silvermist1116

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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Georgie shouldn't have expected a real answer from James. Check alphabetically. If it were that simple, sure. She wouldn't put it passed Alexander to get his grubby little hands on James's books, then not put them back where they belonged or Patty to do something untoward with them. Never mind. She doesn't know how to read. If it doesn't have pictures she wouldn't touch them. Alexander the eldest suggested one of them go look. Georgie didn't hesitate to stand up.

"It was almost pleasant seeing you again, James. It's been so long I nearly forgot I only want your money. Good as any consolation for messing up my life plans. Ta-ta, love." She blew him kisses, then left the living room.

She had no intention on coming back. She had research to do. The library looked like someone was looking for something and didn't care that they left it a mess. At least the bookshelves were fine. She looked on the ground floor, then the first level of the library and there was no ram's head to be found. Looks like they got what they came here for, mayhaps. She pulled out her phone and texted Erza about the servant girl that went missing. She didn't leave out the door with Oscar and everyone else nor was she in the living room. She couldn't remember if that's what Erza left for in the first place, but she has a hunch.

James said the witches were here for a ram's head. It's missing and so is the servant girl. Know anything about it?

Georgie moved on with her research, since that was a bust until he texted her back. James said in alpha order, but not if by first name or last, so she started with B for Babylon the Great. The book on the apparition was heavy and detailed too much to get through in a day. It'll keep her preoccupied for the week, however, she did find out where he sealed if after skimming the first few pages. Nasty. She wants nothing to do with something so vile, but it has to remain sealed. He said he sealed her in an orange vase. That should be easy to find just not in the library. It was mostly dark wood and matching patterns. Not a sliver of color to brighten it up, but she does recall a vase matching the description in the gallery where the other art pieces were. She created a small portal and threw the book inside. She's not carrying more than she has to. She moved on to H for Hands and Horned God, S for Swarm, T for Triple Goddess (Thornton Walters wasn't there), and W for Walters, Thornton. The Swarm was more complicated and wouldn't be as easy to hide the pieces short of throwing them in the ocean. The pieces wouldn't be easy to find either. The book says he sealed it away in pieces of a broken rubix cube. If they have to go on a wild goose chase to find it in the house, then isn't it better off to leave well enough alone? She found the artifact the Hands was sealed in. Of what she's read so far that one was the least disgusting, but seemingly the most harmless. They could let it stay where it was. No one would look twice at a James's name plague on his desk. That vase, however, couldn't stay where it was.

Georgie went down the hall to the gallery and found an empty space where she remembered it being. On the far right wall under a painting of Dante's Inferno by Paul Chenavard.

"Right on the nose much, James." And of course it was gone. She hadn't thought twice about a stolen vase when the mansion was ransacked weeks ago. She wasn't even here when it happened. Great. She'll definitely have to study the book now that something that powerful is on the loose. She opened a portal to her Garden big enough for her to fit through. She picked up the books off the ground and set them on the trolley she used when picking flowers for the week so they wouldn't get dirty. Finally something to focus on, but she can study later. By now she assumes James is laid back to rest, and they're expecting her to come back with the news that the ram's head is gone. So she left her sanctuary and went back to the living room.

"It's gone and so is the vase Babylon the Great was sealed in. The witches might have taken the head, servant girl might have it, or both were taken when the mansion was broken into. We'll have to wait and see."

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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Georgie met everyone back in the living room, happy to be dry and somewhere that wasn't wet. She nearly took a seat in an arm chair, but one of her brothers she didn't know tried to make awkward conversation. Something or other about being in strange family. She promptly moved away from him and sat on the couch instead. She wanted her space and not to be around strangers. After what just happened she wanted familiar, but most of those that were left her with Strange brother, Patty, Alexander, and Alexander the eldest. Two she couldn't stand and two she didn't know at all. Alexander the eldest summoned James. She'd only gotten a peak of him nude, before she covered her eyes and tried not to vomit. That's not what she wanted to see and made a point to try to forget in the days to come.

She peeked behind her hands once she heard James for the first time, since last years Christmas dinner. He sounded the same, looked the same in his suit. She'd think him alive if it wasn't for his translucent form. She kind of missed him now that he was in front of her again. No, that's a lie. She missed the normal he represented for nineteen of her twenty years. Summers in the mansion, her garden, time spent in art museums and photobooks, his encouragement to follow her ambitions. No matter how much she said she didn't care for him it's a lie she said to herself, because she couldn't afford to be distracted. She never did cry at his funeral last year and now wasn't the time to do it either. She sniff and patted her eyes dry. If they could take a break after this, she'll need a moment.

James mentioned the name of a man she's never heard of. A Thorton Walters. She put a pin in the name to follow up with in his library when she had the chance. According to him he's an Apparition, but not like her Garden. The way he called him Abscised sounds more like a cancerous tumor than anything else. But it seems like the thing outside the window, the cult that attacked them and the thing they were looking for is more dangerous.

"She probably formed a cult of idiots and threw them at you all for two reasons: one, to prevent you all from tracking her and two, and most importantly, to test you all." James said.

"If we were being tested I say we all failed and got by on luck more than skill." She crossed her legs and her arms, despite changing her clothes the windows were still busted in the other room. She hopes Ezra makes a call to get it patched away before the day is done.

"I... am not aware of what abilities you all have, but her brother was my hardest battle - he almost killed me - and she's equally strong as he was. She was likely testing if she could take all of you on and take her brother back by force... This is why I heavily advise that you take the fight to her as soon as possible and seal her. However, I ask that you don't kill her cult - they're misguided - but if you have to, I will not think any less of any of you." She heard the worry and sincerity in James's voice.

"If you had a hard time fighting it, then there's more of a chance most of us will die. You don't have many children that are bright between the ears, Ja-Father." She hasn't called him that, since she left to study aboard, back before she saw him as nothing but her benefactor. She felt she had to say something to convey what she wouldn't say in front of her siblings and hoped he understood everything with that one word.

"Could you tell us where in your library we can find information on the Triple Goddess, the Horned God, and Thorton Walters? It's best we know everything, before going into a fight." She hates being caught off guard and in the dark when it's business she's involved in. The more she knows the higher her chance of survival.

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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Georgie didn't reply to Oscar insisting he didn't have anything to do with that monster outside. She knew he was telling the truth, but she was irritated, a little afraid, and freezing from the winter chill. She could fuck off to her Garden, but there's no guarantee the mansion will be here when she came back. More than hating the unexpected, she hated willfully ignoring something important even more. She wouldn't pull the wool over her own eyes just to hope all of this trouble will go away. If everyone was more competent, maybe she could, but it'd be her luck she comes back to a piles of brick and mortar and a note from the family saying they lost everything. So she did the only thing she could do, pick up a chair as far from the window and the direct path of the wind as she could, and sat down.

The "experts" came back, no worse for ware, Justin started a meeting, asking about possible enemies. Georgie had a long irrelevant list of boys and girls that thought themselves bullies when she was a child, but faded from her mind because they weren't important. She doubts ruining a ten year old's pride in maths by correcting them as condescending as possible would bruise an ego for a decade. For her Lucien would be the only viable option with how she ended things, but he was a sweetheart and she never told him about James's weird hobbies. Nor has he ever been to the house. He couldn't be it.

Sabrina bought the Harrisburgs, valid point, she doubts they'd wait this long to do something like this though. James Vanburen's death should've bought something about a lot sooner and they would've paid top dollar to ruin the family publicly and financially, instead of brute force by a gang of twats. Trisha had a good idea for once in her airheaded life. Scorn women was definitely possible, but there's only a handful of them that didn't know who their mothers are. She's at the top of the list. She wasn't sure about the siblings she didn't know at all. She assumes that if they weren't raised here, then they were with their mothers. Any other children probably wouldn't be it. They'd be dead by now if they weren't hiding around town. Huh. Food for thought. Shane offered some information that made all her deducing useless. If they were thieving for something stolen, then whoever sent them was someone they didn't know.

Ezra left for the servant girl, Shane and Sabrina left to go witch hunting, and Alexander the Elder offered to conjure up James's ghost. She's peeved at him for that faze through trick he pulled. While she'd love to stick around she had something more important to do, like change her soggy underwear.

"I'd love to performance a seance, but it would be better to change our clothes first and move to a room with intact windows where we won't catch our deaths." Survived one life threatening situation today. She's not willing to go through the flu.

Georgie hurriedly left the room, looking at the aftermath of destruction in the hallway leading to the staircase, before she went to the west wing of the mansion where her room was, happy that nothing below touched her possessions. She dried off with a towel in her en suite bathroom and changed out of her wet clothes and into a fleece black dress with roses on the skirt and sleeves, black fleece stockings, and warm boots. Feeling refreshed, she went back downstairs to join the family to summon James.

Straits of Steel (A South East Asian Cyberpunk Thriller)

Xia kept a close eye on who came through the door, but they didn't look like they paid attention. They caught every detail of every person that came through the door in the split second they took their eyes off the game. Some conversations ensued, their ears picking up every word out of their new comrades' mouths. Some were in languages they understood, others in languages they knew of but never learned. They kept an especially close eye on the old man and the guy talking to him. The situation seemed tense and chances of a shoot out were high. They didn't stop playing their game, but they did slow down, waiting for the opportunity to move out the way once guns were drawn. It didn't come to that. A waiter came out of the doors everyone waited in front of. He looked like he'd seen better days. Bodies that gaunt made them think of Deep addicts. It could have been a number of things that made him look like that, but what was the point in speculating? Chances are they'll never see him again anyway. Either this is the last job they'll have with the person that contacted them, they'll die on the assignment, or the waiter will die from whatever that ails him.

Xia wasn't the first to follow the waiter. They were content to follow in the middle of the pack. The hallway was unlike anything they've ever seen before. From top to bottom was covered in glass, short halls branched off from the main one, schools of fish that looked like experiments gone wrong swam passed the glass. They couldn't tell when they walked up that part of the building was underwear. They knew big money had to afford all of this, but not even The Snakes had anything this expensive. Or at least obviously expensive. The waiter led them down a staircase further under the sea. At the end of the tunnel were paper doors, shouting went on beyond them. That wasn't good. Xia knew that arguments could easily break out into a gun fight, though something this high class only had patrons that knew not to toe the line between dismissible offenses and retribution.

When they passed through the door they were greeted with a bar, endless waterfalls and pools, and a man yelling at the person manning the bar. They couldn't under the man, Cantonese wasn't one of their languages. The chef spoke to the suit like they were having a casual conversation, before addressing the group. He spoke in Japanese, Xia's mother tongue as far as they know, and offered them food. Xia wasn't going to turn down a meal. They haven't eaten since yesterday, body used to skipping meals from a hard childhood with the Snakes. They sat at the bar, comfortable as ever with someone that feels a little bit like home.

"Do you happen to have anything with yuzu in it?" Yuzu sake, yuzu glaze, yuzu anything, because they can't find it anywhere else other than Shin Ryushu Docking. A place with this kind of money and Japanese influence decor and uniforms had to have some type of deal with SRD. Perhaps imports of the good variety and the best versatile fruit known to the world. They could've looked at the menu, but they knew Japanese menus. Hundreds of options and too much going on. Best to save time and ask.

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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Georgie knew Erza would agree with her. It was the most logical thing to do in their situation. She watched the expert girl walk into the passage, waiting for Erza to pull his knife out of the wall, before she followed after them.

“If you’re going to come with, stay back and stay out of her way.” Ezra directed. That was fine by her. She didn't want to fight if she didn't have to and hopefully this girl was competent enough with her job that she wouldn't have to. She stayed close behind Erza, looking over her shoulder to Alexander the older bringing up the rear. She didn't trust him at her back. She heard the comment about him possibly taking narcotics. Clean or not she'll never trust a junky.

They arrived at the exit, the girl went out ahead of them while they stayed back and let her do her thing. Ezra tried his hand at knife throwing and she couldn't help peeking her head out of the doorway when he threw it. She wondered if the person got stabbed, but she was pushed back into the tunnel when Ezra went back to hiding. She didn't wonder long when she heard the scream, then it stopped. If she'd been hit somewhere nonlethal then she'd still be yelling. Her silence made her believe the girl was dead. Wow. Ezra's a murderer. Well, it happens like that.

The expression on his face told her she realizes what he's done, especially after he looked back out the hall, then came back. He didn't look at her and Alexander and she didn't try to meet his eyes. The house shook violently, knocking her into the wall, a distant scream echoed down the passageway. It sounded like Sabrina. She couldn't stay steady on her feet. She'd just righted herself when Ezra yelled to go. Georgie didn't question it and turned tail, just to go right through Alexander's body. She was so startled she stumbled and didn't regain her footing when Ezra knocked into her. The wave flushed them out of the passageway, back into the dining room, her everything hurt, she's sure she hit her head on the ground or a wall or something.

"What the bloody hell has this day become!?" She slammed her hand on the floor, water splashing. She'd say this is why she doesn't come home, but even this was too ridiculous to for a normal noisy day in the manor. The wind hitting the house was muffled now that she had water in her ears and her sinuses burned. A fever was bound to set in for all this water in the middle of winter. She stood on shaky legs, noticing broken glass on the floor, and looked out the window. There was a grotesque creature standing outside the window. Georgie didn't look at it long enough to get enough of a look. She just knew that she'd vomit if she stared any longer.

Turning around, her eyes locked on Oscar, she clearly looked upset, because all of this was on him. If he didn't invite strangers into the house without permission or discussion today wouldn't be tits up ass over head.

"Any idea what the bloody hell that thing is Mr. Magic? You've had to have something to do with it. Anything else we should know about your exploits, before whatever that is kills us all!"

Straits of Steel (A South East Asian Cyberpunk Thriller)

I'm still in. I'll try to be more active.

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

@The Ghost Note I know that. I didn't mention the hellhounds at all. I'm asking if everyone is where the wall is and Junior is with everyone else, then what room could he possibly be in if not in or around the dining room. If he's not in that area, then he shouldn't be at the wall or anywhere near the dining room and shouldn't be talking to anyone in that area at all.

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

@The Ghost Note @Carbonatter Now I'm confused, because isn't mostly everyone still in or around the dining room? That's where the fight took place. If he's with everyone else, then he should be in the area. What other room is the vine wall in?

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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That little shit didn't answer and Georgie was about done worrying about where he was. This was why distractions were no good. There was a battle going on and she could be safe tucked away in her Garden. It's only been a week and some days, since she's came here and the rest of them were rubbing off on her in the worst way. The illogical decisions will be the end of her, especially when she couldn't do anything useful. Until though dogs were taken care of or gone away all she could do was sit pretty and relax anxiously while the house was set to ruin. She wants to go back to uni.

The fight carried on down the hall once the real "expert" burned down the vine wall. Georgie nearly gave up on Junior when he popped up again.

"What are you gonna do now? C'mon aren't you gonna follow him!?" Junior asked.

She heard yelling from one of the intruders, she assumes, and a loud yelp that sounded more like a distressed howl. Looks the tide is turning for the fight. She can relax and hope they don't destroy the ground floor under her bedroom. It's her only place of escape here if she's not in her dimension.

"No. It'd be a disadvantage to me if I jumped in this fight." She joined Ezra and the expert girl, figuring she's better off staying with the one person in her family, besides herself, with enough brain cells to make good decisions. She overheard him tell her they might be in the gallery.

She snapped her fingers trying to think of her name, but it escaped her so she settled for what she did remember about her. "The Irish girl used the secret passage. It'll behoove us to do the same, since the witches and their dogs went in the direction of the gallery."

She pointed to the open secret door way, knowing it branched off to several rooms on the ground floor. It's been awhile, since she was last in the walls, but if her memory serves her correctly if they went the right way they should arrive in the same hall as the study, ballroom, and gallery, but closer to the gallery.

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

Will the character's secrets be relevant to the plot at some point?