[IC] Recollections: Primal Sinister

[FernStone]

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Interactions: Elara, Lucas & Other Grove Members @NoriWasHere, Agent Jackson @Tesserach
Front of Bill’s Tattoo Shop

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Bryn’s head snapped around towards the outsider who stepped back out. The one who probably didn’t have magic. Just a gun… which could kill one of them, sure, but the doppelganger? Probably not.

"Yeah, it ain’t fuckin’ dead!" Bryn shouted. The other half of the ash streamed out of the bag, spreading out in front of her. She constantly kept it under her control, preparing to form it into a solid wall or more fiery projectiles if needed. "No medical attention needed- stay the fuck back, unless you want it to impale you!"

It was a lie that they didn’t need medical attention. Elara clearly did, and Bryn was fairly certain she’d broken at least one rib herself… but they didn’t need it from outside. They had their own. And she didn’t like hearing sirens in the distance. Emergency services were just bad news in a situation like this. Especially if there were cops. They were more likely to fucking arrest them for murder than actually help.

She crouched, side stepping towards Lucas while staying close to Elara. It put her within earshot of most of the Grove members, while far enough away from everyone else that they shouldn’t be able to hear.

"Lucas, teleport me and Elara outta here soon as that thing’s dead. Ethan, Ryan, Doran- handle cleanup for us." She gave out quiet orders. She didn’t have the time or patience to deal with all of the cityfolk asking questions and poking around their town. They had shit to do… and she’d probably just snap. "We need y’know what. Try stop ‘em from doing any shit in our town, but-" She nodded her head towards Varnan. "He knew Bill at least."

[Blizz]

Raven's Rest

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The Manse went down, that thing went tumbling, and shots started whispering out. Not just ringing out, whispering. Hollywood-quiet.

Time often got fuzzy in the Manse, but an important thing when using chronomancy was to trust that others outside your influence could be counted on. So Varnan ducked down and slipped away from the line of fire. He noticed, before switching places with the others, that the monster wasn't totally stuck in place and inched closer by millimeters, but seemed to be building up a tolerance to his time magic. On one hand, that was dreadful to think about on top of the sheer sturdiness it had demonstrated. On the other... Varnan wondered if it could work up an immunity to good old fashioned brass and steel. If he had brought a gun...

Another time, maybe.

In a small town like this, there wasn't much stopping the police or the local news from catching this. He'd been deployed to places like this before, where it was easier for word to spread. Varnan didn't want to stick around and make this worse by being a stranger when that happen. But then, he couldn't just flee. He came here for answers, and Bill had been turned into this or kill by this.

So he shifted around, keeping out of the way of the shots being fired. Varnan knew what he could do after they took that thing down.

"If you can kill or seal that thing... I'll deal with the police," Varnan offered. "It'll buy everyone time to get away from here, and I'll take a look at what happened before we arrived- I have magic for that." It looked like they were about to wrap this up, so Varnan opened up his watch, and a circular screen of coral energy started to form above the face.

This was going to be a long night.

[Qia]

_{Interactions: Loni,Luci @FernStone, Elijah @Theyra}

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Elena stepped back into the room, offering Loni a small, reassuring smile in response to the wave. Her gaze, however, softened as it landed on Luciana, still curled tightly against her mother’s side, her tiny frame trembling with the weight of exhaustion and fear. The sight of the little girl’s trembling frame struck a deep chord within Elena, awakening that familiar, protective instinct—the same one that had driven her to carry Luciana through the chaos earlier without hesitation. There was something about the way the child clung to Loni, as if the world outside was too vast, too cruel to face alone. It was a sentiment Elena understood all too well.

“Guess I don’t make the best first impressions,” Elena said lightly, though the warmth in her voice betrayed a genuine fondness. She took a step closer but remained at a respectful distance, unwilling to press Luciana for more than she was ready to give. “She’s got good instincts, though. You’re her whole world right now.”

At Loni’s question about magic, Elena glanced toward Elijah, briefly wondering how much he’d be willing to share. She wasn’t one to divulge details about herself easily, not after learning how quickly people could turn curiosity into suspicion. Still, she listened attentively as Loni described her abilities, her interest piqued at the mention of both Green and Black Lux. While Elena wasn’t an expert on Lux, she understood enough to recognize the strength behind Loni’s abilities.

“That’s impressive,” she remarked genuinely, arms crossing loosely over her chest. “Holding that shield up, keeping Luciana safe? That’s more than useful. That’s guts.”

With a pause, she considered how much she wanted to reveal, but ultimately, Loni’s forthrightness deserved an honest response.

“I’m an Adept, too,” she admitted with a small shrug. “White Lux—nostalgia-based stuff. I can… tap into the past, memories, echoes of things left behind.” At this, her fingers absentmindedly glided over the edges of her crossbody bag, which held her cherished tea infuser—her Channeler. “It’s not exactly the flashy kind of magic, but it’s useful when you want to know things.”

She hesitated for a moment before adding, “My mom taught me most of what I know, too. She runs an herbal shop in the South Side, so I picked up a thing or two about blending tea with magic. It helps people remember things they’ve lost… or forget things they’d rather leave behind.” A flicker of somberness flashed across her visage, but she quickly tempered it with a sardonic smile.

Directing her gaze toward Elijah, she quipped, “What about you? You seem like the ‘stabbing things with a spear’ type, but I’m guessing there’s more to it than that.”