[PRP] proper meetings (cass & jeremiah)

[azuredreams]

"Mob mentality combined with how much people do so enjoy when someone falls from upon high." Despite that it was plainly said, there was something about it that implied his own feelings. Jeremiah was caged now in a way he had not been before. The world thought they knew him, thought they knew his magic, and for that he had to be more careful than before.

His gaze flicked to Cass, his hand moving in that universal gesture for hold position.

"I do wonder if it's because their favorite brand of cereal no longer exists ..." Jeremiah snorted. Making wry commentary was easy in this kind of situation and he had, of course, a habit to do so if there was someone to banter with.

Another piece of rubble came flying out and this time it looked as if it was hit the butterfly. Regardless of the fact that it was simply a butterfly, Jeremiah moved forward. There was a spark of coldfire, a brilliant emerald color, in his footsteps before he seemingly disappeared from in front of Cass to being right next to the butterfly and catching the piece of rubble with a hand.

It was deliberately flicked right back in. As it hit one of the remaining support beams, something stepped out of the rubble. It was almost like a screen lurch, like when someone was lagging in a game and suddenly jerked forward. Whatever it was, it had gotten larger. The shape of it was vaguely humanoid though it was dark and blurry at the edges of it.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Ah yes, the good ol' gossip and drama mongers." Cass could be tight-lipped herself, so adding another pile of secrets to keep was pretty easy to do. Even if she wouldn't even remember half of what he was doing (or really have any excuse to blab any of it if she'd been thinking about it).

'Hold' was perhaps her third weakest of tricks, because it took a few steps for Cass to finally pause, frowning. She looked past him to see if she could tell what was making him pause. "Maybe they're more of a Toaster Strudel type and I've never seen a box of those last more than 2 days in a 1 person household..." which really said more about her self control with fruity pastries than anything else.

She'd barely turned her attention to where the rubble was thrown from when Jeremiah practically flash-stepped, causing her to jerk her head back towards where he moved from. A puzzled look came over her face as she looked first there, then around to find where he'd gone.

It was so easy to just turn her attention towards whatever was moving the most immediately, eyes settling on the jerky movements of the thing that had lurched out of the rubble. She probably should have felt fear. She was gonna wrassle it.

After she took a picture of it, of course. Click

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Mm but those still exist ... This thing gets cranky about things that no longer do or have been change." Jeremiah paused. "Maybe there's some flavor that's been winked out of existence. That might do it." Why was this banter happening? It was easier to do and kept the situation light and focused despite the potential severity of it.

Hopefully there would be no wrassling though who knew how this all would actually go down.

Jeremiah was cautious as he watched the thing, the prickle of danger persistently there and getting stronger by the minute. The silver-haired man flicked his fingers in greeting towards the glitched being.

"Been looking for you," he said conversationally. It's mouth opened, cracked really, and what came out was not one voice but the garbled static sound of many. It was a discordant cacophony that sounded like a roar.

Certainly one way to be greeted back.

demon_pachabel

wanna roll a 1d10? we're gonna play who gets it's attention with the higher number on my next post, lol.

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Oh, so more of a 'Banana Laffy Taffy is flavored after a banana that went extinct in the 50s' sort of thing." Which was weird trivia, but spirit daughter was here to share all of her useless information and teach Jeremiah absolutely nothing except potential headache.

Cass stood up a little bit straighter as the creature let out a sound that made her think of a lot of microphones with bad wires being all hooked up to the same speaker. Only everybody was making bad noise instead of actually talking. It was a nice effect, actually.

Instead of inching closer to Jeremiah in a fear reflex, Cass actually leaned away, as though her programming dictated 'Physical danger? this is fine' somewhere inside of it.

"I sound kinda like that while I'm waking up too."

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Does that imply you roar when you yawn first thing in the morning? I don't even open my mouth until I've had at least two cups of tea." Well that was exaggerating but Jeremiah did not speak until he was properly woken up with tea. Still- The glitch's roar, if that was what it was, had him frowning and grasping for the butterfly.

It turned back into a blue band around his finger almost immediately.

The moment's distraction was all the thing needed because, despite the casualness of their conversation, it was not feeling the same way. Another piece of rubble, bigger this time, was thrown at Jeremiah and that had him disappearing again in a flash as his senses buzzed. Glass in a window behind where he had been shattered into pieces.

"You'd think I made it cranky," he said in a quiet breath. Fingers flicking and fire sparking at the tips. Jeremiah was planning. His gaze went to Cass. "Have you tried any magic? Any at all?"

demon_pachabel

roll again~

 

[demon_pachabel]

"You know the noise the boy from The Grudge makes? That's me before 11 am." Only it was that noise plus the ending sequence with the stairs from the American adaptation in terms of mobility as well. Cassandra was not a morning person.

Had she been paying attention to the butterfly-into-a-ring thing, Cass probably would have wanted one. Likely just because it was pretty, though. Not for the utility it had shown.

She looked to Jeremiah when he spoke to her, alert like a deer (but with less of the fearful look that usually came with). "What do you mean have I tried any magic? I don't have any to try!" Sure magic was a prerequisite to being where they were, but it wasn't like a slew of information had come with the job.

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"I would be concerned if you did the one that other ghost makes." Which Jeremiah promptly demonstrated. (It was that throaty, clicking noise.)

The glitch, of course, continued to let out that noise. It intensified enough that Jeremiah wanted to wince at the frequency but did not.

"Not even trying to conjure a fireball just to see if you can do it?" That was- Well, okay, maybe she was more reasonable than some who just automatically tried to do something that could result badly. "This place is magic and you can use it just by being here." He was closer to Cass now, though he was not standing in front of her.

When the glitch acted this time, the piece of rubble that was flung at both of them. It was, of course, even larger than before.

"Bloody-" he started, a hand flicking upwards. There was a brief rush of chill air as the rubble was shoved in another direction before it could reach either of them. It was starting to remind him of a young girl he had once known. One who had had a crush on him when he was child and decided that throwing rocks at someone was the best way to get their attention.

It was also the best way to lead to having to get stitches in one's ankle and not be able to walk on it for a week.

demon_pachabel

guys, no. no. don't sync your dice rolls.

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cass was very impressed by Jeremiah's imitation of the clicking noise. She tried it out herself but it wasn't quite as good. Not that it could really be heard as the glitch just amped up it's own volume, causing the young woman to cover her ears and frown.

"Nope. I think my immediate notion every time I'm here is to be inconvenienced, then at least find something fun in it." Which was why there were so many pictures. So. Many. "Making a fireball isn't exactly what my first go-to would be either..." in fact, Cass, if given the choice, would be really picky about what sorts of things she wanted to do with magic.

In a nutshell: She wanted it to be cool.

Having rocks thrown at them was not cool, and as the air rushed past them, she was suddenly grateful for the jacket she was wearing because BRRRRRRRRR.. "But seriously, just because I'm capable of doing something doesn't mean I know how to. Great, I can do magic. How do I do it?" She could tell that Jeremiah didn't have to incant anything out loud, but what was the thought process? How much of it was physical willing?

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Apparently Cass's attempt at imitation truly irritated the glitch. Or something. Mostly because it was roaring all over again, the shape of it distorting, and this time it was a blast of magical force that was aimed at her.

Not that Jeremiah was having it, not while they were discussing things. This one he simply took the brunt of, sliding back towards Cass with a low noise. There were icy scales now up along his neck to his jaw. "Rude," he muttered before glancing towards Cass again.

"You would be surprised how many people want to try a fireball or magic missile. The usual tier one magic of a DnD magic user." There was something in there about just how much of a nerd Jeremiah might be (and the black dragon tattoo on his hip, likewise, said something but that something was entirely different).

"That's what I am trying to get out- just needed to know if you tried anything. Magic responds to a strong will, to a strong idea. Some people use spells, actual spoken word," Algie did this, though his manner was actually written word said aloud, "others make gestures, and then there are those that use things that are from pop culture. Like Harry Potter, wingardium leviosa," don't doubt that he did not say it in that perfect way either because he was British, "but those things are only as powerful as what they're from is popular."

Jeremiah was feeling vaguely annoyed and, in this instance, took a step back towards the glitch. His fingers twitched, coldfire sparking at his fingertips and then flung towards it. It broke apart and was, in all honesty, meant to be annoying and not anything more. He preferred it's focus, at least until Cass had some idea of magic.

"I use gestures," he added a moment later, "but I mostly mentally command the magic, exert my will over it and perform feats. Any hesitation on my part and it won't work. I have to know what I want to happen, picture it and then ... make it so." Nerd. Reference. Again.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

She let out a small noise when the glitch threw magic at her, for the first time her eyes transfixed solely on it despite the banter. Yet it still couldn't be described as fear. Not entirely.

"I've never played DnD." she stated simply, "So I wouldn't really have thought to use any of those spells as a standard of comparison." What would she have used as a standard of comparison? How did magic work in her mind? It didn't just come out without some sort of force behind it.

I need something physical. Not like a wand or a book. Not necessarily something she could hold, but something to focus. Why had she not tried magic when she'd been told that simply being in this place had meant she had it? Because there's nothing to show me what I have. What did she want? What in this moment did she want or hope or need? She could have anything.

Quietly, she fished through her pockets. Phone, old receipt, another old receipt, -- ooooh, a dollar! By her luck, she had a pen. The first attempt to draw on the back of her hand with it yielded nothing. She licked the top then tried again with better success, scribbling a vague...something or other on her skin. It didn't mean anything. She hadn't pulled it from anywhere.

But it was there. Representing what?

She probably wouldn't know until the coin flip was in the air and she suddenly realized what she wanted it to land on.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Symbols work but you need to be careful with them. They need to have special meaning." Jeremiah watched her as she scribbled something d own on her hand, not quite able to discern what it was. "Magic works best when you think through what you want. I want to knock a rock out of the air. It'll be blown aside by a gust of wind, the gust of wind will make it change trajectory and hit that store window over there."

There was an implication there that knowing what outcomes your magic could cause were important.

"If you need a focus, go for it. Wasn't there that show? Fullmetal Alchemist? That one character had gloves with an array on them that let him use fire." Not that Jeremiah was sure if that would be helpful or not.

What was not expected, of course, was a direct assault by the glitch while he was talking. His senses buzzed, the warning bells going off, and he moved to meet it. Only for the thing to do as it had done previously and glitch right passed him and towards Cass with another roar.

"Move!" he called out to her, blinking forward again himself in a flare of coldfire and grabbing at the glitch only to be thrown back like he was zapped with an electrical current. The closer it got to Cass, the more she was probably going to realize that it looked like there were things within. Except that it did not look any different.

It was a feeling. A knowledge she had that was simply there.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"I don't need it to do anything," she stated simply. "I just need it to exist." It was easier to think on the immediate fly - don't think ahead, don't plan things out in case it needs to change. Be ready for it to change.

Her own senses, while not magically enhanced in any way, immediately stood on edge as the glitch moved, eyes practically vibrating in their sockets as they tried to follow every weird spazzy motion, before settling on the hive of something that made her think vaguely of Oogie Boogie. Only for a moment, however.

Yet what she felt wasn't a panic. She wanted to wrassle it. She needed to stop having that feeling. This was why a sting ray killed Steve Irwin. But it was the feeling she held onto - to sever and move through. Not fearfully, but aggressively. Not that she would likely be able to rend it apart, but she'd at least meet it head on.

And probably fail catastrophically.

azuredreams

because I am utter ME trash. Look at me being trash.

 

[azuredreams]

It seemed to work, what Cass was trying, at least until it wasn't. Much in the same way that Jeremiah had been zapped, she was too. Though it did not seem to be as aggressive and enough to knock her flat back onto her butt and wind her (with no actual visible damage aside from pride).

Jeremiah was picking himself back up, shaking his head like he had gotten his clock rung, and growling. "You alright, Cass?" he called to her, a hand pressing to his head. The glitch, once it had Cass down, was refocused on Jeremiah once he was on his feet again.

It was given a rather rude two fingered salute before it was right up on him. Jeremiah had to blink, his eyes especially bright in proximity to the glitch. One of it's hands actually grabbed him by the collar and, despite that it was shorter than him, lifted him up a little in the air and roared again.

With a hand actually on him, Jeremiah looked a little stunned- eyes widening as if he was suddenly seeing something he did not want to see. The expression was not a scared one, or a stunned one, simply one that looked as if he was being overloaded.

demon_pachabel

considering jer's got an ability based on something from inquisition ... i'd say you're in good company

roll 2D6; first number to maintain who has it's attention, second number for damage. no roll from jer for this post, he is getting an info burst he does not want.

 

[demon_pachabel]

The exact thought process went like this:

WHEEEE

EEejd;lf

fjlk
fjdasflk;dhfasdlkf
jfladsl

Where am I.

After being knocked onto her back, Cass took a minute to regain both her ability to breath without hurting and her surroundings. Her arms wobbled perhaps more than she would have liked (after all, she was not built nor practiced in weird magical charges) and as her head reeled, it took all of her attention to look over towards Jeremiah as he called out to her.

Then a minute longer for her to process what he'd said.

"Yes?..Yes. YES! I'm okay!" She'd maybe have a bruise later, but she was in one piece and only slightly wobbly. With some effort, she got up to her feet, too much of a stumble to be able to actually try to intercept when the thing went for Spirit-Dad. The look on Jeremiah's face was not one she felt comfortable with him having. It looked wrong.

With a quick glance around, Cass picked up a broken piece from one of the chunks of rubble that had been thrown at her and Jeremiah and tossed it at the glitch. "HEY." she shouted, as though that alone would get it's attention back on her.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah was going through similar himself, though it was more: What? No? NO! Mostly because the last time he had gotten this close, the last time he had felt something like this, he had been laid up for a handful of weeks (not mentioning the seizures and the fainting).

This was a sudden realization just what he was dealing with. Held and gripped by it, Jeremiah knew quite suddenly what it was. Left overs. Things that were part of the world they had left behind and no longer existed. It was there in it's yell - he thought he had heard Aleksy screaming NO at him amongst of a cacophony of other voices - and hard to ignore.

He was still locked into it, more stutters of images in his mind of things that were no more, at least until Cass was throwing a rock at it. That broke it's staredown with Jeremiah and whatever connection was going on. His head was spinning, a sharp pain behind his eyes that he ignored, before he gripped onto it - ignoring the zap - and charged it with coldfire.

That got him tossed towards Cassandra. Thankfully he went sliding right beside her.

demon_pachabel

DMG TOTAL: 6/??