[PRP] The Thinning Veil (Seance Crew)

[Silverah]

"The cliffs by the sea," said Liam to Juniper, almost reflexively. His shock had washed away his pretenses, it would seem. "In Waite State Forest," he clarified. "She would... she would go climbing there. When we were young together."

And more recently... He'd seen her there. She'd climbed...

He'd left.

And the firefighter had found her ring. A ring that hadn't ever existed inside the cage.

"It's late," he said, not looking at the clock. (It was barely after 10 PM.)

Shibrogane

the semblance of unity

endejester

Kolina

blade kuroda

elkbones

 

[endejester]

He wasn’t sure he wanted to ask, but it seemed less like ‘it was actually late’ and more ‘something about this was disturbing to their host’ and of course, he wasn’t exactly being forthcoming.

“Are you alright, sir?” He asked cautiously.

Silverah

Shibrogane

the semblance of unity

Kolina

blade kuroda

elkbones

 

[shibrogane]

"It's a rift!" The spirit slapped Temperance's hands down on the table. Temperance's eyes were full of something molten-hot and primal. "It's a hole in the world, nothing's trying to come through, it's just a hole."

She was working herself into high dudgeon, and maybe that was why the spirit was ejected from Temperance and into Juniper.

The Semblance of Unity

endejester

Blade Kuroda

be freeee

Kolina

Juniper is now possessed!

Silverah

elkbones

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun furrowed his brow and folded his arms over his chest. If it was just a hole in the world then... that could very well mean that Ashdown was crumbling. It could be something else as well, but that was his first thought.

Honestly, he wasn't sure how he felt about what that entailed, especially if the town really was a piece of the Enemy.

Looking between the newly possessed, and Liam, he asked, "Do you mean it is too late for Ashdown?"

Silverah

The semblance of unity

elkbones

kolina

endejester

Shibrogane

 

[Silverah]

"I'm fine," said Liam, who was very clearly not fine. There was something turning behind his eyes, a keen intelligence at work.

"A hole in the world means a hole in the cage," he said, soft where Vivien-as-Temperance had been shrill. "It's collapsing - because you all decided to sacrifice Adoelle."

Never mind that he'd ostensibly wanted that. Never mind that he'd been the one to do it.

"This cage's collapse is inevitable," he said, glancing at Shun. "Look at it. It's got gaping voids."

Blade Kuroda

The Semblance of Unity

Elkbones

Kolina

Endejester

Shibrogane

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance gasped as Vivien left her. It was.. kind of a strange feeling, something uncomfortable but not unbearable.

"Where does-" she breathed deeply again. "Where does the hole go, Vivien? What do we need to do?" If there was a hole in this world, it meant here... of all places, this normal-esque world was the 'cage'. Was other Ashdown the real world - was something like the concept of a 'real world' even applicable here?

"Professor Noor, do not pretend that you had nothing to do with the death of Adoelle," she said, her voice hard.

kolina

blade kuroda

endejester

elkbones

silverah

 

[Silverah]

"I wanted Melany to be the tithe," replied Liam , glaring at Temperance. "Melany! Now that would have been a nice, uncontroversial choice. She's terrible. But your representative had to push the issue with Adoelle. Inaction is still an action. My hands should have been clean."

He looked over towards Juniper, waiting for the spirit to speak again.

The Semblance of Unity

Kolina

Blade Kuroda

endejester

Elkbones

Shibrogane

 

[endejester]

Zac frowned for a moment. Was it possible that this was an example of ‘be careful what you wish for on Liam’s part, though the likelihood that anything more than vagaries and denial would come of such a question left him sitting on his hands as it were.


“Goodness, it’s almost like people assumed killing someone rather than trying to get them home because a suicidal girl trapped in a strange place said it was for the best. I mean clearly she was in the prefect place to make that kind of call.

Besides, it won’t be the first time people assumed that what they could just do things without consequences, would it.”

That last line delivered with a pointed stare at Liam.

“Or the first time people tried to pretend they didn’t have anything to do with it. Like maybe, maybe being part of the reason there was a cage in the first place."

He wasn’t remotely in the habit of snapping, but this whole ridiculous line of conversation.

“Vivian, the collapse may be inevitable, but is there anything we can do?”

Silverah

The Semblance of Unity

Kolina

Blade Kuroda

Elkbones

Shibrogane

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I highly doubt your hands have ever been clean. The events of the ball were propagated by a representative that I did not choose, and Zac's alternative solution was ignored entirely. You still had responsibility in that and in every tithe you have helped murder before." Temperance wanted to leave but, more than that, she wanted to hear Vivien. The tithe happened every 22 years - how many throats had Liam slit?

She sighed. Even Zac was getting tetchy and he never did that.

silverah

elkbones

blade kuroda

kolina

endejester

 

[Blade Kuroda]

This was a bit of a painful reminder of just who he was surrounded by. As much as he didn't like the means of getting it done, he really did think that the cage needed to be destroyed. He even played his own role in bringing it down. There may have been another way of going about all of it, but finding those means before they had to go down this path was a failure on everyone's part.

Shun drew in a deep breath.

"How about we focus on what we can do from here? Zac poses a good question. What can we do to prepare at this point?"

Silverah

The semblance of unity

elkbones

kolina

endejester

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Juniper's eyes rolled. It was such an un-Juniper look that the spirit actually put Juniper's hands to her head for a moment as if she were dizzy. "No," the spirit said. "Nothing's inevitable, Liam."

How many times had he tried to prevent her death, after all?

"Nowhere," said the spirit. "It's a hole. A rift. It goes nowhere and does nothing but be a hole." They were going to lower cameras into it, use drones to detect the depth. Was that a good idea? Probably not.

The spirit said, "I'm not here to play therapist! Besides, some people here have secrets that they don't want me to share." The spirit slanted a glance at Shun, the expression of superiority alien on Juniper's friendly face--

and then the spirit jumped again, and tugged uncomfortably at Zac's translucent top--

"You'll have your chance to do something," said the spirit. "Tomorrow."

The Semblance of Unity

endejester

Zac is now possessed!

Blade Kuroda

Kolina

Silverah

elkbones

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun caught that glance from Juniper/Vivien. He didn't like that look.

When the spirit jumped over to Zac this time, he furrowed his brow.

"Tomorrow? What the hell is happening tomorrow?"

Silverah

The semblance of unity

elkbones

kolina

endejester

Shibrogane

 

[Silverah]

Liam's breath caught somewhere in his chest. He turned towards Zac, his lips drawn tight.

There was no point in repeating what the others had just said, so he didn't - but he didn't look happy. Not at all.

shibrogane

Endejester

Kolina

Elkbones

Blade Kuroda

The Semblance of Unity