December

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

@Wick

Wayne

---

Wayne's mind mulled over the vision, considering where the pearls may be. In the past, any vision that Johann had transmitted to him had come with hidden memories that were only unlocked if he went along the right path. In any case, Alexis would be crucial as she most likely had hidden memories as well. They would need to-

Wayne became suddenly conscious that Alexis was no longer by his side, but was off deeper into the tunnels. It was sudden, and the distance she had covered was extreme. Swearing under his breath, Wayne took off after her, gaining ground on her but not before she disappeared into a building, seeming to chase something.

"Alexis!" The Wesen hissed, quickly scaling a rocky outcropping and following after her, intent on catching up to her before she walked into a Wesen's den.

Faint voices could be heard deeper into the residence, where torches softly lit the room. Alexis' indiscernible words filtered into his ears, accompanied by acknowledgement by the other individuals in the house. Without a second thought, Wayne slithered into the room, recognizing the Hexenbiest standing opposite the Grimm. If Alexis was going to be attacked, Wayne didn't have a moment to waste.

Sliding fluidly past her, Wayne produced his twin daggers and allowed himself to Woge, screeching as he planted himself between Alexis and the Hexenbiest. He could take quite a few more spells than Alexis could, as magic ran through his Wesen veins and Uhranuti were no strangers to magic. If he needed to fight, he would. But he wouldn't let Alexis off easy.

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

Hey, I'm working on stuff now. I have a paper due tomorrow I have to finish first but I should get stuff up either by tonight or tomorrow!

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

@Wick

Wayne

---

A small sigh of relief exited the Wesen's nostrils as Alexis came to a stop by his side, refusing to approach the center circle of the bridge. A small pulse traveled through the water, indicating the Tintenfische's disappointment, however, nothing else occurred to indicate that he would lash out.

"It is quite wise of you to heed his advice, Little One. That will serve you well in the months to come."

After a brief pause, Wayne deemed it safe to speak again. "Deep Seer, you know why we seek council. Who were Sophie's assailants and how did they come to be aware of the Grimm presence in the city?"

An unearthly chuckle echoed through the cavern, indicating Johann's amusement.

"Wayne, my child, certainly you know that my answers are not quite so easily obtained."

Bowing his head, Wayne nodded, frustration clear on his Woged features. "Surely after our many years together perhaps I would be able to return my dues to you at a later-!"

The soft blue glow of the water beneath them intensified for but a moment, causing a visible flinch to register through Wayne's body. Little caused visible fear in the man, however, an Alpha Wesen was among the few items on the list of things that would strike fear into his heart. As the shining light returned to its original glow, Wayne's breathing resumed.

"A task. Very well. What must we accomplish?"

While there were no physically observable changes in the cavern, a sense of dark satisfaction washed over the two bipeds standing on the bridge, overwhelming them as Johann invaded their thoughts with images of two pearls standing upon gleaming pedestals. Red velvet cushions lay under the treasures, holding them aloft in a sealed stone room. No words were spoken as the telepathic communication shut down all other senses, transmitting the raw, unfiltered thoughts of the Tintenfische to the lesser Wesen and human. Once all had passed, Wayne and Alexis were left standing in a dark room, the blue light gone. How long they had been standing in the dark, Wayne was unable to recall, however, it was clear that Johann had left their presence.

"It would appear we must perform a heist, Alexis," Wayne said, reflecting on the telepathic message. The meaning had been clear: steal the pearls and Johann would inform the pair of the identity of Sophie's attackers. "If we do not complete the task within a day, I fear that Johann will commission others to pursue us. Have you any experience as a thief?"

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

Computer decided to force update which I have been putting off for months. I'll post when it's back in action, shouldn't be too long.

EDIT: Almost done!

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

Hey, love, quick update on posts, I wanna put some more effort into them than currently am able to so I'm gonna delay them until tomorrow. I'm just not satisfied with my current level of writing and wanna contribute more. Sorry for the delays!

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

Okay I'mma look over the lineage (I didn't see your message until now fml).

Sorry about the length of the last post, I got a bit carried away. If you don't like the direction I took, just go ahead and tell me! I can adjust.

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

@Wick

Wayne

---

Wayne's eyes pierced the pair of viridian orbs staring back at his own, noting the panic in their appearance as the girl's eyelids pulled away from each other to further expose the whites of her eyes. Quickly removing his own hand from her grasp, Wayne leaned in close, his words no more than a whisper. "You're safe, your smell is of humans. Many here carry that scent."

The streets were scarce of people, due to the odd dynamic of time under the earth. With no sun to dictate day and night, the city operated on districts. Certain districts kept their lights on every single moment there was; other districts forbade the light of a torch. Each district operated on light levels differently, and those light levels typically dictated time. They were in the Fonroe district, where twelve hours of the twenty four were lit. The sconces had only roared to life minutes before they had arrived, and people were slowly rousing themselves, resulting in only the early risers to be out and about.

Not wanting to draw attention to themselves by hovering in a darker part of the street where few people tread, Wayne merged back into the crowd, ensuring that Alexis was following. He led the her quickly to a gate connecting two districts and into a side tunnel within the district walls, pulling her deeper underground.

A wide variety of catacombs spiderwebbed out from the center of the city, placing Alexis and Wayne in the outskirts of the upper levels of the catacombs. Wayne led the pair through various turned for almost half an hour before they reached the entrance to Johann's cellar.

Before they entered, Wayne stopped Alexis and turned to her, speaking in a hushed voice so as not to allow the sound waves to carry through the tunnels. "This is Johann's abode. He is an odd man, but I would not trifle with him. Speak to him only once he addresses you. Once he and I have conversed, he will desire to speak with you, but hold your tongue. It is not wise to enrage the Tintenfisch."

Wayne inhaled deeply and nodded to Alexis, pulling off his hood and allowing himself to Woge. His eyes immediately transformed from a dull yellow hue to a dazzling gold, distracting from the rest of his transformation. His hair wove itself together and turned to rich brown feathers, accumulating together around his face, marked heavily by an ebony black beak protruding forward from his face, standing six inches long.

Turned the corner, Wayne followed a tunnel for almost twenty feet before it opened up without warning, expanding into a dark, perfectly circular room with a radius of fifty feet. The other end of the room was impossible to see in the gloom without enhanced vision. The center of the room was a dark layer of water, perfectly still. The water's surface reflected the expansive half-globe ceiling, forming the illusion of a gigantic orb. The dark liquid covered the entire floor except for the stone brick rim that circled the edge of the room, protruding six feet from the wall. The dimensions of the room were exact and perfectly cut, suggesting intentional design.

A small three-foot wide bridge extended over the water, arcing upwards until it was almost ten feet above the water in the direct center of the room. Two circles of stone broke the uniform line pattern of the bridge, one at the very end and another one placed a third of the way into the bridge. The entire room was lit only by the faint torchlight of the sconces in the adjourning tunnels.

Wayne stopped at the mouth of the bridge without railing, holding out a hand to stop Alexis as well. Opening his beak, he unleashed a piercing cry, starting at a low-pitch that quickly shot up in octaves, fading away slowly as it echoed through the room.

From the direct center of the water, a single pulse pushed out, rolling the surface of the water to the edge of the cellar. After giving a quick glance to Alexis, Wayne opened his beak again. "Deep Seer, I seek an audience."

A long moment passed.

And another.

And a third.

A fourth...

Instantly, the room became illuminated with a deep aquamarine hue, the light emanating from the depths of the water. A small, relieved sigh escaped Wayne's beak before he nodded to his partner, stepping forward onto the bridge. Once the two reached the first platform, Wayne stopped and shook his head, giving an ominous warning not to approach the center platform farther along down the bridge. Another moment of silence passed before a deep, sinister voice echoed through the cellar.

"You have brought a mate."

Wayne chuckled, addressing the disembodied voice. "Certainly you know she is not mine, however, I would not be opposed to one as fair as she."

A deep thrum vibrated the cavern, portraying an odd form of communication that Wayne had learned to identify as Johann's laugh.

"It would be wise not to pursue her, as her heart is sought after by another. A far more violent mate."

The water was once again still, flickered, indicating that the source of the light was shifting. The room became much brighter, however, due to the angle of the shaft of water beneath them and the depth of the pool, Wayne could still not see into the depths of the water. He was aware that the only way to gaze upon Johann would be to stand on the center platform and look down, however, each individual that laid eyes upon the seer... Demise. Demise was the result.

"Come closer, Alexis. I desire to cast my eye upon you."

A pang of dread filled Wayne stomach as he gave an almost-indiscernible shake of his head, allowing his beak to morph into a human face to mouth the word No.

If she approached Johann, she would perish, but Wayne couldn't verbally defy the Tintenfisch.

"Do not dissuade her, Wayne."

After swallowing, Wayne stared at Alexis with dread in his eyes. He could not speak again. It was up to her.

---

Tintenfisch

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

@Wick

Elias

---

Elias paused, considering Sophie's words carefully. Unfortunately, the Wesen's statement had forced into his consciousness a concept that he had been quite adeptly avoiding. The odd romantic feelings he and Alexis were developing for one another were a complication, a problem to be hopefully circumvented. They needed to focus on hunting for the time being. That was Elias primary purpose in the East, and everything else was of much lesser importance. Or perhaps he simply just wanted to avoid any hint of emotional connection where he could lose another partner.

Elias sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, walking over towards the window before running his weathered hands through the soft locks on top of his head, leaving his hair disheveled and messy. The wind from the open window ruffled his hair further, blowing it gently out of his face.

"Alexis and I have more pressing matters to attend to than worry about petty trifles of romantic affection, Sophie," Elias huffed, propping his arm up against the frame of the window and allowing his forehead to rest against his wrist, gazing out into the upper districts bountiful gardens. After a moment, he let out a small chuckle, an odd kind of smile breaking out on his face. "Or maybe I'm just trying to avoid my feelings, trying to avoid getting attached. I will admit, Alexis certainly is unique. It takes quite an adept individual to survive in a world of Wesen and magic, monsters and creatures beyond one's own imagination. Yet she does incredibly well on her own. My old partner would've been proud of her."

With that, Elias turned back to Sophie, an unmistakable glint in his eyes. "However, you are not the only one who's curiosity has been piqued. While you do not seem to be lovers, you and Wayne seem remarkably familiar with one another."

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

@Wick

Wayne

---

Entering the shady building silently, Wayne prowled forward on soft feet, keeping his eyes peeled for any hint that something was amiss. The desolate hallway stretched on for what seemed to be a larger distance than the building itself could contain, with periodically placed alcoves every twenty feet on each side.

Motioning for her to follow, Wayne strode down the hall, casting his gaze into each alcove as he passed it. Inside was a small, 5 by 10 room that stretched into the shadows. Out of reverence to the dead, he was sure not to directly make eye contact with the coffin indented into the far wall of each alcove, containing the body of a fallen combatant. The dead were not to be trifled with, and these particular deceased were not entities Wayne had any desire of tangling with.

Once they were almost halfway down the hallway, Wayne turned into the alcove on the left and walked towards the back, this time fearlessly gazing upon the coffin. Wayne took off his right glove and placed his hand on the insignia at chest level on the engraved wooden box. He hissed as a small metal spike shot out of the coffin and withdrew a single drop of blood from his skin. The coffin's ornate metal decoration made a slight click as it detected the presence of Wesen blood.

Satisfied, the Wesen pushed his right hand into the insignia, watching as the ornate decoration sunk deeper into the coffin, triggering a mechanism that swung open the lid of the coffin to reveal a stairway down into the underground.

Turning to look at Alexis over his shoulder, Wayne nodded at her. "Put on your hood. We don't like foreigners down Under, and these people aren't the friendliest crowd."

With that, the Wesen stepped into the coffin and descended the stairway, pulling his glove onto his hand as he did. It was only a matter of time before they reached Johann, and then Wayne would know exactly who hurt Sophie.

As the pair descended the stairs, the Wesen took it on himself to explain the inner workings of the city to the hunter behind him. "The Wesen world isn't exactly civilized in most areas, however, in Vidalia, we pride ourselves on a more... cunning approach to society. Only Wesen can open an entrance to the Underground, and the same goes for leaving. Pay the price, and the doors open. If you're a human, you just get a prick. If you're a Grimm..."

Wayne trailed off as he reached the bottom step, turning back to face his companion. "Remember, this is a Wesen city. Keep your head down, and let me do the talking. No one should have a bone to pick with you, but if they find you out, its over for both of us."

Without another word, Wayne turned and stepped out of the stairway onto a rocky shelf that overlooked a massive cavern. On the cavern floor, roads, buildings, and structures dominated the area, painting the image of a very real city; it was almost as if there wasn't half a mile of stone above them. Flames contained in glass orbs littered the area, placed on metal stands, attached the sconces on the outside of buildings, hanging from the ceiling by chains. The light level was almost identical to daylight, except it came from everywhere. The city was even separated into districts, spreading out for over a mile. The cavern wasn't circular, but rather shaped like a cylinder, stretching off to the right and to the left.

The entire city was a magnificent sight, having been excavated, formed, and built by master craftsmen of the Wesen species. The variants in hue of the rock truly brought the city to life, from shining marble to ominous obsidian.

Wayne turned off to the left and made his way down the rocky path that protruded from the wall, leading the pair into the city. On the left side of them, a fall of a few hundred feet threatened to quickly end their lives, however, it was quite easy to avoid.

In Grimm Times (December x Wick)

Holy crap I didn’t even see your post until just now, I’ve been waiting for a response. I’ll get one up by tomorrow night!