No time for better words

[lord_wizard]

Who: Felix Harrowgate and OPEN
What: A Chimera meeting turns into disaster when some people’s stains begin to manifest
When: Afternoon of today, 4/13
Where: Chimera HQ, room 1919 of Gaudium tower
Rating: Probably pg-13 for mild gore
Notes:Open mostly to Chimera members or any people with magic, though curious interlopers are welcome. Felix’s stains will manifest near the end. You may have your character do so around the same time, at your option. Threadjacking encouraged. Please wait for sections.

It’s noon and all the doors opening onto the Chimera lobby are thrown wide open to let in the sunlight. For those of those familiar with the space, the large chandelier that used to hang in the center is still missing, having not yet been replaced after the damage from the earthquake.
The adjacent office has been rearranged to seat multiple people, and a cursory attempt at hospitality has been made, in the form of a desk covered in drinks (juice, tea, and sparkling wine) and snacks.

Felix himself is near the back end of the room, like a king of a very small court, though he wouldn’t exactly encourage the comparison. He’s picked up a slightly unfamiliar shadow in the form of his brother, but otherwise everything appears to be business as usual.

MINGLING/ARRIVAL | MEETING | STAINS

Comments

MINGLING/ARRIVAL

[lord_wizard]

There’s enough time for eating and idle chatter while people make their way up to the tower. Perhaps time to get some unrelated business out of the way or maybe just get buzzed on wine. As tempting as the latter is, Felix isn’t partaking, if only to have a clear head for the rest of the meeting.

[lightbranded]

Will wanders into the room a little early and quickly takes up a station near the wall. He was the watcher, after all. So he would watch.

And then there was the fact that he felt a little awkward being so clearly one of the youngest there. Even if he also felt much older at the same time.

[radiantwingedone]

Well, if Duke's ears and magic is right, that would be Will right over there. He tilts his head a little, in acknowledgement, but he's just going to take a seat and settle.

Less people to watch him fumble to make sure he's in a seat the better.

[lightbranded]

[Will smiles at the familiar site of Duke and slowly makes his way over to speak with him.]

Hullo, Duke. Are you well?

[radiantwingedone]

"As well as usual." He gives a tiny bit of a shrug. Duke hasn't managed to hurt himself again.

"Slightly shaken from quake, but nothing... lasting. You?"

[strangewonders]

Howl is nowhere near the first one to the room, but at least he's shown up before the actual meeting began, which for him is quite the accomplishment. Being early doesn't suit him--it's hard to make an impression if there's no one in the room after all.

He was there now, though, with nothing to do but putter around, poking at the refreshment table while waiting for the meeting to start, eying up the new faces in the crowd.

[delincuente]

One of those new faces has also been hanging around the refreshment table, watching the rest of the room from a distance as she shifts a still-full glass of wine between hands. When she catches sight of Howl, she makes the subtlest of amused faces (read: barely subtle at all, but A for effort) at his appearance. He reminds her quite a bit of Felix, actually. She leans against the table and halfway look up at him.

"Well, you look like the ye olde wizard type. Mind telling some fresh meat how these meetings usually pan out?" She tries to hide her awkwardness with the whole meeting situation by pouring sarcastic confidence into her speech.

[strangewonders]

That got a laugh out of Howl, not the least because that was, in general, exactly the impression he wanted to give. Had he not, he might have shown up in a pair of jeans and his Welsh Rugby jacket. Perish the thought.

"I can hardly let him show me up, now can I?" He replied, waving a hand in Felix's general direction before reaching for his own glass of wine. "The meetings are discussions, more than anything else. No one's taking down the minutes. We tend to do our own things most of the time, so these things just keep everyone apprised."

He took a sip of his drink and smiled what he felt was one of his most charming smiles. "I don't think we've met. I'm Howl."

[delincuente]

"Ah, discussion. My favorite thing in the world." She gives a little half-roll of the eyes, and moves to take a sip of the wine. She lowers the glass again after a few seconds, though. "So it's more like 'wizard news bulletin' than 'wizard action squad' most of the time? I can deal with that, as long as it's not boring."

Not that she really trusts some old dude's definition of boring ("old dude" here meaning "man over twenty-five"). That's one reason she stayed away from this whole thing for so long. She's a teenager and just wanted to do her thing and not get involved. But lately, it seems like that's getting to be a harder thing to do.

"My name's Alex." She reaches out for a handshake.

[kungfuwitch]

Phoebe's an unfamiliar sight as she enters, a hood pulled up over her head. As soon as she's in the comfort of the familiar room she pulls it back, letting it fall to her shoulders and revealing the black marks streaked across her face. She looks like she's wearing black gloves, but upon further inspection it seems they're not gloves but her own flesh - as dark as shadows from the elbows down, slowly creeping upwards. The other stains don't exactly seep through her shirt, although they seem to peek through, despite there being no holes. Stains the color of fire on her back and stomach.

Wrapping her arms around her stomach she glances around a little nervously as she steps further into the room to find a seat.

[wishmadeinfire]

Phoebe could perhaps hide from others, but Ashura was more astute than that, and after quietly excusing himself from another conversation he was by her said, politely positioning himself so that he would block view of her from others as they spoke.

"Phoebe, what has happened?" he asked in a quiet voice, brows creased in concern, resisting the urge to reach up and touch the marks.

[kungfuwitch]

Phoebe smiled slightly, already looking more comfortable. Ashura always did have a knack for putting her at ease, somehow. One black hand moved up to touch one of the marks, her fingers touching it exactly without even having to look. She'd long since memorized the patterns and streaks, after all.

"The castle." She sighed, "Haven't you heard people talking? People have been waking up like this, with different marks, stains." She paused, eyes dropping a little, "The general thought is that they're representations of regrets or hidden truths."

[wishmadeinfire]

"I have been keeping to myself lately, I admit," he murmured, watching her quietly. He reached out, taking her hand gently in his and giving a comforting squeeze.

"I am sure it will pass," he whispered. "All things in this Castle pass, when it comes to its tricks."

[lord_wizard]

Felix actually approaches her separately, intentionally steering clear until Ashura had moved away. The rift is almost visible to someone like Phoebe, who know the two of them well, but he doesn't comment on it.

Instead he steps close to speak in a low voice, "are you alright?"

[kungfuwitch]

Phoebe looks up at him, surprised that he'd waited until Ashura had left. Okay there's something wrong here but she'll hold off on saying something just yet. He'd asked her a question, after all. It would be rude to redirect like that.

She forces a tight smile, "As alright as I can be being constantly reminded about things I generally try not to think about... or share with everyone I meet."

[lord_wizard]

"I'm not sure..." he said pausing to take in the marks on her more closely.

"Is this some kind of loss?"

Her implication is that it meant something specific, though it didn't seem the time or place to ask what that was.

[delincuente]

Ah finally, another girl, who looks like she's at least from this millennium. Alex starts over to where she's standing, but visibly recoils a bit when the hood drops. Not having any stains herself, Alex doesn't immediately recognize them for what they are, but she sees Phoebe's seeming discomfort with the situation and makes the (incorrect) assumption that maybe she's just as unfamiliar with the group. She takes a few more steps and casually takes a seat a few away.

"... So, you okay? You look kind of freaked." Great conversation starter, honey.

[kungfuwitch]

Phoebe looks up when the girl speaks. Well now she hadn't expected to see someone new today. She smiles warmly, trying to ignore the stains crossing over her face and down her hands.

"I'm... I'll be alright. I'm just a little shaken up by the latest castle shenanigans."

[delincuente]

Alex's smile in return isn't as warm, but it isn't her usual half-smirk either. She's trying her best to be on good behavior for once (once, mind you).

"Yeah? I'm pretty sure this whole stain business like tops the freaky charts, or something. Been awhile since we've had something that actually makes me want to run off and live in the woods."

[kethedammit]

Mildmay will be standing just behind and to the left of Felix for the entire evening. If someone tries to approach him, he'll talk, or try, at least. But for the most part, he's Felix's living, breathing shadow.

[wishmadeinfire]

Ashura sees this, and he frowns. He knows the reason now, and it makes his gut twist. But he is not fool enough to bring up such a thing in public, leaving it for another time as he approaches his would be brother-in-law. Did Mildmay know of that yet? The reason Ashura wore the ruby ring?

Well, another time.

He smiled at Mildmay, dressed today in white silks edged in red and black and gold. "Mildmay, it is good to see you. Have you been well?"

[kethedammit]

Mildmay is dressed in his signature black clothes, immaculate and boring in their regularity. He looks up, obviously surprised to be addressed, but that fades quickly behind his general impassive veneer. "Oh, uh. Yeah, I been good. You?"

[delincuente]

Alex admittedly feels a bit awkward as she enters the room, dragging her feet a bit and fiddling with the wand tucked in her back pocket. She doesn't want to care what these guys think of her, but she can't help feeling like some dumb teenager trying to help with something far bigger than herself. That's why she hangs back a bit after arriving, just working her way over to pick up a glass of wine that she barely sips at, and observe the rest of the attendees.

[lord_wizard]

Felix drifts over as soon as he spots her. It'd be rude to not say hello, being the host and all. The fact that she's here at all is a large improvement in how things had been in the past, and he's curious about what might have provoked that.

"Don't worry, we don't bite."

[delincuente]

He gets a half-smile in return, still a bit hesitant and circumspect.

"Really? That's a huge relief. Just what 'd been afraid of."