[PRP] Rabbit holes [Jeremiah/Shun]

[azuredreams]

"That would make sense. One would not want to acknowledge what is essentially failure. Someone who's succumbed and delved too deep into the magic." It was a very real concern for anyone that went to other ashdown. There was always a chance that they could become a fetch instead of something more other.

"Sunny was not quite as old as the cage. So either she was born when it was created or she was born- Well, when the second sigil was made." Which was probably something he had not mentioned before and, obviously, said on purpose to bring it up.

"... also she is gone now. The Sonny that lives in the Shore mansion has only lived for one hundred and thirty-two years. An entirely new being."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"I suppose that would explain the reason why we had her body in the morgue while the other Ascension lives," Shun sighed. He then paused.

"Wait. Second sigil? Is that what happened with the triplets and the court?" he asked. The last time they had a discussion, Jeremiah had stated that everything was tied together and the court had been created as an attempt to create balance, but he had not gone any deeper than that.

"Is there really another sigil that is currently on the verge of breaking?" he asked, rubbing his face. Things had not gone so well when the first sigil was broken. They had to remake it to keep things from breaking completely.

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"It is not breaking so much as deteriorating," Jeremiah replied, his eyes flicking to Shun and then off to the distance.

"I can only assume that the Minerva you met was from a time before the Court existed as well. She had not helped create it yet and because she mentioned the head ..." His shoulders rolled and he shook his head. "The dead were rising after three days, there were monsters at the crossroads, and people with the spirit bond were abusing their power. Something had to be done to stop that."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"I am pretty certain the Court was not yet created for her, yes. She did not make any mention of monsters... but apparently your counterpart does not approve of her going into Other Ashdown."

Shun paused.

"I do not know her exact relation to you, but I can confirm that she is not your daughter."

The younger detective shook his head, "I do not suppose you have an idea of how to keep the sigil from completely deteriorating?"

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Likely because it is not safe to do so. Too much time in other ashdown, too much exposure to it's magic, can lead to someone turning into a fetch just as failing the trials of Nobility can." Jeremiah inclined his head a little, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Shun.

"Did you learn how long she had known me? Though I am not surprised to hear she is not my daughter. She's a Mercer and it could just as easily be by relative or marriage." Yet she knew him and was, quite obviously, important to him at some point. There was a reason for that.

"There is a document," he said quietly. "It is referred to as the charter. If we can find it, if we can make alterations, we may be able to do something. It is that document upon which the Court was founded but is also responsible for the creation of wargs and moonwalkers, not just Nobles." A beat, as he let that settle before he said one more thing.

"And before it was made? Moonwalker and warg were powers within one person, no two separate things."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"Not by marriage for certain. Jerry Mercer of that cycle was around 70, and was also gay," he stated. While Minerva was a girl in her teens.

"I do not know the exact time frame. Going by that cycle alone, I would say within 3 years. The bar, Andromache, had been bombed in 1989, and she was not there for that. I think she may have met Jerry in Ashdown," he mused.

He turned his head towards Jeremiah while he began to explain the charter, murmuring, "Makes sense I suppose. Moonwalkers were supposed to be the enforcers of old, yes? Though... I do recall hearing something about them once being tied to the Enemy. Perhaps that has to do with their original state of being?"

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Shun, not to Jerry but as in she is the child of someone who is a relative or likewise." His lips twitched a little in amusement. He would leave the gay comment alone, most because- Well, if Jerry was anything like him (and he assumed that they were not the same people but did have similar traits) then gay was a descriptor not a limiter.

"... that matches fairly well with the initial timeline, though did she say if Andromache was in New York or in Ashdown? That certainly would be an interesting change." He paused, head tilting just a little bit. "They were dealing with that in the time loop in the void. It kept exploding over and over until they finally traveled through."

His shoulders rolled and stretched, eyes on the water that was now visible. "Pride created it for Renard. The spirit-bond. It was meant to be a gift, not a curse, but apparently there were those that were abusing it. Not only that but the dead were rising - fetches, I believe - and there were ... monsters at the crossroads." The look on his face, as he said that last bit, implied it was something he was repeating rather than coining himself.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"Ah. Right," he uttered before answering, "It was in New York. The blast nearly killed Renard... and it may have killed Temperance and Algernon of that time."

Shun shook his head slowly. That was a really unfortunate bit of history to repeat itself over multiple cycles.

"Of course people would abuse it," he sighed, "So then the Court was created to reign all that in. And I suppose this second sigil is also why magic was far more limited in our previous world, because it seems that it was pretty widespread during Minerva's time."

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Something flickered across his face at the mention of Temperance and then another as Algernon. "... that ... is unfortunate, though it does sound like Jerry was doing alright. He was also, apparently, like a father to Renard." Though that was thousands upon thousands of years ago.

Relationships that mattered then likely held little to no impact now.

"In a manner, yes. The Court oversees things within other ashdown. While one Sigil controls aspects of the world we live in, it appears that this second Sigil affects the magic and possibly other ashdown itself. However, I don't think it's responsible for the lack of magic in Ashdown. If only because of the fact we now have more of it after the reality shift."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun gave a somber nod at that. It was certainly unfortunate. It did sound like Alg was fairly close to Jerry too, based on what Minerva said.

"Right... That makes sense. Do we know what makes this second sigil exactly? Or is it just on whatever is on that document you mentioned?," he asked while furrowing his brow. Perhaps it was more like a contract of sorts.

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Think of it as a contract but at the same time, it functions as a Sigil." Jeremiah raked his hand through his hair, rubbing at the side of his neck briefly before he stopped and let it drop to the side.

"As for what it is made up of? Possibly the symbol that is on Melany's shoulder. She is the Court, Shun. Where Ascencion Shore is magic, Melany Dubhslaine is the physical embodiment of the Charter and the Court. That's part of why she is acting the way she is. Removed from herself, what she once was flows in."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

The younger detective couldn't help but frown slightly at that.

"So the Spinel Lady was a direct result of... all of this," he uttered. Though... for someone to become the living embodiment of something as big as the Court, that couldn't be healthy. Maybe that was why she changed.

"This likely means you will need to have Melany with you once it is time to try and edit that document..."

That also seemed like a bad idea. If she was acting normal because she was removed from the Court right now, things could take a dark turn should the court be brought back to her.

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Living beings, humans, are not meant to be Sigils or Caged. If you are lucky, it is like those who suffer severe brain trauma and their personalities completely change." So, yes, the creation of the Charter lead to the Spinel Lady. "There are so many things that can go wrong, that can backfire, and it all has to be counter-acted."

Jeremiah glanced towards Shun, his eyes bright before they looked away. "We are in the process of trying to get our hands on the document but as it is more than just the Court? We are proceeding but carefully. It is, after all, tied to the triplets as well. Whatever we do it may, in fact, heal Pax, Pride, and Noeh."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

His hands left his pockets as he began to lightly massage his fingers idly.

"I suppose the next question, then, is what can I do to assist? Healing Pax is my priority right now, as we are running out of time. But if the method in doing so is tied to your charter..."

Shun wasn't sure what he could do. He was an outsider to the Court. And he was no warg nor were even.

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Keep an eye on Melany? Be prepared to meet soon? As soon as we have the Charter, we have to be prepared to move quickly. We're running out of time but we can't rush into this." Jeremiah's expression looked more serious than usual.

"This Charter shapes the powers that some of us have, not just the Nobles but the wargs and the moonwalkers. We have to be careful that in the process of saving a life we do not damn others."

Blade Kuroda