NoriWasHere

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Cracker Island - Cracker Town -> Open Water -> St. Portwell -> Downtown St. Portwell
INTERACTIONS Auri @Punished GN Linqian @FernStone

”Oh shit,” Aryin muttered as George grabbed them by their leg. A second later they were in the air and flying fast. The only problem with this situation was Aryin, nor Aaron, had any flying ability which meant that instead of flying they were hurtling through the sky like a rouge missile that was going to land uncontrollably wherever the fates took them. ”FUUUUUUUCK,” Aryin tried to scream but the rush of the air stole the words from their mouth. Their body tumbled through the air uncontrollably as they did, making determining where they were going to fall all the more uncertain. As they spun, Aryin could tell that they were over water with the fleeting glances they could decipher. Over water. ”FUCK HE THREW ME INTO THE OCEAN OH FUCK,” Aryin tried to shout again but, once more, the words found it hard to come out of her mouth. A few more seconds in the air led to a more disturbing realization. As they flew, their rotation slowed and they were able to take a longer look at their eventual destination. They saw lights in the distance approaching fast, and around the lights were big, tall, and sturdy buildings. Some of the lights were moving, independently of the surroundings. George did not throw them out into the middle of the ocean to drown a cold death, he threw them towards St. Portwell and he had the arm strength to get her there. A new thought entered her head, was she durable enough to survive a collision with a building at this speed?

**BOOM**

A few moments later the town of St. Portwell was rocked by a massive explosive sound as Aryin collided with the ground. Like before, a massive shockwave erupted from the crater that would become her new home for a minute. This shockwave blew out windows, shook the town like an earthquake, and shattered the street, kicking up loose bits of asphalt into the air. Several cars had their windows shattered, and their alarms began to scream out into the cold night in concert. To the town of St. Portwell this would have felt like a small earthquake once more, shaking the area for a brief second before everything returned to calm once more. The car alarms blared still, and soon the groan of a hurt Aryin joined them as their hand raised to the heavens and grabbed hold to the edge of their crater home and gripped it tight as they pulled themselves back onto the street. Once again, they survived the best that George could deliver yet this one hurt much, much more than the punch. They had landed back first into the ground, curled into a ball to protect their head and neck as much as possible, and this meant that her back was already in a lot of pain. Nothing important felt broken, her spine felt the same, yet she knew that the simple act of walking would be a miracle when she woke up tomorrow. ”Oh fuck that is going to leave a mark,” Aryin said as they stood up straight next to the crater. In their hand was their phone, they had somehow grabbed a hold of it as they flew through the air and when they tucked they held it close to their chest. The screen appeared to be cracked completely but the phone itself was still operational as was the touchscreen. She pulled up the camera app and angled the camera in her hand to ensure the crater was in the background. She took a few selfies before she opened up her message app and sent the best photo to Linqian followed by a quick text.

George threw me from Cracker Isalnd to St. Portwell. Fucker has an arm.

After the message was sent they put down their phone and looked at their costume. It was completely destroyed. While it still covered their body the fabric itself had half disintegrated, and this meant that her breasts were on full display to the world. At the sight, they swapped back to Aaron. They then shifted their gaze to the street. The cracks ran far in the road, and it appeared that the impact had fractured a water line as a small geyser of water was starting to sprout down the road. That looked expensive, and they knew they did not have the money to pay for the repairs of this magnitude. They began to move somewhere between a walk and a limp as they began to make their way away from the crime scene, and any eventual curious eyes that came to see what caused all that noise and commotion. Luckily tonight was the night of the festival, if it were any other night a hundred people may have seen a woman fall from the heavens above and emerge from the ground a man.

After a few minutes of walking the pain began to command more, and more of their attention. They found a bench, opened the ride-share app, and ordered a ride home. After this, they put their phone down and leaned onto the back of the bench. They spotted a flower shop across the street, one that belonged to none other than Auri. The current leader of the Sycamore Tree Coven. Aaron simply stared at the shop. If tonight was a sign of their need to return to the coven, this was the cherry on top of it. Out of every place in the city that they could have stopped to order a ride home they had to stop right in front of the flower shop of the leader of his former Coven They pulled out their phone again and sent two messages. The first, to Jordan, letting him know that he survived the throw and had landed in St. Portwell. That they were hurt, but alive and would need a few days to recover before they would return to the 317. The second is to Auri.

Hey. I am finally ready to come back. When is our next meeting?

He put the phone down as a car pulled up matching the description of his ride home. He got in, and glared at the driver who had a ‘what the fuck are you supposed to be’ look to his face. Before long they were away, and Aaron was heading home.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Cracker Island - Cracker Town - Cracker Town Vendor Stalls - Cracking Skullz

**BOOM**

Despite Aislin’s efforts George’s punch still connected. The ground under Aryin instantly shattered and splintered as the force of George’s punch pushed through their body into the ground below. Dust and loose debris were blown away in an instant as a powerful shockwave erupted outward from her body. The shockwave itself rattled the stalls and blew trinkets, items, and paintings along with it. People caught in the blast would catch a face full of dust, sand, and other fine particles. Spiderweb-like cracks sprung out in all directions and soon the entire area under Aryin, Jordan, George, and Carol fractured under the force of the punch. The air was filled with the loud, reverberating sound of an explosion that quickly enveloped the whole island with noise. The ground itself shook for what felt like minutes, but in truth, it would only be for a few seconds or more. For everyone on the island, it would feel like an earthquake was happening at that very moment. Despite the powerful blast, despite the shockwave that covered the island, and despite the broken ground beneath them Aryin was not moved a single inch from where they were before the punch. Their face remained unimpressed, with a slight smile crossing their face as George’s hand rested against their chest.

Internally, however, Aryin was barely keeping their composure. That hit hurt and she could feel that it did some damage. Nothing felt broken, nothing felt pulverized, but she knew if she took another hit from Geroge she would not be in a good spot. Under her cosplay, she felt a small, warm trickle of blood going down her chest. He drew blood with his punch, the first to do so since she caught a hit from the Stygian Snake a decade prior. Aryin smile grew wider at the sensation and the realization. This was not something she got to feel a lot, and the pain was welcome. Her eyes shifted to Jordan and saw that he was even more angry than before. He seemed a little bit larger as well. Aryin shifted her eyes and caught Aislin as she slammed into the back of George. She did not see what happened next, but she did not see George move and that made the situation more dire than before.

”Jordan,” Aryin shouted with a confident tone, masking the pain that was radiating outward from her chest.

Jordan did not need any further direction as he took a swing towards the lower jaw of George, channeling all of his magic into his durability and raw power as he did.

Aryin simply took the distraction that was forming shifted down to Aaron and began to channel the stored power of the hit into the palm of their hands. Aaron made sure to take two steps back to give distance to George. He felt fully charged from that one singular hit, and he knew if this escalated he would need to spend some of it. With Aislin on the ground they could not risk using their spirit bomb, nor could they risk an Evil Spirits attack, instead Aaron knew that he would need to use his Ki Blast and aim them well. And he knew Jordan would not be able to provide a distraction for long. He was only able to charge three blasts before he knew he needed to go on the offensive

“That tickled,” Aaron joked as he adjusted his stance into his boxing one, his hands glowing a vibrant white color as he did, “but this won’t. KI BLAST ” Aaron threw three strikes in rapid succession, a jab with his left hand, then right, both aimed at George’s chest, and then followed that up with a quick cross with his left hand. Each strike released a Ki Blast, the first two exploding on impact with George’s chest and the final one exploding directly in between his eyes. Aaron then swapped back, taking a step back again before she smirked.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Cracker Island - Cracker Town - Cracker Town Vendor Stalls - Cracking Skullz

Aryin felt the giant’s arrival well before he stood in front of her, the shake of the ground did nothing but bring a smile to her face. George Nelson, the brute of the 8th Street coven, and one of Emily fucking Reed's favorite pets. Aryin remembered he liked to fight, and he was freakishly strong, but he was not strong enough to truly hurt her. At least, he was not strong enough to kill her with a single punch. And this made her smile grow in size. She glanced over to Jordan who had his eyes fixated on the coming giant already, and a wave of anger was carried with his gaze. There was bad blood between 8th Street and anyone who wasn’t 8th Street, and Jordan was no stranger to their ire.

".... Well, well, well!"

Aryin slowly turned their gaze to size up the massive man. He was much bigger than she remembered. Taller, and stronger, but he was still the same old George.

"Look what we got here! A nosy-bitch!"

Still, the bully, the overconfident asshole, the person who needs his ass kicked. ”Impressive vocabulary as always,” Aryin sneered. She turned the camera away from the fight and started recording George directly.

"... Yeah, motherfucker! Mind your business! You know what happens to motherfuckers that use phones around here?!"

"This is what happens, give me your phone."

Aryin turned the phone to Carol and then to George as she started to chuckle. The nerve of these two. They were walking up to her like they had any power. She would not be giving them her phone. She would not humor them by playing this nice. If anything the only question that dared cross her mind was how petty did she want to be? Aryin wanted to fight, Emily was getting her ass kicked and she was not allowed to join and this made Aryin upset. She could probably goad the big man into a fight pretty easy but she did not like her chances alone with Carol here. George could hurt her with his punches but she only needed one shot to end him, Carol could turn her into a literal fetus and that was not something she wanted to risk. She would need to somehow draw Jordan into the fight.

” You’re as dumb as I remember, George. Fuck off,” Aryin clicked on the flash button on the screen and turned it on, blasting George and Carol with the bright light. ” Just as ugly as I remember, Jesus. Did you look in the mirror before you left today? ”. Aryin stopped recording and rested a free hand on their hip as they shifted their gaze between the two. Still, the video was too good to simply leave it as is. She pulled up a message and sent the video to Linqian and texted her Bro, gonna fuck up this idiot.

"Also, you stay out of this, you tall bitch! You will be three feet shorter when I break your motherfucking knees, bitch!"

Jordan exhaled as he reached up and pulled his glasses from his face. He placed them down behind him on the ledge of a vendor's stall. He did not want to fight, but he knew that George would either push for the phone, and Aryin would not give it up, or walk away like the coward he was. Jordan knew that he needed to be ready just in case and he did not have his spare glasses with him at the festival. His eye shifted over to Aryin and saw the grin that was spreading, and he shifted his eyes back to George. Aryin was itching for a fight, and he would be ready to back her up if needed as long as she did not start the fight herself. Jordan was not a fan of some of the rules, namely the one about not getting involved in the business of other covens. Especially when groups like the 8th Street and the Nazi’s called this town their home. Jordan felt like they owed it to those who could not fight to fight for them, and he felt like the leadership were cowards for not using their position to help force out those who would threaten their members. Still, he did not want to be the reason the 317 was dragged into some petty gang war, and he did not want Aryin to be a scapegoat for defending herself.

” If you want my phone you’ll have to take it from me,” Aryin said as she winked at George, adjusting her footing into one more suitable for a fight, and smiled wide from ear to ear. "We both know you're too big of a pussy to fight someone who can beat you.”

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

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Halloween Festival -> Lila’s House

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After Ken went off to deal with Emily G. Reed, Luca, Stormy and the trio made their way off the island. Thanks to Stormy tagging along Luca didn’t have to worry about the Rot coming back yet, using Jasper for support the whole way.

The ferry journey was uneventful, and they headed for Lila’s place first - so she could shower and change. They’d hopefully have time to hit a shop on the way to Luca’s, since they didn’t have many snacks left… Then they could have a proper party! Luca couldn’t wait!

Luca turned to the two girls once they reached Lila’s house, and got out of Jasper’s car. ”Why don’t you two stay at mine for a while? You can have Olivia’s room, she has a really nice double bed! Me and Jasper will figure out the rest… It’ll be safer, y’know, after the stuff with Emily.”

He then turned to Jasper, eyes narrowing slightly. He really wanted to ask who Kikyo was… it had been playing on his mind since they’d seen Ken. Maybe he could ask Ken when he arrived later instead. No, he could just ask Jasper, why was he worried about asking Jasper? She was probably just a friend. A friend he didn’t know about. Or something else? No, no… anyway, he couldn’t ask right now, when they were all there.

Instead, he turned to Stormy with a grin. ”I’m really glad you’re coming along, Stormy, the more the merrier! Oh- we can crack out the good furniture from Olivia’s room since there’s no risk of me damaging it! She has this really comfy looking beanbag I’ve always wanted to try out.”

Lila looked to Lynn and raised an eyebrow. Lynn returned the gaze, tilted her head and smiled. The two looked back to Luca as they exited the vehicle. “A slumber party, at Lucas?” Lynn laughed as she began to walk towards the door, “I think that sounds grand!”

“Amazing idea Luca, who knows what floorboard Emily is hiding under. Safety! Safety,” Lila spoke somewhere between a chant and a drunken slur as she walked over to Lynn and threw her arms around her shoulders, draping her body onto Lynn’s back. “Take me to the shower! Boys, follow. Make yourself at hooome!”

Jasper chuckled at the sight. He knew Lila was in for a night when she downed both of Lynn’s flask on the ferry ride over, and that night was only just beginning. He looked around the area and smiled. He had been in Victorian village over the years but it had been far too long since he set foot at Lila’s. Jasper looked back to Stormy and Luca, ”I know where Lila hides the good snacks,” he waved for the boys to follow.

“Don’t you dare, Jasper, I want those” Lila pleaded as Lynn pulled Lila onto her back and carried her inside.

Stormy didn’t have a lot to say until now, as they walked inside. He made sure to keep his Phantombane aura up this entire time, so the Rot didn’t do anything stupid, and was mostly focusing on maintaining it for as long as possivle. ”We won’t eat everything, don’t worry.” He waited for Lynn and Lila to wander off before speaking up about something.

”Jasper, you said you could use my help with something. What was it?”

”It’s,” Jasper stated as he looked up to the sky above, ”super easy to explain,” he winced as the words were already stolen, ”we’re trying to fight off a swarm of bee’s and all we have to kill them is our bare hands,” Jasper sighed as he looked over to Luca, ” You want to try?”

"I guess," Luca took a deep breath and steeled himself for not being able to say what was actually happening. "Everytime we relax and start enjoying ourselves-" oh so far so good, "- the bees invade my flat and start stinging us! They can even resist the rot- ah, fuck."

Luca groaned, leaning in against Jasper and hiding his face in frustration. "Maybe we should just ask Stormy to stay, and drop the aura so the bees…" he whispered.

”can sting us,” Jasper sighed as he placed his hand on Luca’s shoulder. An interesting idea, if they could somehow coax the skeleton out while someone was nearby they could possibly get help.

”…What?” Bees? Stormy could see it on their faces that something was off about this. ”Is this some kind of metaphor for something?”

"Yes!" Luca got immediately excited and popped back up from his hiding place against Jasper, nudging him multiple times. Maybe they could explain it like that, without directly mentioning it. But how could they get it across? "It's a metaphor for something that's really been bothering us. It's as painful and as annoying as bees, it's…" Luca's face visibly screwed up as he tried to say something about skeletons or bones or even ghosts. "... Unresolved sexual tension!"

No! Luca turned bright red, shaking off Jasper's shoulder and distancing himself so both him and Stormy didn't get the wrong idea.

Jasper’s face went beet red as Luca said something that was somewhat correct, for him at least, but not what was intended. ”Oh wow is it hot out tonight? It feels hot out tonight” Jasper paused as he took a deep breath in, and flashed a quick look towards Luca before going back to Stormy. ”The bees may not be the best metaphor, this is more like a hornet,” Jasper started as he spoke plainly, ” one that liked to show up and sting us,” he groaned as his words were changed again, ” basically we can only talk about the bees and the hornets and not about the crazy clown that likes to pie us in the face.”

Stormy’s eyes narrowed at both of them. “Hornets” was one step away from this sounding awful, but then “pie us in the face” was two steps back to it.

”Luca… Has the Rot made you so intolerant to alcohol that you’re going delusional?”

”I haven’t even-” Luca cut himself off, hanging his head. There really wasn’t any point in explaining it, was there? They’d just have to hope Skelly appeared at some point tonight… then they could point them out to everyone. ”Yeah. There’s a lot of things I can’t handle anymore because of the rot, alcohol being one.”

”So, you can be straight with me about that, but not about… Whatever it is you’re talking about,” Stormy was picking up that something was up here. Were they trying to keep a secret?

”Are you being spied on by something?”

”Oh, sort of! It’s more like-” being hunted, is what Luca wanted to say, but it came out as- ”a parent walking into the room whenever you’re trying to kiss.”

What the fuck, why were all of his forced lies ended up like that?! Why did Jasper get to talk about clowns and he was being forced to talk about kissing, something he really would love to do with Jasper but Jasper wouldn’t want to do with him and… Not the point right now. Luca sighed. ”Maybe if you stay over at mine tonight we’ll be able to show you? The bees, not the kissing.”

Not the kissing? Jasper frowned a little at those words. ”Hopefully Luca and I can hold hands while the bees come out to sting us,” Jasper said honestly but winced to sell the fake out. ” That way if we get dog pilled by clowns you’ll be able to see it for yourself, Jasper winced again as his words were stolen from him. ” Let’s get some snacks, I think some snacks are in order.”

”Yeah there’s no point talking about this,” Luca waved a hand, looking around Lila’s house curiously. He hadn’t actually been properly inside before… and he could without worry since Stormy was there and the Rot wasn’t! ”So where does she keep her secret snack stash?”

”She needs to hide them from her grandma, and from the crows,” Jasper pointed to the murder which dotted the landscape, ”so she puts them in a spot where neither can get to it,” Jasper spoke as he led the group into the house and then into the kitchen. The kitchen was outdated, and it looked like the group had walked into a kitchen that belonged four decades prior rather than modern times. It was neat, and clean, but it had a certain rustic charm to it. There were cabinets and a pantry on the one wall, and cabinets that filled the one corner along with the sink. Jasper walked over to that corner and leaned down. ”If you grab onto this corner just right,” Jasper said as he pulled on the edge of the corner, pulling open a hidden cabinet, ” you’ll find treasure inside,” Jasper paused as he pulled out a variety of fancy European chocolate in a bowl. There was more snacks in there, mostly stuff that Lila bought from the various Asian and European food stores in the area.

”Whoooaa,” Luca looked at all the fancy snacks with wide eyes. The hidden cabinet was super cool. ”Are you sure we should be taking this? It looks kinda expensive, we could just hit up the shops on the way…”

Stormy followed them in. He made sure to keep near Luca. ”Or both.”

”Oh, yeah, both sounds good,” Luca tilted his head back to grin up at Stormy, then Jasper. ”We’re gonna need to grab some alcohol to keep the girls happy, we don’t have any in the flat, since Jasper and I don’t really drink.” He paused, cheeks heating up slightly. He was speaking as if he and Jasper lived together… Which they temporarily did, but it was a flatmate situation! Sort of! Definitely not a domestic, cute living together that he’d like…

”How much could they possibly drink,” Jasper wondered aloud, ” they’ve had so much tonight,” Jasper turned to Stormy, tossing him a chocolate before he tossed one to Luca, ” but who am I to judge.” he paused as he heard a shout from upstairs. He fixated his hearing on the source, and it appeared to be coming from the shower. He turned back to the group and shook his head as he opened the wrapper on the chocolate in his hand and tossed it into his mouth.

”Well, we don’t have a single bottle at home, so if they want anything to drink we need to buy it,” Luca shrugged, catching the chocolate. He popped it in his mouth with a grin. ”It’s so nice eating food without having to worry… Oh, we never got proper food! Maybe you could cook us something, Jasper? Oh, oh, can we have something with loads of fresh vegetables for once, since I won’t rot them!”

Stormy caught the chocolate thrown his way. ”I don’t have a spell to protect anyone against a hangover, fair warning.” He probably should have made a spell for such a thing. But then again, how often would it be used? ”It’s getting late, most places will probably be closed.”

”We can still grab some from a gas station,” Jasper whispered as he walked over to the fridge, ”or we can have the girls supply it with what they already have,” he paused as he opened the fridge, spotting an entire shelf filled with beer. His eyes lingered for a second as a singular eyebrow raised. ”I think we should still stop for some variety, I don’t know if Ken will join but he seems like a wine kinda guy.”

”That’s a lot of beer,” Luca had followed Jasper, and peered around him to stare into the fridge. He hoped it was between the two girls and not just Lynn who… seemed to be drinking more often than not. ”Oh yeah, I have no idea what Ken drinks… wine is probably right. Or some fancy Japanese alcohol? What’s it called… Dunno, I’ve never drank before, so I don’t know this shit. What I do know is we’ll need popcorn and ice cream if we’re going to watch movies.”

He grinned, looking at Jasper and Stormy. ”This is really great, you know. I haven’t been around so many people in years, and having a whole party in my place… well I’d never really imagined it.”

”All will be in hand soon,” Jasper said with a smirk. He knew that Luca had missed out on much that life could offer due to his condition, and he knew that Emily Reed robbred him of a good night away from it. Tonight would need to be special still, and if that meant he cooked the best meal of his life and bought a lot of popcorn and ice cream than so be it he would cook the best meal of his life and buy a lot of popcorn and ice cream. ”I don’t know how long it will take to get beer out of her hair but I don’t imagine we’ll be here for much longer.” The sound of the water turning off upstairs echoed through the kitchen and it was soon followed by the sound of a blow dryer being used.

”I’m always grateful for a chance to spend time with my friend,” Stormy grinned at Luca. ”Maybe I should start teaching my spells to others so you can have people over more often,” he joked.

"Start up the Stormy School of apparition banishing," Luca laughed, smiling brightly as them both. He was truly happy and grateful to be able to spend time with them, and honestly didn't mind if it was the only time he ended up with a larger gathering at his house. Though, even with the rot around he could have people over… there was just some distancing required. "Or you'll just have to come along every time."

He glanced towards the stairs. "Should we start gathering Lila's snacks and the beers then, so we're ready to go when they're done?"

”I can teach you a spell or two in return, and I think that’s smart,” Jasper said as he walked over to the sink and opened the cabinet underneath it. He reached in a grabbed a few plastic bags and returned to the group. ”Let’s fill these up with the beers, i think Lila is almost finished by the sounds of things.”

”I can only offer my wonderful company when you guys learn spells!” Luca laughed, taking one of the plastic bags from Jasper. His fingers gently brushed against Jasper’s before he withdrew his hand. He turned to the fridge and stuffed as much beer as he could into the bag, wincing a little as it got heavier and heavier. His arms still ached, wounds scabbed but unhealed. But he could totally carry this bag! He had to show that he was perfectly fine and strong! ”We better grab some of her snacks quick, then, before she gets down!”

”Oh yes,” Jasper said as he walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a few of the snacks and put them in a bag, ” I’ll replace them, of course, but tonight they’ll make quite the treat!”

Stormy walked over and helped to put things in a bag, raiding the cabinets with Jasper. ”If I thought we were going to have a party at Luca’s house, I would’ve just gone straight there and skipped the festival,” he joked.

”You gotta go through the festival shitshow to truly enjoy a Luca party,” Luca laughed, eyes lighting up and scrunching up in sheer joy. He’d finished putting the beer into a bag, stepping back and lugging it with a grunt. ”Next time we’ll just skip the rest and start the night at mine!”

Ah, but there might not be a next halloween festival… but it didn’t just have to be for that. ”No more coven meetings, just Luca house parties.”

“You got my vote,” Lynn said as she appeared from around the corner. Gone was the costume, instead she simply wore leggings and a cropped hoodie, “we should be ready in a minute or so. Just gotta pack some supplies for the sleep,” Lynn’s eyes narrowed at the snacks in Jasper’s hand, “-over. Dangerous game,” Lynn said with a laugh, “just like ten years ago.”

” You know it” Jasper said with a wink. ” And you know I’m down for that Luca, as long as we don’t invite Sloane!”

”Pack for a few days,” Luca said, smiling at Lynn. ”Just in case. Honestly, you guys can stay as long as you like- And hey. I wouldn’t invite Sloane if it made you uncomfortable but…” Luca trailed off, trying to think of how to say this. “You need to stop dwelling on that negativity so much, Jasper! Sloane isn’t that bad! Why bring it up when talking about something fun?

” You’re absolutely right, Luca,” Jasper said as he smiled genuinely. As long as Jasper could see Lucas’s beautiful smile it did not matter who was there, that was the lesson, ”I doubt I’d even see her with you by my side,” nailed it.

”Gay,” Lynn thought with a smile. ”I’m good to go, Lila is finishing up selecting the wardrobe. I’ll go help her finish!”

”Luca’s right. Sloane isn’t so bad when you try and get to know her,” he hasn’t spoken to her much since their reunion. Though, most people in the coven didn’t seem to change much at all, and he remembered thinking she was alright back then.

Stormy hefted some bags of pilfered snacks and drinks up and stood near the others, keeping close for safety reasons. ”Ready when you are.”

Luca was standing there, holding a bag and staring at Jasper. His cheeks were burning again. Did he really mean it? That having Luca there would be enough to ignore his hatred for Sloane? Of course it would be, since they were such great friends! It wasn’t anything else! No point getting embarrassed. ”Yeah, everyone deserves a second chance, anyway! Especially after two years.”

He held up the bag he was holding with a grunt. ”Should we get these in the car and meet the girls out there then?”

”Sounds like a plan!”

A few minutes later they were in the car. Jasper made sure all the bags containing the high value treats were placed up front, away from the prying eyes of Lila and her crows. The crew did not have to wait for long. Jasper opened the trunk allowing two women to put their bags and stuff in, and a moment later they were in the car. They quickly found the open seats and got buckled in.

”Alright, let’s go!”

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Cracker Island - Cracker Town - Cracker Town Vendor Stalls - Cracker Town Costume Contest

Aaron had seen enough. The group in front of him had insulted him and these insults had shook him to his core. Did they not know who he was? Did they realize just how colossal of a mistake they’ve made when they stepped in front of him? The nerve, the absolute nerve of these children among adults. If this was any other place besides the Halloween festival they would be giving them a piece of his mind, right here, right now. Instead, he would be forced to swallow his pride and just deal with this injustice and store it deep inside until a later date when he could let out all this built up, pent up, aggression on a punching bag or some unlucky punk who dared challenge him and his-

“Who gets your vote, Aaron?” Jason asked as he pointed to the group of young children who stood before them. The 317 was holding an impromptu costume contest, the prize being a free course of the winners choosing at the 317. Apparently they had met their goal in sales today and were looking to give back. The children were obviously dressed by their parents, with a few cheap costumes bought at the local target and a few even cheaper home made costumes. None of them really fit, and none of them looked particularly good.

And Aaron had a problem with that. “If I had to choose, I’d pick the kid dressed as Goku,” Aaron lied as he held back the rage. His eyes slid down to his own costume. He had decided to go as one of his recent comic book obsession, Nimona, and had created a faithful adaptation of the live action look to the titular character. Sure, right now it did not fit entirely well because he had made it a few sizes too big just in case he needed to shift tonight. The fact remained that these children had a lot to learn when it came to celebrating this most awesome of holidays.

“A surprise to be sure,” Jason chuckled, “another point to Goku!”

Great, just great. The kid would probably win. That would mean that every weekend, for an entire month, that kid would be paraded through the 317 and learn from the best artist in the 317 simply because they bought a cheap costume from some soulless corporation. Aaron sighed. He was being to harsh, these kids were just here to have fun. And this costume contest was a way to encourage more young people to get into the arts. He was just grumpy. This night was already turning out a bit more boring than he had hoped, he wanted to check out the haunted house. As the new guy on the block, however, he was asked if he was comfortable manning the fort and he incorrectly said yes. The only thing that could turn a boring night into a fun one would be running into some of his friends. The only thing that could turn a boring night into a terrible one was…..

Aaron gasped, “Emily fucking Reed,” Aaron whispered as they spotted the chalice in her arms. “Emily…fucking…Reed,” Aaron spit through grated teeth.

“Hey,” Summer said as they punched Aaron in the shoulder. She looked out into the crowd and saw angry glares from a few parents in the crowd, a few shook their head in disgust at what they just heard, “watch the language bro.”

Aaron looked out into the crowd, saw the disappointment rising, and simply mouthed a “sorry” with a gentle wave. He slid back behind the other artist as he fanned his neck.

“What’s she to you,” Jason whispered as he leaned in.

“One of the old members of sycamore. Pretended she was a part of the leadership. She hated me and I hated her,” Aaron said as he watched her run off with the chalice. If she had that, that means the cup bearer would not be far behind. Would that mean the rest of the coven would be there? Would Linqian, Sloane, Stormy, and the rest of the cool ones be there? Would they fight? Aaron knew he would want to be there if things went south, but he knew he couldn’t if he wanted to remain with the 317. He was making good enough money for the first time in his life, and he needed that money to pay off the mountain of debt that awaited him whenever he logged into his bank accounts. Damn their rule of not getting involved. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like the 8th street coven could just force them out or defeat them, right? “I think I saw a few friends out in the crowd,” Aaron lied, “imma go say hi to them real quick!”. He did not leave room for a complaint, or second thought. Instead, he simply slipped out the back of the tent and looked around. He saw not a soul on the other side. Happy, he engaged his power and soon he saw the world around her from a higher vantage point.

Aryin looked down at their costume, it fit their form perfectly now that they were taller and had hips. This was perfect. She did not know if she would have had the chance to truly wear it the way she intended tonight, or if this would be yet another costume that she was forced to wear again at a con. The struggles of being known as the artist Aaron but always making costumes for Aryin alone. Aryin looked back at the tent, knowing that they’d left their new friends out to dry. The thought of going back there to judge those awesome costumes was enticing her to stay, forget what she saw. But she knew if Emily fucking Reed was up to no good, she’d want to be closer to either see her get her teeth kicked in or to help a friend if the need arises.

Aryin looked around again, hoping no one saw their transformation before they took off in the general direction of Emily fucking Reed. They weaved through the crowd, though as always it was just a bit more difficult to do so. Still, they floated their way down the road, saying an occasional “Opps, pardon me,” as they did. Eventually they found their target. Emily was standing off with… Ken? Was it Ken? She listened to him speak and the righteous anger found in his words confirmed it. It was her friend Ken, and he was not happy about her stealing the chalice. “Fuck yes, Ken” was all she could say before she saw Emily erupted in flames and swing a punch towards Ken. A surge in adrenaline, a sudden burst of speed, Aryin sensed their friend in danger and was ready to jump in front to take the hit before they felt a strong hand on their shoulder pulling them back.

No matter how they writhed they could not free themself from this unseen assailant nor could they see them. They were pulled back and spun around, coming face to face with Jordan with a stern look on his face. “Chill out,” he said quickly, “we don’t get involved in any of that bullshit.”

“Fuck,” Aryin whispered back as they turned around. She saw the literal grim reaper working some shadow magic. Was that Jack? “Fuck,” she spoke louder as she gritted her teeth. Her friends were fighting the whore who Aryin hated the most, and she was unable to do anything about it. It was like when Auri put out the call to reform the coven. Aryin wanted to rejoin, to protect her friends once more and to avenge those who were dead. But those in charge of the 317 said she’d have to leave the group. She’d have to pack up her shop and find another job. The debt she was finally paying back would start to run away from her again. And the comfortable life she had now would be replaced by scarcity and boredom once more. “Fuck,” she said even louder than before, “i hate this.”

“I know,” Jordan said as he watched the fight, “but we’re not here to get pulled into their bullshit. I know sycamore has your friends, but don’t get involved.”

“Why do we let that asshole do whatever she wants, she’s not even that strong,” Aryin whispered again as they stopped trying to wiggle our of Jordan’s grasp. There was no point in trying to break free, and the longer they struggled the less of the fight they would be able to see. Instead, they used their hand to pull out their phone and started to record a video.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Aaron/Aryin Thorne

" Liking me is hella gay bro."

(credit to @fernstone for help with the img. _______________________________________________ Aaron/Aryin Thorne Any | 26 | White | 5’7”-5’11” | 140-145 pounds _______________________________________________ Strange. _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents " Oh that was me. Yes, I know you thought it was a dude. I’m really good with makeup. No, they’re not that short." ___________________________________ [+] [Singer at a bar] ⫻ Aryin is a great singer, and they try to spend every weekend at the local karaoke bars. While they’re not good enough to become a professional singer, they’re more than good enough to be the best in their friend group, the coven, and the 317. [Art as a passion] ⫻ Aryin is also an artist and they make their living at the 317. They don’t claim any one style but prefer to let the art tell them which direction to take it. Their abstract art is made in a rather strange way. [Amateur Boxer] ⫻ Aaron has also spent quite a few hours in the gym learning boxing. While they’re not going to go anywhere with it they can still use their skills from this martial art to further bolster their fighting skills when powered up. [DJ] ⫻ Aaron has a side hustle as a DJ for hire. They are nothing fancy, but they know how to get a crowd dancing at whatever function they’re hired for.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I can be whichever one you want me to be." There are a few constants that are shared between these two halves of Aryin’s same whole. They are both white, with Heterochromia. Their eyes are green and brown, and the location of these colors switch sides when they swap. They like to wear loose, baggy clothes because Aryin is tall at 5’11 while Aaron is shorter at 5’7. Thus, when they’re out as Aaron they need to always ensure that whatever they wear will also fit the taller Aryin and vice versa. While that is a necessity, they do have a separate style for each. Aryin tends to be bubble gum pink and colorful meanwhile Aaron simple and basic with his clothes. Aaron has shorter, fluffy brown hair while Aryin has longer straight hair that they often keep bangs with. Neither have any tattoos nor piercings as that could mess with their body transformation. A tattoo that could look good on one might look distorted and wrong on the other.

_{Psychology
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" We’re literally the same person, why do you think I’m more bitchy??"

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Aryin has the goal to protect their found family at whatever cost it might incur. They will not hesitate to jump into a fight to protect someone who is close to them, and oftentimes that has led to injuries for all parties involved. Aryin will also stop at nothing to ensure that once a threat identifies themself that the threat is dealt with. They also have a desire to truly find someone capable of loving them, the whole them, and not just one half of them. This has proven much more difficult than they imagined, as they can not date a blind.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ The strong must protect the week. Those who have the strength to do so must do everything in their power to ensure those without it do not come to harm. Whether that is with physical strength, mental fortitude, or material wealth, those who are in a privileged position must use it to better those who are not on their level. Any less is betraying not only themself, but everyone around them.

SECRETS ⫻ They often lead a secret double life as each part of themself with the blind. Aaron is a sports nerd who likes to hang out with the boys at the bar watching a game while having a drink, meanwhile Aryin is a nature loving, power to the people activist who finds peace on hikes. Their two friend groups never intersect but if they did, they’d have up become like Ms. Doubtfire in every social engagement. As well, if it became common knowledge that they love to live this double life people would think less of them for their talk about embracing your whole truth, but living in a way that was anything but.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Queer as fuck.

FEARS ⫻ They have a deep fear surrounding the Stygian Snake and monsters like it. They were not strong enough to hold the line, nor fight the monster back itself. If another threat like that came into the world they know that they’d never be able to do more than what they have already did.

They also have a fear about being alone. Their birth family already abandoned them, what would happen if their found family did the same?

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Aryin was simply Aaron back in the old coven day in both forms. They were known to be a fiery, opinionated person who was ready to fight both the Stygian Snake and the less chill members of the coven. They were often seen arguing with the leadership about one thing or the other, and on a few times their temper got the best of them. People also knew them as this kind, compassionate person who would rather throw themself in front of a raging monster instead of risking injury to someone else. They left before they could be kicked out by the leadership, and that vote was likely to occur. Their biggest hater was Emily, and if she simply breathed around Aaron he would’ve made it a huge issue.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ They were a common sight on the frontlines. They would tank the hits of the various monsters to allow the more finesse fighters a clear opening to strike, before switching to their long range form to clear the monsters from a distance. You never saw them stay in the same form for long, and more often they would be tanking a hit before they switched to kill a target before they switched back to resume their tank status.

FLAWS ⫻ They often care too much about those around them. If someone hurts their friend, or creates the situation where their friend gets hurt, they will become increasingly unreliable and irrational. As well, they often read too much into what people say. A simple misunderstanding could turn heated without much warning.

_{Backstory
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" Let’s not focus on the past."

Aaron was born in St. Portwell to an upper middle class family. He did not want for a lot, and had a relatively happy childhood even if his gender fluid nature drew the ire of his parents. He had average grades, but a strong friend group that created a lot of great childhood memories. Because of their constant desire to present differently than what their parents had intended, they often were pulled away from their friends and the fun that he enjoyed so much and forced to spend weeks at a time restricted to their room.

As they entered Highschool they hoped that things would finally be different, that they could be their authentic self and get the approval of their parents and be able to have friends that matched their energy. That would have to wait. During a normal after school visit to the mall the Snake launched its attack. It was during this attack that Aaron underwent their kindling and learned how to fight back. As soon as their kindling was finished they underwent their first swap and what would become known as Aryin was born. Aryin would fight in this form for a few minutes before she swapped back. He then used his light based powers to fight the apparitions that had killed his friends and began to go after any other one he could find. Eventually he was cornered and took a few hits that forced him to swap back to Aryin. For the next hour she threw hands with the monsters, unable to hurt them and unable to be hurt in return. They think that they would still be there to this day, hands flying through the air, if it wasn’t for the Sycamore Tree Coven finding her and killing the monsters.

From here it was clear what their path would be, and it was clear that it would be paved with the bodies of the snake and its minions. Fighting became a new normal during the month-long ordeal, and they were never far from the frontlines. Tank a hit, swap, blast them with energy, swap again, and repeat. They got help with enhancing their spells from Ella, and their memory lingers on with Aaron in their spell names. When the snake was defeated, they tried to stay with the coven to help protect the people she cared about. People like Emily and the other leaders made that difficult, and Aryin transitioned to fight this new fight for those who could not. This would go on for more than Aryin intended, and they knew when they were no longer wanted by the leadership. As those they cared about left, so too did Aryin. This closed her time with coven’s and has never joined another.

After the coven, and Highschool, they fully came out and refused to back down when their parents threatened to disown them. They made good on the threat and Aryin had to chart their own path forward, completely cut off from everyone in her family. They went to school in St. Portwell and is still paying down the debt they took out to pay for it. They have a small apartment down the road from the 317 and have done their best to keep in contact with their friends from before. They have begun to rent a space in the 317 and have begun to be brought into more of the organization's structure. They have heard that their coven has returned, and part of them wants to return and rejoin their former friends.

_{Abstraction
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" You’re not strong enough. And you can’t ran fast enough."

TYPE ⫻ Aryin is a green adept with a necklace as her channeler, Aaron is a red adept with the same channeler. Technically they’re a Red/Green adept however their powers are restricted depending on their presentation.

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Gender Bender. Aryin can swap their gender to either be an immovable object of pure defensive strength, or an unstoppable object of raw destructive power.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Aryin is an adept who uses a power they’ve referred to as Gender Bender. This power allows them to completely change their sex at will, complete with both primary and secondary characteristics. While some traits remain, such as their eyes, everything else will be changed and this includes their powers. The transformation is near instant, and they’re able to swap back and forth without issue or delay. Their two forms compliment each other, one can tank the hits and apply the power to the other that can dish out punishment and increase the former's speed.

STONEWALL ⫻ When they are Aryin they become an immovable object that can tank hits from most sources both physical and magical. They draw their power entirely from the green lux aspect of their power and have not been able to integrate any red lux spells whatsoever. The secondary function of this form is it is the most efficient way to power Aaron’s spells. Their skin can store the energy of a hit and this stored energy is then used up with their offensive spells. They can not store an infinite amount of this energy and thus, they’ll want to switch to get the most out of it. As well, if they store too much it begins to slow them down.

• HOLD THE LINE Aryin becomes incredibly hard to move. No matter what they are hit with they can not be pushed back nor moved from their position. Each hit will feel like it’s hitting a solid surface no matter where it falls.
• STILL IN THE FIGHT As well, in this form they have a nearly unlimited source of stamina. This means that even if they throw a thousand punches they’ll be ready to throw a thousand more. They’re punches are enhanced compared to normal but it is not by much. They can hit hard but not hard enough to be considered supernatural.
• IN THE LINE OF FIRE When someone they care about is in danger they are able to temporarily increase their speed to get themselves in front of the danger. This is a short lived burst of energy that seems to be triggered by their fear of loss.

WEEB ENHANCEMENT ⫻ Aaron is a bit different in his application of his power. He can not access any green lux abilities and instead must focus on the raw power from his red. Aaron can draw from Aryin’s stored energy to power his abilities. He can still use his power without this stored energy but they are much weaker, and will instead pull from his own life force.

• TWILIGHT FLASH Aaron can draw on his power to create light in the palm of his hands . The intensity of the light depends on how much energy he pulls into the spell. Simply put the more energy he draws the brighter the light. This also acts as a charge up system for his other spells If he charges this for a second, he might be able to hurt and possibly kill an enemy. More than likely this will stun a target rather than anything more. If he charges for ten seconds there is not much that can take multiple hits from his offensive spells.
  
  In simple terms, he draws power from the stored energy of Stonewall that he can then convert into a power that he can use for his spells.
• EVIL SPIRITS, BE GONE The most telegraphed attack he will use, Evil Spirits, Be Gone is an incredibly concentrated and consistent blast of energy. This ray can burn incredibly hot and the duration of the blast is determined by the charge time. The longer he charges the longer he can keep the blast on target before he runs out of power.
• SPIRIT BOMB The second, and most powerful, of his abilities is Spirt Bomb. He concentrates the energy into one hand and forms it into a ball that he can throw and detonate on command. The size and power of the explosion is determined by how much energy he pulls from within, growing from a baseball to a basketball to a beach ball and upwards. There is no upper limit to how big it can get however there is a limit to how much he himself can hold or throw. As well, there’s a limit on how much power he can store. Once detonated it will explode outwards in a massive explosion that can devastate those who are caught within the blast.
• KI BLAST Ki blast is Aaron primary form of offense and defense. He can pull energy from within and then use it to fire off a blast of explosive power. The longer he charges the more shots he has. It is a useful tool for engage, as he can fire them off as he approaches a target before swapping, harassing at range, and even as a short range blast to get separation from a target.

LIMITS ⫻ While they can stay in both forms indefinitely, they can not fight in both forever. The Stonewall form is not meant for prolonged fights. While they are very durable something can eventually overwhelm them. As well, there is a finite amount of energy that can be stored. Aaron also has a limit for his duration. The longer that they try and maintain this form the weaker their spells become and the more energy needed.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)

^{Other
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" No, I don’t know Aaron. No, we’re not related."

They do enjoy messing with people, and have a knack for comedic timing.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Cracker Island - Cracker Town - Cracker Town Bar - Cracker Town Drink Table - Cracker Town Conversations

INTERACTIONS PRA, @Punished GN Stormy@Blizz Luca, Bianca @FernStone

Lynn chuckled a little at Meifeng. Was she spiraling out of control? Lila? Lila spiraling out of control in the middle of a festival? Never. It was not possible. Lila knew that despite her sudden feathered nature she was still in control, not the maiden, not her emotions, she was. Meifeng was wrong, so so so wrong in her assessment, as was the other maid. How could they think she was spiraling? She just sprouted feathers and had literal claws poke through the top of her fingers. That happens. That literally happened. That literally just happened and it was one of the most painful experiences in her life. Despite that plethora of evidence that she was spiraling, Lila was fine.

Thankfully her confidence and bravado paid off as Meifeng agreed to have her healed and did not drag her off to the drunk monster tank. Lila was awesome at this lying thing. Should she lie more about how she felt to others? She’d need to drink like Lynn to do so and she knew her liver would never hold up to the rigorous training routine needed to drink that much. She could only manage this night filled with happy lies and suffer for it tomorrow. A night of happy lies wouldn’t be the worst though, and Lila looked to the PRA agent who healed her as the healing was finished and her arms returned to normal.

“Thanks Dr. Strangelove,” Lila said with a warmth that only the alcohol could bring out, she turned her attention back to Meifeng and was finally able to look her in the eyes without worry, “she won’t get under my skin again. I hadn’t seen her in a decade and thought she might’ve changed. She did, but for the worse,” Lila shrugged, “and I will be fine, I don’t need any more help than what my friends can do, and-” Lynn’s voice cut out when she saw the first petal fall before her eyes. She watched in wonder before she heard Luca utter a name she hadn’t heard in nearly ten years and it caused her heart to skip a beat and her breath to be stolen from her. Her eyes slowly and carefully followed Luca’s before she finally spotted the man and gasped. She could not meet Ken again with hair that smelled like beer, that would be a disaster of a colossal magnitude. Yet she knew it was too late to take a shower, get clean, or get sober so she needed to be on her best behavior in case he decided to join their group for a drink. Lila pulled herself up to proper posture, her back straight and her chin up, and she crossed her hands over her lap as she brought her attention back to Meifeng.

“-and I am sure we can find help from unexpected places if the need arises.”

---

Lynn smiled as the possible future played out in front of her. Thankfully it was one of the better ones, and the one that she had hoped would happen. There was a small chance that the PRA would have been in a worse mood and taken Lila’s display of power as a threat and dragged her off to god-knows-where. In this reality, the one they were living now, they should be able to make it to the ferry without much worry from the 8th street, without much threat of Lila turning into a bird on them, and with Luca and Jasper keeping themselves well within the personal space of each other. This was the good future, and Lynn took another drink as she leaned back into her chair. She caught a pedal as it fell right on time, and her smile only grew. She was truly better at this seer business when she was at this perfect stage of being drunk. The possible future was easier to navigate, the correct path was much more clear, and she was much more confident in her predictions. She knew that as long as Emily did not do something as stupid as stealing the chalice from Sully the fair would continue without much else happening to her friends here, and the coven as a whole.

“You say that Meifeng but my magic is much more potent with alcohol involved,” Lynn joked to try and pull attention away from Lila, “The possible future is a bitch to navigate but when I drink a little it’s like I have a GPS. Maybe that’s why the oracle of Delphi was high as a kite all the time.” Lynn smiled as she shifted her focus to Lila. Lynn looked at her smile, her posture, and the way she spoke. Lynn would need to sober her up a bit before the after-party. She shifted her focus to Stormy and she hoped that he’d join them for a bit, if for no other reason than to ensure that the two monsters remained as caged as possible. She did enjoy hanging out with the diplomat though, and she hoped they could catch up without the threat of a murder happening. She then shifted her focus to Jasper. Lynn knew that he had driven there, and he would be able to take them to Luca’s nice and easy. She would need to convince him to stop at the local market again to pick up more refreshments, drinks that were not alcoholic, and snacks if the movie night was to be a success. When the tall PRA agent mentioned escorting them to the docks.

“Maybe next time,” Lynn said in mention of the after-party snub, “and as long as Emily doesn’t do something stupid in the toga line we should be fine,” Lynn paused as she took another swig of her drink “like what’s the chance she would do something stupid again tonight?” Lynn blinked a few times before she answered her question. Emily would do something that stupid. Lynn slipped into the possible future and remained there for a second before she came back and frowned. “One second,” Lynn paused as she returned to the possible future, coming back a few seconds later. “The chance is rather high,” Lynn groaned as she leaned back into her chair. “What the fuck is her problem?”

---

”Her problem is she was never loved as a child and has decided to make it all of our problem,” Jasper said with a straight face. His eyes caught the pedals and Luca mentioned it was the man, the myth, the legend himself Ken. A smile fell over his face at the thought of being reunited with the man who could summon the salamander priestesses. Jasper knew that he had changed much over the past ten years, and he wondered how his idol had changed as well. He wondered how the PRA would react to seeing a brazen use of magical power in a public space in front of them. Hopefully, Lynn’s cryptic warning about Emily would be enough to draw their ire elsewhere. ”Ken, my man,” Jasper shouted as he turned his attention fully to him and waved him down,, ”come join us!”

Jasper did not wait for Ken to respond, instead, he turned his attention towards Stormy. “Hey, you going to join us? It has been ages since I saw you, not including the brief time at the church. You free to come have a drink and catch up?” Jasper smiled gently as he finished the thought. His time with the coven had been a whirlwind of emotions and situations that made him regret ever showing back up. However, this was what he missed the most. The people, like Luca, Lynn, Lila, and Stormy, and the calm after the storm. After the Snake would ravage the town in the night, he enjoyed the time he spent with these people in the mornings. Jasper hoped that Stormy would come with them for this reason, and to help Luca and Lila get a break from the monsters. ”There is an issue you could help with as well,,” Jasper whispered to Stormy specifically. This was it. He is in Stormy’s aura and thus Skelly would not be able to use it’s magic on them, and he would be able to tell someone that they were being haunted, and then someone could do something about it. This was his moment to shine, this was his moment to free Luca of one curse, and this was his moment to be the protector he always wanted to be. “Luca and I are being bored to death by someone here and I think a change of scenery is in order…..FUCK.” Jasper threw his hands up in the air as he looked over to Luca, shook his head in defeat, and back to Stormy. Jasper had a defeated look in his eyes, a defeated look that hid a sea of boiling rage that he wanted to share.

Jasper shook the thought of Skelly from his mind, the mention of Emily being the worst resurfaced to replace it. Jasper wondered what stupid action she would be taking that might threaten their return home. ”Lynn, what is a toga conga line, and what shitty thing will Emily be doing?”

“Sully is passing out Toga’s, and they are in a conga line passing my one true love back and forth,” Lynn responded with a warm smile as the thought of the chalice filled her mind, “and Emily might steal it,” Lynn said crypticly. She knew that her coven would understand the reference, and she hoped that the PRA would be none the wiser.

Lila and Jasper looked at each other and then back to Lynn. Lila knew right away what that meant, and if Emily was making a move on the chalice. Jasper, meanwhile, had a dumbfounded expression on his face as the gears tried to turn, not realizing what Lynn meant for a moment. A second later his eyes shot wide, darting from a drink cup back to Lynn as he realized what she meant. Jasper looked to Lila, and the two met their eyes again. The trio then all looked towards Luca. They knew that they could not pull Luca into a possible fight, and they knew that if Lila showed up it would escalate it into a situation that the PRA would not be very happy about. Jasper looked to Lila and shook his head no, and Lila did the same in return.

”Luca, do you need help walking to the ferry? I think we should get out of here.”

“Bianca, it has been a pleasure catching up with you again. You all should go check in with Emily, she is right over there," Lynn pointed towards where she expected Emily to be. “Or don't. Things might get heated though when the toga conga line catches up with her." As Lynn finished her sentence she downed the rest of her drink and flashed Bianca a smile. She stood up and walked over to where Lila was and helped her out of her seat. The two waited for Luca and Jasper, and hopefully Stormy, and began to keep their heads on a swivel for any possible start to a possible fight. Lila meanwhile stopped her search as she spotted Ken once more, her smile grew with drunken intensity as it lingered. She simply waved him down once more, offering him a place within the group and a night filled with possible adventures. “What do you say, Stormy,” Lila shifted her eyes to the side and looked at the coven's protector, “You joining us?”

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

<Snipped quote by Atrophy>

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@Punished GN

On it.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Cracker Island - Cracker Town - Cracker Bar - The Cracked Pysche of Lila

INTERACTIONS PRA, @Punished GN Stormy@Blizz Luca, Bianca @FernStone

Jasper blushed as Luca vomited out his words. His mission was a success, With just one phrase he now had a little bit more information about where Luca was, and he couldn’t help but smile wider at the revelation. He kept the smile up as his thoughts began to race. These thoughts were still very new to Jasper, the thought of what might come next was scary. Like, really, really scary. He kept telling himself that this was not a feeling that he wanted to confront tonight but he could not help himself from feeling them. He knew that he would need to slow down, not only for Luca’s sake but also his own. He thought that but did not mean it. There was something deep within him that made him want to experience more firsts with Luca. Jasper would need to confront these feelings before long but he once again told himself that tonight was not the night for it. Too much had happened, and much more might happen later in the night. Still, he found it hard to pull his eyes off his friend.

Instead of pressing the advantage while he had it, Jasper kept his smile up as he looked over the group again. He listened to the PRA as they explained themselves further, and listened to the agent named Maximilian as he smoothed things over. Jasper let out a deep breath of relief as he said the right words in the moment. They were still words, and Jasper would want to see something more concrete than those, but it was still progress. Sycamore Tree was the new kid on the block, and having peace with the town’s ‘police’ would be useful as time passed. Also, if the Snake ever managed to free itself, all-verse forbid, he knew everyone would push their feelings to the side, even Lila and Linqian. Jasper turned his head towards Stormy. He managed to play the diplomat well, and his natural charm, confidence, and teacher's voice allowed the coven to get an explanation and an apology from the PRA agents who had hurt them. Jasper would need to thank him later. He flashed the diplomat a smile before he turned his head towards Meifeng before his head was drawn towards Luca standing up. His first instinct was to jump up alongside him and help him to wherever he needed to go but Luca had this determined look to him.

Jasper watched as he walked to Lila, and he raised an eyebrow at the mention of continuing the party at Luca’s. That sounded much more fun than talking to the PRA, facing off with 8th Street, and even going through with the rest of the festival itself. That was not because he did not want to eat the festival food, visit the haunted house, hang out with the coven, or anything like that. He was more concerned with making sure Luca, and Lila, were okay. And if that meant he needed to stop at the store on the way home to grab a maid outfit then so be it. ”Yeah, we’ve been through a lot tonight already Lila. Plus, if we do have an after-party we can be selective with the guest list. Do you want to head home?” Jasper looked at Luca and knew he needed the same. ”What about you Luca?”

---

Lynn whispered a soft “yay” as Bianca confirmed she had the same number as a decade prior. Lynn knew that the text history was empty, but she also knew that it would not remain that way for long. Lynn grinned at the comment about kidnapping someone. “I’ll need to find a sidekick for my kidnapping schemes then,” Lynn chuckled before she took a drink from her drink. Lynn sighed happily as the buzz was finally here. She wasn’t drunk, however, she was feeling pretty good. Right now all she wanted to do was drink slowly to stay at this level of drunk, get some good food, make some poor choices with a man or a woman, and then have a great night's sleep. She took another sip. If life was good she would be able to stick to the plan. If life was not good she would be able to adjust the plan as needed to ensure she maintained this buzz.

Lynn pulled her focus back to Bianca and smiled when she confirmed she would want to catch up again soon. “I can always check for you when you might be free, or I can leave it a mystery for you. Regardless,” Lynn paused as she raised a glass, “Whenever you are free I am sure it will be great to catch up in a less chaotic setting.” Lynn watched as Stormy put his money on the table and raised an eyebrow as a smile crossed her face. He seriously doubted her liver at that moment by putting that little money down. And then, Bianca made a comment about drinking Stormy under the table and this caused Lynn to smile the hardest she smiled in a while. “How did we never hang out more ten years ago?”

Lynn pulled herself away when the Pink Power Ranger began to ask if Lila was okay. Okay, they noticed the obvious and the obvious was strange enough to force the entire PRA congregation to stare her down. Lynn did not like that. Lila was having a moment unlike any other before, and right now her power was not only unpredictable but also unable to be suppressed by Stormy sitting nearby with his aura on. Lynn knew they were making amends with the PRA right now, however, if Lila was going to become a threat she worried they might shepherd her away. Lynn quickly slipped into the possible future, checking to see if Lila was in any danger from the PRA and if Luca’s suggestion was the right move for her. Her eyes glazed over in an instant and her head remained steady for a few seconds, coming back to the present a second or two after Jasper finished speaking. She had a bewildered look on her face as she looked towards the festival and the faint sound of a conga line was present in the air. Lynn looked back to Lila with a concerned look on her face, and her eyes shifted to Lila’s dress.

“An after-party sounds much more fun than what is coming our way,” Lynn paused as she pointed in the direction of the toga crew. “Sully and Drake are drunk and have formed a toga conga line, and it is heading straight towards us right now. Emily and Vashti are in the line and will not be happy to see us. If we leave now, we can avoid all of that,” Lynn paused as she waited for Lila to respond.

---

Something is not right here

Anxiety, Lila’s old friend, had returned in full as she caught sight of just what happened with her hand. It wasn’t the feathered arm or the claws that caused her heart to sink, but rather the crimson-red color that dropped down from them both. She felt the stares of the table as the one PRA asked if she was okay. Lila was anything but okay. She did not know why, but this transformation had ended up feeling different, and painful, like the claws themselves had dug their way through her fingers to get out. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the tips of where her fingers would have been. The skin was broken and bloody, and the claws themselves carried with them specks of both flesh and blood. Her fingernails were in pain as they were forced upward at a sharp angle to make room for the claws and she felt like the bones in her fingers were misaligned or pushed out of place. It hurt. It hurt really, really, bad and that pain was finally allowing itself to be felt in this moment. The pain wasn’t localized to her hands either, all up her arm she felt like she had experienced a hundred cuts where the feathers had pushed their way through her skin. The bones in her arm also felt like they were not where they were supposed to be, and she felt something ielse alongside them. Under the canopy of feathers, she felt the steady, consistent trickle of blood which alerted her to the bleeding. Lila tried to take a deep breath but all she could manage was shallow and quick. When her eyes drifted down to her dress she could see a splattering of her blood on it.

What the fuck was going on? Lila thought back to the first transformation she underwent earlier in the night. Did this happen then and she did not notice? She would’ve remembered the pain, but she did not look at her arms after the claws and the feathers went away. Was the Maiden hiding the pain from her then? She looked over to Lynn who was staring at her dress and Lila made herself look even smaller in response. Maybe? But then again, Lynn and Luca would have noticed if she was bleeding. Jasper would have been too busy staring at Luca to notice a thing. Something changed with this latest transformation, and she wondered if it was the ‘gifts’ becoming permanent. She took a deep breath and looked back down to the clawed hands that rested on the table. They looked familiar as she looked them over like she had seen them before many times in a forest far away. This was beginning to scare her.

Lila pulled her hands back across the table, claws digging a path clean into the wood before she hid them under the table. She did not mind that she had a feathered hand, or arm, nor that her eyes were as black as the sky above if it were devoid of stars. What she was worried about was looking not in control in front of these PRA agents. She needed to calm her mind, she needed to push out The Maiden, and she needed this to happen right now. Thankfully, Luca showed up and gave her an out. His words had a calming effect on her mind, he had gone through something like this many times and had managed to pull himself back out the other side. He had The Rot inside of him for the better part of the past decade and he was still here, and still able to live a normal life regardless. If Luca could do it, Lila could too. Lila took a deep breath and shook her head up and down. She thought about the after-party at Luca’s. They could just put on a crappy movie, eat some popcorn, invite everyone who was chill, and then go to bed. Before the party she could take a shower, fix her hair and makeup, and make herself look and smell cute again. The thoughts calmed her mind even more, and a moment later pain in her hand doubled as the claws began to pull themself back into her hand. Slowly, inch by inch, they retreated back into the holes at her fingertips before the claws were gone from sight once more. As they retreated she felt her bones inside her hands and arm readjust and she nearly collapsed over in pain. The holes remained, more or less, and they would not be able to grab, grasp, or use them at all. All across her arms the feathers also found themselves pulled back inside. As they left sight, they left a feather-width hole in her skin. While not large, it still continued to allow blood to flow out easily, and soon her arm was covered in small streams of it.

As the final feather disappeared, and her eyes returned to normal, Lila looked to her friends and smiled. “We’re good, but let’s get out of here,” Lila shifted her focus to Meifeng, shifting it to Cindy, and then to the next agent as Lila still could not look at the maids without blushing, “I’m fine, Emily said something that messed with my head a bit and my power is tied to my emotions,” Lila thought to herself ’ apparently’ as she shook her head, “could I borrow your healer, if they are here?” Inside, Lila vomited. She did not want to ask for help, she was fine. Totally fine. There was nothing wrong with what was going on, the bleeding was normal and happened to everyone who was cursed by a fucking bird. She was cool, calm, collected, and confident. She was not panicking. Lila knew that asking for help was her way of telling the group that she was cool talking to the feds now, and that she was okay with Stormy playing the diplomat and nothing more. There was nothing else it could possibly be. Right? Lila forced a smile across her face, a pained smile. She held it as she forced herself to look at Meifeng and stared her in her eyes. She hoped that the stare read along the lines of ’‘we’re cool, we’re chill, nothing else is going on and we’re totally okay and nothing else will happen tonight I promise, and if something did happen tonight it totally won't spiral out of control, I'm not that drunk so you don’t need to worry about me……………please.’

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Lila’s updated abstraction + weakness, Jasper soon up!

_{Abstraction
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"Let..me…in”

TYPE ⫻ Aberration (Agent)

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Due to having The Maiden sealed inside of her body, Lila can now utilize all the powers of The Maiden freely.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻
Lila is now the Aspect of the Maiden after Britney's failed attempt at sealing The Maiden away. As such, as an Agent Lila now has access to the full power of The Maiden, however, the power she has access to is corruptive.

A MURDER IN ST. PORTWELL ⫻ Lila, every since becoming the agent of The Maiden, has gained full control over the murder of The Maiden. She no longer needs to offer them gifts or even verbalize her command, she simply needs to think it so and they will do it. They do like their gifts still, and Lila will get a stronger reaction out of them if she gives them a little something for their struggles. She can use the crows in three different ways.

• ASSAULT Lila can have her crows attack her target in many different ways. From going for the easy spots like a throat or eyes, to completely enveloping a target in an angry swarm, Lila has a few easy ways to hurt someone. In a fight, she can use her crows to do more complex attacks. She can have her crows fly together in a tight stream, flowing over and attacking her target as a massive swarm. Each one will strike with its claws.
• PROTECTIVE SWARM When an enemy gets in too close, Lila can command her swarm to protect her. In this form, the crows will often fly circles around her in either a loose or tight shell. The crows will take the brunt of an attack, whether physical or magical, and replenish the shell as needed with fresh bodies. This shell will also lash out at targets that get too close.
• THE HIVE MIND Lila has gained a small telepathic connection with the birds. She still can’t understand them, and they can’t communicate with her, however she’s gained the ability to glean information from them. This is useful when she sends the murder out to scout and or look for something. She’ll never get the complete picture but she gains something from them all the same.

THE CORRUPTIVE VOICE OF THE MAIDEN ⫻ As well, a side effect of Lila having to maiden sealed inside of her is that she is beginning to adopt a lot of characteristics of the maiden, and her crows. She has already begun to develop talons, and feathered arms. As time goes on she’ll eventually sport the wings, and a more feathered body on her legs, arms, and face. The maiden has also begin to influence Lila on an emotional level, forcing her own feelings and thoughts into Lila’s mind to push her to let more of The Maiden out.

• THE MAIDENS GIFTS As Lila and The Maiden now share a body, the maiden has begun to offer Lila her gifts. This has started with the black eyes and the feathered arms and claws of The Maiden appearing on her body. This augmentation brings with it terrifyingly sharp claws that cut through flesh and armor alike with ease. As well, she’ll gain strength that pushes her towards peak human strength. The black eyes also bring with it enhanced vision. Eventually the maiden will bring further gifts, the extent of them remain to be seen. Eventually, these gifts will become permanent if Lila uses them too much.
• THE INFLUENCE OF THE MAIDEN The Maiden knows what Lila is feeling, even if Lila does not know it yet. As well, The Maiden knows what Lila should be feeling. As time goes on, The Maiden’s influence will grow stronger and stronger. As The Maiden gains influence, she will begin to pull Lila away from the present world and into the realm of The Maiden.
• THE MAIDEN TAKES FLIGHT One of the most powerful gifts the Maiden brings to Lila is her wings. While they are not functional in the sense that she can not fly (she can glide), they bring with it added defenses and a terrifying hex that can turn her enemies into the very crows she controls. The wings come in two forms, active and inert. The inert wings are jet black and offer limited applications outside of a shield that Lila can use in a fight. In their active form they have an enchanting green glow that seems to come from every feather. This green glow is a curse that compels those that fall under its allure to move towards the wings. This can achieve a few different things. Either it will leave the victim open to attacks with get claws and her crows, or she’ll let them get close to grab one of the cursed feathers. If they pull one from the wing they will have a curse mark burned onto their hands, and will be forced to turn into a crow within the next day

WEAKNESSES ⫻

A MURDER IN ST. PORTWELL ⫻ Despite the change in abstraction, the crows will still follow Lila everywhere subconsciously, and the only way to make them go away for a while is to offer them a gift. This still creates a massive and conspicuous mass of birds that anyone can identify, making stealth very difficult. The crows are weak against pyromancy, aeromancy, pyromancy, etc., and any other magic area-of-effect magic that can take out a large chunk of them at a time. Because she is more connected to the crows, every time one of them dies or is injured, she feels their pain and receives a psychic backlash. This psychic backlash is a brief but intense headache and the more crows are killed at once, the longer and more intense this backlash is - with a large amount of her murder dying at once being enough to knock her unconscious.

THE CORRUPTIVE VOICE OF THE MAIDEN ⫻ The act of transforming Lila's body is an incredibly painful process as flesh and bone are forced into the strange image of a crow. However, using the Maiden's abstraction allows the Crow Maiden to be in her mind, and by overusing it, she will allow the Maiden to influence her mind. Eventually, allowing the Maiden to temporarily (or maybe permanently) take over her body.

_{Abstraction
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"If I don't make them perfect they will never be able to help."”

TYPE ⫻ Adept - Red/Yellow/Gold Lux with his channeler being a paintbrush.

Abstraction ⫻ A stroke of paint - Jasper can bring his paintings to life and enhance them with different colored paint

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻
Jasper can pull his paintings from canvas and bring them to life with specific purposes. He needs to paint the figure or object first and channel his intention for it as he does. If he wanted to create a figure to attack something he would need to channel that attack into his brush as he paints, and if he wanted to create a barrier unit he would need to also channel that defensive intention. While he can still pull paintings from the canvas without this specific intention, they would be much weaker and melt faster than ones with a specific intention. Jasper can enhance these constructs by using color.

Ever since Luca and Jasper came under the constant assault of Skelly, Jasper has learned that even at his fastest his constructs still take too long. As such, he’s expanded his skill set into creating easy-to-make weaponry and has begun to explore this application of his power further.

PAINT IT BLACK ⫻ Jasper can pull his paintings from the canvas and bring them to life. The first step in the creation of any of these constructs is painting the Canvas black. While he can instead outline the construct with the brush, the spell works best when the entire canvas serves as the channeling surface. If he chooses to go forward with the outline instead the construct will be weaker and may melt into a puddle of acrylic or oil within a few minutes. During the process, he must constantly make his intention known and channel it into the paint itself. By using his channeling power, the oil or acrylic paint will dry instantly and be ready for the next part and he uses the other end of the paintbrush to channel this effect.

• A DASH OF DETAIL ⫻ Once the canvas is dried, he can then move on to creating the construct. Detail is incredibly important in this step. Any mistake he makes, such as a leg being shorter or disproportional, will make its way into the summoned construct. The more detail he adds will also make the construct more powerful. Depending on the situation he can spend three minutes on creating a basic construct that would serve for its intended function, or ten minutes to make an incredibly skilled and powerful construct. He has practiced the creation of three basic constructs to a near-machine level efficiency and can now get them out in three minutes. The knight, the paladin, and the ranger. The knight is modeled after the typical knight in armor with a long two-handed sword. The Paladin has a large shield and nothing else while having a bulkier armor style than the knight. The ranger has a longbow and is devoid of any armor. Much like painting the canvas black, he can quickly use his Lux to dry the painting allowing a rapid application of the next layer.
• A SPLASH OF COLOR ⫻ If the situation calls for it, Jasper can spend more time on each painting and can add different effects to each one. The two colors that he focuses on are red and yellow. The red color is an offensive-focused one. When he paints the knight's sword, the paladin's shield, or the ranger's arrow if he paints them in a red color he can channel his Lux to give his constructs a fire effect. The knight's sword is engulfed in flames, the paladin's shield radiates intense heat, and the ranger's arrow explodes in a firey spray. As well, if he paints the Paladin with a yellow hue, or adds yellow to the knight's sword, it makes the construct more durable in those locations. He can only work with red and yellow paint for this purpose, and he can not combine the colors to combine their properties.
• PUT IT TOGETHER ⫻ When he finishes the painting, he can use his paintbrush to pull the construct from the canvas and into the real world. As they are pulled, they grow in size at a rate of three to one. Thus, a painting that is two feet by one foot will become a construct that is six feet by three feet. It is here where any imperfections will be truly highlighted. The more complex constructs, like the knight, paladin, and ranger, can last five minutes on average, meanwhile, a quick outline without doing the full spell may last a minute at most.
• A fine paintbrush ⫻ Jasper's paintbrush is a special one. He only uses it to create his constructs and for no other painting. It, when combined with his lux, ensures that not a drop of paint is left on the bristles after use. As well, the bristles themselves remain as new as the day he picked it up.

ARISITAN ARSENAL ⫻ Jasper can take the lessons he has learned in creating his powerful soldiers to create short-lived, but powerful, weaponry for himself and his friends. These weapons all draw power from his innate connection with his red lux and typically exhibit a powerful fiery effect. These are not artifacts, and much like his constructs, these will only last for a specific duration before they are turned back into the ink, oil, or paint used to create them. These weapons follow many of the same rules as his constructs. He can only have one canvas worth active at any given time, whether that is one or three weapons, they require a high attention to detail, and require Jasper to channel his intention into the weapon. Colors become even more important for this aspect of his craft, as a plain white hammer will be a plain hammer.t.

• ARTISIAN’S FURY ⫻
  The first tool that Jasper created with this new focus was a hammer much alike the sledgehammer he bought to defend both himself and Luca. This hammer is a vivid red color, matching the color of the sun as it descends across the horizon. It is embellished with fine details with a yellow vine wrapping around most of the handle save for the designated area for his hands. This hammer is a powerful tool with its enhancements, and any blow that Jasper connects with will create a small but powerful explosion at the point of impact. The harder he swings the hammer the more powerful the explosion will be. It is protected with a weak barrier spell from its heat, though this does not mean it will not break down in time. Indeed, Jasper has tested it to be able to hit a target five times before the barrier breaks and one time more before the hammer is ruined by the heat. Jasper can paint two such hammers at once, summoning both at the same time. He can use both however he is not strong enough to truly wield them together. As such, he will gift the second one to another fighter.
• THE BULWARK ⫻ The second tool is The Bulwark, a large heater shield that is colored a yellow as vivid as the dandelions found in nature at their most beautiful stage. It is a pure defensive instrument that can withstand an enormous amount of punishment. The shield itself finds detail on the front surface, facing outward from the user. It has numerous decals most resembling his paintbrush, and other tools used in his art and these add a layer of protection for the shield. While he has been unable to test it against any form of magic, he suspects that it would be at least twice as strong as his paladin’s and able to withstand blows from even the strongest monster for a hit or two at most. The shield itself draws power from his yellow lux, and if needed he can add in a splash of red to enhance it with a radiating heat that can singe anyone who dares get close.
• MAGNUM OPUS ⫻ The third and final tool that Jasper has been able to develop thus far is his Magnum Opus. It is a large, bolt-action-styled rifle-looking weapon that is a combination of colors in both the gun and the painted bullets it fires. The barrel itself appears to be twisted together, with three noticeable groves that snake down the barrel. It is a vivid yellow color much like the sun on a hot summer day at noon. These twists and Yellow lux fuel its stability and durability which allows for the barrel itself to withstand the heat and power of the shots it fires. The gun is very much his first attempt at creating a weapon like this through his art and there are many unknowns with it. As such, Jasper opted for the bolt-action style to limit the number of shots he could send before failure, and to test if his magical barriers were even strong enough to withstand the power of the weapon. The bullets are all colored red, and the spell behind them is designed to help them penetrate a target before exploding inside a moment later. He can only create one of these at a time due to the space needed to get the details right.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Jasper’s spells have an elemental weakness in the form of water and heat. Water will instantly destroy his constructs and cause them to wash away. Heat will cause them to dry up, lose their mobility, and become more frail until they cannot move. By bringing his art to life, he puts a little of himself into it... As in his life force. By doing so, he will make himself weak, and pushing himself too far can cause organ failure. Drawing requires focus and leaves him vulnerable and open to attack, so it's not advised he draws while being attacked.

ARISITAN ARSENAL ⫻ Same weaknesses as his regular constructs.

ARTISIAN’S FURY ⫻ The hammer's explosion is enough to cause a sort of "recoil" that could knock Jasper over or off balance. Jasper is alson't impervious to the heat generated by the hammer, and it will eventually begin to burn him.

THE BULWARK ⫻ While the shield can block attacks, it cannot fully stop impact, and specific strong attacks will be enough to break Jasper's arms or send him flying.

MAGNUM OPUS ⫻ Much like regular rifles, the Magnum Opus has a recoil, and its enough to throw Jasper off balance with each shot.