Oblitus Magia: Verse 1 - Fateful Encounter in the City of Fools

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Craning her neck up and looking back across the room, Kinu side-eyed the blood-crusted dragon, holding her tongue for a moment between parted teeth.

"You'd like that, wouldn't ya, Chopperface? Haven't even started one meal and you're already drooling over the next one."

The rags that had once served as Morgen's compresses only hours ago, dangling there at Arx's sides, did not escape her notice.

"Yeah. Mouthwatering. Might be all you're able to do by the time that thing catches you upside the head," she smirked. "But if Red's good for anything, it ain't gonna happen."

Arx's grin widened. "I need magic to live; just like you need chickens. Witches are just the best part of the chicken." Why eat the giblets, when there are drumsticks within reach? It was a concept that seemed foreign to them; perhaps it was simply too close to home... The thought that, outside of their bubble of perception, humans were little more than a source of food.

Not that that in particular, seemed to be Kinu's hang up.

Catching the look down at her recently acquired bloody rags, Arx fished one out of her tattered waistband and held it up. She certainly wasn't ashamed of it. "Not the tastiest, dried blood on a dirty rag; but one does what they can to survive and stay sane when the alternative is... messy." Kinu hadn't seen the guards, but Xia, and Mulvric had. Arx hadn't even wanted to eat them... but they were in the way.

"If that Hammer catches me though, should the girl 'defect'?" Arx simply shrugged, before stuffing her 'emergency food' back into the waistband of her ruined prison pants. "Would call that 'fair play', mm?"

[MrSandman]

"Hmm...you have a point there," Kinu responded.

"The monsters ain't so much a problem. The ones that can breathe our air, I mean." She brushed the edge of her hand over the multihued fur trim of her coat.

"What else can you tell us about the Mist? You said your people were looking into it."

Owen nods.

“How long can the average person last would you say?”

"Call it Ruin Fog....but its really just how ruin infects the air. Its like a living cloud that condenses from points of infection. It'll be thicker near its source, more lethal....but to the blind eye its just fog." Mulvric explained. "Average person without protection lasts about a minute, with protection....between a minute and 3 depending on layers and material. But again...it ain't the material that matters." Mulvric then tapped his chest. "Its whats in here....the soul......the MUNDUS."

"Oh here we go again..." Mercer muttered.

[Tami]

"Call it Ruin Fog....but its really just how ruin infects the air. Its like a living cloud that condenses from points of infection. It'll be thicker near its source, more lethal....but to the blind eye its just fog." Mulvric explained. "Average person without protection lasts less then a minute, with protection....between a minute and 5 depending on layers and material. But again...it ain't the material that matters." Mulvric then tapped his chest. "Its whats in here....the soul......the MUNDUS."

"Oh here we go again..." Mercer muttered.

Matthias, who had been listening while also looking out the window, turns now in response to what Mulvric said.

[grampagen]

Arx's grin widened. "I need magic to live; just like you need chickens. Witches are just the best part of the chicken." Why eat the giblets, when there are drumsticks within reach? It was a concept that seemed foreign to them; perhaps it was simply too close to home... The thought that, outside of their bubble of perception, humans were little more than a source of food.

Not that that in particular, seemed to be Kinu's hang up.

Catching the look down at her recently acquired bloody rags, Arx fished one out of her tattered waistband and held it up. She certainly wasn't ashamed of it. "Not the tastiest, dried blood on a dirty rag; but one does what they can to survive and stay sane when the alternative is... messy." Kinu hadn't seen the guards, but Xia, and Mulvric had. Arx hadn't even wanted to eat them... but they were in the way.

"If that Hammer catches me though, should the girl 'defect'?" Arx simply shrugged, before stuffing her 'emergency food' back into the waistband of her ruined prison pants. "Would call that 'fair play', mm?"

"Nah," Kinu replied, "After the fact, I'd call you 'toothless'."

She returned the smile in kind, her head bowed forward as she chuckled. Then with a stiff chuckle, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"But I already told you, it ain't gonna happen."

Kinu figured Sigourney, she wasn't much for talking, because she was always writing; And she was always writing, because she was always paying attention.

"More important then that.....the wilds are no place for a child to be at night." En fluttered resolutely. "No matter her intentions now, we shouldn't let her just run off....especially in the state she's in. If she's really resolute I can have her escorted to any city she wants.....its too dangerous to go back to A11 for the time being."

"Bookworm, I know her type. Might be small, but she's too smart to get caught up in someone else's mess."

Punctuating the point, she wiped her first two fingers over her neck, mimicking where the choker collar dug into Arx's flesh.

"If she really wants to, she'll survive on her own terms, if not Gee-Gee's."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Xia sat down abruptly on the floor, legs crossed Indiant-style. She closed her eyes and started to let her mind drift off, but not enough to where she was completely oblivious to what was going on.

On of this thinking wasn't getting them anywhere. People - mainly Gumshoe - had questions, and the answers that came only led to a dead-end and more questions. They were walking and talking in circles. Xia wasn't a thinker, unless it was about fighting. Critical thinking and asking a bunch of pointed questions to suss out an answer from the depths of obscurity were best left to others. Point her in the direction of someone who needed to die and she would show her strong-suit.

From the sounds of Gumshoe's questions, he was angling to sacrifice himself for the greater good. That was fine, she guessed. She didn't know him other than the guy who could move **** with his brain, so she wouldn't be broken up if he disintegrated upon contacting the Ruin. Or whatever happened to a human when they got caught up in that ****. She didn't like thinking about that. Too painful, too negative. Too... she didn't know, but she didn't like thinking about it.

"MUNDUS."

Her eyes opened. Not becaue Mulvric said something so profound that it pierced her meditative state and captured her attention like a snare, but because this moron started screaming at the top of his lungs for no reason whatsoever.

She sighed heavily. "Alright, I'll bite. What's Mundus?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

"Nah," Kinu replied, "After the fact, I'd call you 'toothless'."

She returned the smile in kind, her head bowed forward as she chuckled. Then with a stiff chuckle, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"But I already told you, it ain't gonna happen."

Kinu figured Sigourney, she wasn't much for talking, because she was always writing; And she was always writing, because she was always paying attention.

"Then you're smarter than you look." Arx said with a shrug. "I'm not some feral beast... so long as I keep fed; and I do what I need to, to keep it that way."

"Bookworm, I know her type. Might be small, but she's too smart to get caught up in someone else's mess."

Punctuating the point, she wiped her first two fingers over her neck, mimicking where the choker collar dug into Arx's flesh.

"If she really wants to, she'll survive on her own terms, if not Gee-Gee's."

Arx cackled. "Like I said. Only Witches catch these claws reason-free. Girl's not a Witch, and near as I can tell not someone I'd go out of my way to rustle, anyway." After all, from what little she'd interacted with the girl- a look in passing as she scribbled frantically in that notebook of hers- Sigourney was more interested in Arx than intimidated. Meant she wasn't a coward. Good thing to be, in a world full of monsters.

[The Dog]

"Your Wrong!" En suddenly rattled her tiny arms. "Gee Gee wouldn't sacrifice innocent lives for something so cruel....She did everything we could to minimize loss of life. She.....she's not being that way for her own sake......She just needs time to warm up to more people here.....thats all..."

Selma looked to her and said "Well, someone blew that bridge with innocent people on it. And she just told me that I was "talking the Witches to death", which states that she wanted me to open fire on and start a fight with the Witches. While there were a hundred innocents on location."

"And like I just said and you know, Witches don't care about if they kill innocents to perform their 'duties'. Or are you going to tell me that Witches have regard for those caught between them and their objective?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Jacob wonders off to find the doctor.

[The Chou Lives]

Over hearing everything. He lets out a huge sigh and speaks up. “ It was not Angels fault for the bridge. It was mine. When I saw her ( Kinu that point to) being attacked by your guys, I attacked Mercer. He dropped the switch. Causing the boom. Yes, I know I hurt your reputation and got blood on my hands. “

Then pauses.

“ I know how to work a garden. Grandpa grew food.” Working off the guilt, goes off to leave, gathering spuds and such. As he just well, gets hit by reminders of his mistakes.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Over hearing everything. He lets out a huge sigh and speaks up. “ It was not Angels fault for the bridge. It was mine. When I saw her ( Kinu that point to) being attacked by your guys, I attacked Mercer. He dropped the switch. Causing the boom. Yes, I know I hurt your reputation and got blood on my hands. “

Then pauses.

“ I know how to work a garden. Grandpa grew food.” Working off the guilt, goes off to leave, gathering spuds and such. As he just well, gets hit by reminders of his mistakes.

Xia heard what the man said, but had trouble comprehending it. "So, just so I'm on the same page, you are the reason why those innocent people were killed in the bomb explosion on the bridge? All because you decided to play white knight and 'save' some woman who in no way needed it? Do I have the right of it, or is there something I'm missing?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Arx couldn't help but chuckle when this information came to light. Especially considering the rather short, and rather amusing conversation she'd had with Levin the day before. Of course she couldn't quite remember all of it, though she did remember enough to say after her chuckle had subsided...

"Hey now, before we make with the punching and the kicking... no reason to be so hard on the man; I'm the 'hideous thing' after all~"

There was a moment of silence, followed swiftly by a Dragon's laughter.

[Tami]

Over hearing everything. He lets out a huge sigh and speaks up. “ It was not Angels fault for the bridge. It was mine. When I saw her ( Kinu that point to) being attacked by your guys, I attacked Mercer. He dropped the switch. Causing the boom. Yes, I know I hurt your reputation and got blood on my hands. “

Then pauses.

“ I know how to work a garden. Grandpa grew food.” Working off the guilt, goes off to leave, gathering spuds and such. As he just well, gets hit by reminders of his mistakes.

"It sounds to me," Matthias spoke up, "that it was an accident. You had no idea that Mercer was planning on blowing up the bridge. In truth, I think there is enough guilt to be spread all around."

He then looked at Mercer, "If you had contacted me ahead of time, there is a good chance that I could have retreived Mulvirc from the prison without the use of explosives or gunfire."

[The Chou Lives]

Xia heard what the man said, but had trouble comprehending it. "So, just so I'm on the same page, you are the reason why those innocent people were killed in the bomb explosion on the bridge? All because you decided to play white knight and 'save' some woman who in no way needed it? Do I have the right of it, or is there something I'm missing?"

.. : Levin turns to her before farmer duty.: “ No, not exactly. She was not maiden that needed rescue. I perceived them as the enemy so I attacked out of ignorance. The idiotic white knight thing means a man thinks a woman cannot save herself? Please, there are strong women. Strength is not a gender thing. Besides I got other matters I am dealing with, **** I doubt you care about.

Arx couldn't help but chuckle when this information came to light. Especially considering the rather short, and rather amusing conversation she'd had with Levin the day before. Of course she couldn't quite remember all of it, though she did remember enough to say after her chuckle had subsided...

"Hey now, before we make with the punching and the kicking... no reason to be so hard on the man; I'm the 'hideous thing' after all~"

There was a moment of silence, followed swiftly by a Dragon's laughter.

“ You love the idea of being savage, brutal, petty. That is the hideous part of it. I admit my flaws and will atone for my sins. No not as some selfless sacrifice, that **** is bull **** and painless. I mean a life time of toil, sweat and more tears. At the end of the day living for those who are not. My fucking three year so. Is dead and I just found out yesterday! I did not even get to meet him!”

Addressing his nature to the strangers, as he turned to the other.

“ Thats good to know. Maybe you should have been in charge. If you excuse me. I will be in the fields if you wish to find me. Good day.”

Once again, leaves the area. Strolling around a bit to find where they were growing things, he got to work and starts getting the vegetables accounted for. Was great well at it due to up ringing with the gardens back home.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“ You love the idea of being savage, brutal, petty. That is the hideous part of it. I admit my flaws and will atone for my sins. No not as some selfless sacrifice, that **** is bull **** and painless. I mean a life time of toil, sweat and more tears. At the end of the day living for those who are not. My fucking three year so. Is dead and I just found out yesterday! I did not even get to meet him!”

Addressing his nature to the strangers, as he turned to the other.

“ Thats good to know. Maybe you should have been in charge. If you excuse me. I will be in the fields if you wish to find me. Good day.”

Once again, leaves the area. Strolling around a bit to find where they were growing things, he got to work and starts getting the vegetables accounted for. Was great well at it due to up ringing with the gardens back home.

Arx witnessed this... response, impassively.

When it was all said and done, Levin departing to seemingly pity himself alone in a field however; the Dragon flicked her tail and mused aloud. "For someone seemingly wracked with grief; he wields his dead child like shield. Less a legitimate source of grief, and more to deflect the criticism of his peers." Another tail flick, and Arx smirked. "A scapegoat."

The Dragon chuckled at the realization, a trail of smoke rising up from the corner of her mouth, "and he has the audacity to call me what he has~"

[MrSandman]

"It sounds to me," Matthias spoke up, "that it was an accident. You had no idea that Mercer was planning on blowing up the bridge. In truth, I think there is enough guilt to be spread all around."

"I was gonna blow it when nobody was left on it.....but that didn't exactly go right." Mercer fumed.

He then looked at Mercer, "If you had contacted me ahead of time, there is a good chance that I could have retreived Mulvirc from the prison without the use of explosives or gunfire."

Mulvric chuckled. ".....doubtful.....I appreciate the thought but there wasn't much time for that....besides, weren't you in the same cell block as me?"