[PRP] The Thinning Veil (Seance Crew)

[Blade Kuroda]

The soup came on out of the kitchen and it smelled rather nice. There was a small hint of worry in the back of his mind that there might be something wrong with the food, poisoned or otherwise. And such, he didn't start eating just yet.

With that in mind, he wasn't sure if Liam would actually pull anything here. It would be a bold move.

He glanced to the others, listening to their questions. Their host's answer about what he meant by keeping things organized was not the most reassuring. Keep your allies close, and your enemies closer, as some might say.

"I take it that wall is a culmination of all the previous cycles then?" he asked.

750  

[Silverah]

Liam smiled - first to Zac, and then to Shun. “What other business is there?” he asked. “You are correct in your assumption, Detective - however, it is hardly an exhaustive illustration. I do not have enough wall space for that. There is a system to it, a rationale for who is in play and who is not and who I expect may still yet join us - but if I were to attempt to explain it to you, we would never get to any of the night’s other festivities, and that would be a shame.”

He smiled. His spoon scraped the bottom of his soup bowl, and he set it to rest.

“I do hope you brought your appetite,” he said, glancing at Shun’s untouched portion.

His attention turning to Juniper, he replied, “Renard will not be joining us. I mentioned the word ‘seance’ and he promptly… I believe the expression is noped out. He suddenly remembered a business function he needed to attend in Boston and I do not expect him home until well after we have concluded our experimental forays beyond the veil.”

He clapped his hands together. “I do hope you’re all quite alright with brisket. I should have asked. I’m sorry. Not knowing what’s going to happen is something of a novelty.”

Elkbones

endejester

Kolina

the semblance of unity

blade kuroda

 

[endejester]

“Brisket! Yes, it’s… yes good.” Zac said, or stammered. “So… the photos are, in anticipation of our previous… incarnations? Like, maybe there is a pattern to who comes into play when? Sorry, I know you said explaining it in full would take too much time but.” He shrugged. “In summary…. Is that what you mean?”

He did try and stifle a laugh at Renard, whom was apparently ‘the Enemy’ – nope-ing out.


“Sorry sir, It just… seems like an interesting project. Right up my alley kind of thing, since I’d been assuming it was something more of a, contagion. Telling people about it seems to shortly result to them ‘coming into play’ is all.


“Um… that aside, what made you decide to - to, experiment like this tonight, and um, why us? I thought… well I thought I’d rather done a terrible job making anything close to a good impression.

Silverah

Elkbones

Kolina

the semblance of unity

blade kuroda

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Do you ask people before using their pictures? Subsequently, does this mean you have a separate collection of those once in play but no longer?" It was mildly disturbing at best. Temperance supposed this was where most people would give Liam a pass, both because of the nature of him and because of the reasoning behind the pictures... But she rather thought that, if she could get away with it and find her picture, she might just pocket it. Assuming she was up there and 'in play' at all.

"A contagion?" Zac's words caught her ear. "But there are definitely also spontaneous cases - I didn't know anything until after I'd begun." The idea of other Ashdown-ness as a spreading infection was interesting, but they'd need more data. She glance back towards Liam.

"As for the seance, are we trying to communicate with someone in particular?"

silverah

endejester

 

[moonjavas]

Thorne let the conversation wash over him as they went through the soup, ingesting the information in companionable silence, eyes roving over the crowd. He had chosen to sit wherever was left to be seated, entirely amiable to whoever was sharing his elbow space. The idea of a collection of photographs, half of them unseen by the public, was vaguely fascinating and horrifying at the same time, but Thorne wasn't sure just what would phase him anymore in this place.

Certainly not Liam's eccentric personality, or his strange photo collection. Maybe the seance. Who knew.

"Is Renard a superstitious man, or has he some secret knowledge of your history with experimentation we should know about?" Thorne asked, his voice edged with amusement.

For now, he might as well let the others deal with the heavy questions. If they raised the dead tonight, he would save his wit and poor life decisions for then, and not before.

Silverah

sorry i might be slow this weekend since i gotta fly home for a wedding q q aa sorry

Blade Kuroda

endejester

Kolina

The Semblance of Unity

 

[Silverah]

Liam chuckled. "Less a contagion, I think," he said to Zac and Temperance, "and more predestination. In a closed system, nothing is coincidence."

Perhaps it came as a relief to have his metaphorical cards on the table - Liam seemed more relaxed this evening than he perhaps ever had. He leaned forward, tilting his ear towards Thorne, and then tipped his head back slightly as he laughed.

"Renard is deeply superstitious," he explained, "and he has more than a few good reasons to be wary of my experiments. However..."

He nodded to Temperance. "I do not have a specific specter in mind," he said, "but the night is young, the veil is thin, and I'm feeling a little bit spooky."

It was, after all, Halloween.

(The waiter had begun to clear the soup bowls.)

Endejester

the semblance of unity

blade kuroda

Kolina

Elkbones

 

[Blade Kuroda]

With a low grunt, Shun finally began to eat. The food at least tasted good. While he drank the soup carefully, he continued to listen. He was kind of glad that Renard would be staying away for the evening. Having both him and Liam here would have really put him on edge otherwise.

But seeing the man as relaxed as he was still had him incredibly wary.

"...Do you know what you have to do for this sort of feat?" he asked dryly.

Silverah

Endejester

The semblance of unity

Kolina

 

[moonjavas]

"Maybe we have to sacrifice a virgin," Thorne said pragmatically in response to Shun and smiled at Liam.

"Well, a man like him must have his reasons," he said idly, "I'll be sure to send him a rabbit's foot for Christmas. Or a horseshoe. I can never remember which of those wards what." He shrugged his shoulders, throat rolling with laughter. "Well now, what must we do first for the experiment you have in mind tonight, Liam?"

Blade Kuroda

Silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam laughed at Thorne's comment. "Unfortunately this is not that sort of party," he said. "Why? Did you not get enough of that at the ball?"

He looked almost... disappointed.

Meanwhile, the waiter was going around, serving each attendee thick slices of meat and perfectly-roasted carrots and potatoes on a bed of green beans.

Liam grinned mischievously at Shun and Thorne as he picked up his knife and fork. "I anticipate we will wave our hands at that crystal ball over yonder and see what happens!"

Blade Kur0da

3lkbones

Kol1na

The S3mblance of Unity

End3jester

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun gave both Thorne and Liam a flat look for their comments. He wasn't too amused with the jokes (when was he ever?). He did glance over in the direction of the crystal ball briefly, raising his brow at that thought. That... didn't seem like that would actually work. It was like something he'd see on tv more than anything.

And they weren't even in Ashdown.

Looking down at the brisket, he began to slowly eat that. It was pretty damn good, actually.

He tilted his head at Juniper's question. He hadn't really thought of the cycles as being a reincarnation thing. The detective didn't know too much about the actual nature of the cycles other than the fact that it existed for a really long time.

"I am not sure if it more like reincarnation or if it more along the lines of someone hitting a reset button. Some or perhaps all of us have been through this whole mess to some degree. There are some differences from cycle to cycle... and the one we are currently in now has some of the biggest changes I believe," he stated, looking to Liam for confirmation. If anyone in this room knew that answer, it'd be him.

Silverah

The semblance of unity

elkbones

kolina

endejester

 

[Silverah]

"The detective has the gist of it," said Liam, popping a slice of carrot into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and took a sip from his wine glass before continuing, leaving them in suspense. "I have told you this before, Juniper."

And perhaps he would continue to leave them in suspense.

He looked back towards Shun, with the proud eyes of a teacher regarding his prized student. "The cage's clockwork has quite a bit of give, but yes, we would seem to have jumped the track."

He laughed. "Of course, that is a matter for another time. I hope you're all enjoying the meat."

Kolina

blade kuroda

the semblance of unity

elkbones

endejester

 

[endejester]

“It’s wonderful.” Zac replied in response to the question about the meat. He was a bit nervous so his own eating was perhaps a bit light but that might also have been some concern about the company he was in as well.

“…. I’m going to take it, if things run in cycles we have, perhaps not managed to jump the track like this before?”

“Unless, cutting throats is a proud tradition.”

Silverah

Kolina

blade kuroda

the semblance of unity

elkbones

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She toyed with her food. The thick cuts of meat seemed less than appetizing, given the vein of the conversation. There were cycles where Adoelle didn't die - of course there were. And that just meant she'd ******** up royally there. Temperance ate a potato, feeling her throat close around it.

"I doubt it was the act that caused the jumping track, but the who of it." Adoelle had been important, had been some sort of cage piece. Liam looked far too pleased with how things had turned out. If Renard was his husband and the enemy and the enemy was caged.... his pleased nature only seemed ominous.

"Given the day, Professor Noor, perhaps we should have all come in costume." She had no idea if his statement towards Juniper was actually towards the girl or her, so she ignored it.

endejester

silverah

kolina

blade kuroda