeze. But the active casting required at least half her concentration, and as soon as she held Luciana all of her focus would go to calming her down. [i]Then[/i] they’d all be vulnerable again.

Loni’s head snapped around at the sound of a chair crashing into the ground nearby. It was the man continuing on his mission to grab Elena, following whatever commands had been pushed into his head. He was incredibly unsteady, with blood leaking down his temple, but he continued as if it was nothing. [color=ff7360]Shit[/color]- briefly, Loni’s eyes went black. There was still only one bright spot in her vision. 

The man wasn’t an Apparition even if one was controlling him.

[color=ff7360]"[i]Get away[/i]-"[/color] For a brief moment the lightly glowing barrier dropped, the man’s shoe toeing the line of salt. Loni pushed up, better arm snapping up and over Elena. There was a brief pungent scent in the air, a chemical compound coming out of Loni’s hand and hitting the man right in the face. The man stumbled backwards, hands coming up to scratch at his burning skin. Blinded eyes stared back at Loni as he half fell, then snapped his whole body around as if pulled by a thread in another direction.

Away from them.

With just a moment of concentration, the slight shadowy shield reforming from the salt circle. Even if it didn’t protect them from the people, it protected them from the biggest threat… the Doppelganger terrified Loni. 

[color=ff7360]"It don’t protect against the living,"[/color] Loni explained between panicked panting, slumping back down onto her knees. A hand moved back over to Luciana, comfortingly rubbing her head before taking one of her smaller hands again. An almost apathetic gaze moved towards the fighting in the centre of the room- someone wielding a spear, the horrible twisting of the Doppelganger as it took the hit. 

The spear wielder clearly knew what he was doing. Loni was still panicked, even as the numbness of Black Lux was creeping in. She had to stay focused on keeping that up… but she couldn’t bear the cold feeling of apathy. She wanted to hold her daughter… but she couldn’t. Instead she just kept hold of her little hand, rubbing it comfortingly.

[color=ff7360]"I’m glad you got magic,"[/color] Loni said quietly, turning to face Elena slightly. The barrier stayed strong as she talked. It helped her with the little feelings- the fear, the crushing guilt at seeing Luciana trembling in Elena’s arms while grasping Loni’s hand. But she had to be strong to protect her, half her mind on continuously casting. [color=ff7360]"It can’t get in our heads. It ain’t- ain’t gonna get us in here. It ain't livin' like we are, so I can keep it out. I wish I could do more- like my twin, they can fight these things, I can't... Thank you so much for protectin’ her."[/color] 
[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zngMbhb.png[/img]     [img]https://i.imgur.com/qlZlDys.png[/img] [/center]
[right]Interactions: Paloma [@Atrophy]
[code]South Side, Circle Neighbourhood, David Smith’s Home[/code][/right][hr]
[color=51684c]”What, surprised by how hot I am without the fur?”[/color] Bleary eyes looked up at Paloma as she stopped in front of Vin, hand covering her mouth. Yeah, it was pretty bad. Bad enough that someone like her, even as a Southsider, would probably run or faint-

Or not. If Vin could feel much at all in that moment, they would probably feel shocked. 

[color=51684c]”Yeah, yeah, sure- I got another arm,”[/color] Vin grunted, taking the folded sweater square and pressing it into their bleeding side. There was no reaction even as they used their less injured, but still damaged, hand to press it hard into a nasty wound. 

There was no reaction to Paloma’s scars either, even though they were clear as day. They’d seen damage like that. Nyrah’s acid burning away friends, and closer… But they had a fair few scars themselves, even if the acid hadn’t left a lasting mark on them, and would only have more after tonight. Magical healing was great but it didn’t fix everything. Shit had to be sacrificed- and a nasty scar was a small price to pay. They could already picture all the lines they’d have on their leg when it was magically regrown and spliced back together.

That was going to hurt like a bitch too. 
If they survived that long. 

[color=51684c]”I’ve survived worse,”[/color] Vin let out a bitter laugh that turned into an aching cough. They knew she was right- they wouldn’t be okay for long. Normally they weren’t force out of their Beast Form like this. In that form they could heal from most things, and at least stabilise themselves. They just had to hope Malik had actually gotten help and one of the Hollow’s healers showed. If not… they’d be legless at best, dead at worst. Both had the same fucking end really. 

Vin’s lips twisted into a frown when a magical sledgehammer slammed into their Emotional Field. The Ghost… it couldn’t get in unless they let it. Did they really want to let that in? To be frozen at the whims of an annoying, nosy woman? But it would keep them [i]alive[/i].

They had to stay alive, for Loni and Luciana. No matter the personal cost… the annoyance was a small price to pay.

Their emotional field dropped as Paloma’s reaction shifted. They were frozen in place squinting at her in confusion, one eyebrow slightly raised and still frowning. What was she scared of? That they’d turn back into a tiger and eat her- that would be fucking ridiculous. A few years ago they wouldn’t have bothered saving her but… ah. No, they saw it now. She thought they might have [i]lost[/i]. As if.

But unfortunately Vin couldn’t even mockingly smile, frozen in place by the Bystander Effect, stuck with only their thoughts.