Cometh the Big Crying Wheel

[initiates]

Date & Time: Sept 15th
Location: A refurbished castle on the outskirts of Exsilium.
Characters: Anyone at the party!
Summary: Vanadi hosts a party that goes very poorly.
Warnings: Violence, probably! Let a mod know if we should update this.


It’s a lovely night for a party!

The venue at the outskirts of town is, unfortunately, a bit drafty — and actually rather sparsely furnished, as well. In fact, party goers are encouraged to mingle, drink, and enjoy themselves in the courtyard, as the castle itself wasn’t able to be renovated in time, and has proven to be a little bit architecturally unsound. Any explorative guests might find a small hail of dust and pebbles on their heads if they venture too far in — and who knows what else, if they continue on.

But the drinks and snacks both are plentiful and delicious, and the large canvas set up from castle wall to castle wall keeps off the sprinkling rain. The weather could even be described as warmish and pleasant, if one were feeling generous. A group of Exiles plays classic instruments in one corner of the courtyard, having been paid enough to even smile at any Transports that wander near.

All in all, it’s shaping up to be a good night. Until about 10 PM, that is. Come 10 PM, the Misery rolls into town, tearing down the canvas, nullifying powers, and crying corrosive blood everywhere. That’s the cue for all hell to break loose, as the final wave of mind-controlled characters snag their victims and make for the hills — or at least for the UE. The mind-controlled characters will also have the backup of a squadron of 20 of the Masked, the UE's special ops force. The Masked's main goal is to grab those on their list and get away, but they're certainly not above shooting to kill at anyone that gets in their way. They're also highly trained in hand-to-hand combat and physically enhanced by their suits, so they're a good bunch to try to avoid.

But do have a wonderful time until then, won’t you?

Comments

Xerxes Break | OTA

[maddeninghatter]

Before 10pm:

I
[ Despite his conviction that something is going to happen at this party (or something's going to happen elsewhere, and the party is a distraction), Xerxes Break does not see this as a reason not to dress for the occasion, thus he is a vision of sartorial splendor, bejeweled, beruffled, and befrock-coated: that is to say, clad in the latest fashions of… eighteenth-century Venice. Shut up, he went there on a mission recently, it was grand. Nevertheless, he is on high alert, standing off to one side, beneath the canvas, sipping a cup of tea. He is carefully listening, forming an intricate mental map of the courtyard. Where are the exits? Where are his companions? How many people are in attendance? How many doorways lead into the castle? He is a chessmaster contemplating a board full of pieces. Or that's how he regards himself; the reality is, alas, far from this. ]

II
[ Having alerted his companions that he was going to do some exploring, Break is padding quietly down one of the long hallways and investigating the once-sumptuous rooms. Cobwebs abound, as does plaster dust. Things skitter along the baseboards. He carries neither flashlight nor candle; even his "presence" is masked. So don't be too surprised if he jumps out at you, suddenly appearing out of the gloom. That tap on your shoulder is totally friendly -- right? ]

After 10pm:

III
[ Gilbert and Oz have made it their personal mission for the last week to keep Xerxes Break away from sweets of all sorts (for reasons!!! that weren't even his fault!!!), and so one of them has been keeping an eye on the dessert table all night. But now they seem to be distracted, and the party has been relatively uneventful so far, so he is going to slip off without telling anyone and gobble up everything on the table. Pies, tarts, petit-fours, cheesecake, birthday cake, and best of all, handfuls of hard candy. Thus he is completely distracted when the great wheel rolls in, noise and screaming and chaos echo off the stone walls and bounce around under the ripping canvas and he can't hear where anything is coming from and his precise mental map is destroyed and what's going on and where is everyone?

Thus he stands frozen, wide-eyed, and disoriented, holding a plateful of chocolate cake and a fork in his mouth. Help? ]

iii ~

[senseandcecilbility]

[When hell breaks loose and his powers are nullified, his first reaction is to duck under the nearest table to hide his now obvious angelic aura...and the beautiful and long wing sticking out of his back, shedding pristine white feathers all over the place. His second reaction is to thrust his hands from beneath the tablecloth and grab the legs of the complete idiot who is standing in the middle of all chaos with a fork in his mouth.]

MISTER BREAK! TAKE SHELTER, I BEG YOU!

[He pulls him down, hard, and yet careful enough so the insufferable man will not knock his head against the table or end up with silverware in the back of his skull.

He cannot vouch for the cake's safety, though.]

1/3

[maddeninghatter]

[ He's shocked. He's overwhelmed. He saw this coming and yet he couldn't do anything-- Wait, that's a familiar voice, but he can't tell where it's coming from. ]

Wh--

[ And he's down, he hadn't expected an attack from below. He doesn't whack his head but his knees and his elbows hit the ground hard. And the cake, alas the cake, it goes flying. Probably someone is going to step in it. Pity.

Half an instant of shock, and then Break is twisting around, his hands closing around the neck of his captor-- ]

[maddeninghatter]

[ Oh. ]

[maddeninghatter]

[ This is a light even he can see. Everything seems to go quiet, as if there is nothing else in the world but this aura. ]

Nnngh...

[senseandcecilbility]

[His wing! The man is going to see his wing. Good Heavens, is he trying to strangle him? Kevin lets out a frustrated cry. He cannot let Break see him, but he cannot let him die either.

He takes advantage of the man's momentary surprise to drag him under the table with him and then envelop him in his arms, his remaining wing moving forward like a cocoon around them. He might be powerless, but an angel's protection must still be worth something. Uriel's embrace is...exactly what one would expect it to be.]

Curse you, Mister Break! Why does it always have to be you?

[Glancing over Break's shoulder, he tries to find a way out of the party gone terribly wrong.]

1/3

[maddeninghatter]

[ He doesn't resist; he is amazed. He allows himself to be dragged under and embraced. Is this - what redemption feels like? Is it forgiveness? ]

Am I--?

[ Is this the peaceful embrace of death? ]

[maddeninghatter]

[ ...

...

... ]

[maddeninghatter]

[ ...okay, all things being equal, it's unlikely that Death would call him Mister Break. Or sound quite so agitated. ]

Mister Cecil?

1/2

[senseandcecilbility]

[He holds him closer, his touch as gentle and protective as usual.]

DO NOT MISTER CECIL ME, SIR! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE---

[senseandcecilbility]

[But why is he not talking about the obvious? Why is he not reacting to---

He is suddenly reminded of Break's weird reaction when he let the tablet fall. That was not something one would...]

Oh God. Oh God, you fool! All this time you---

[His voice becomes tender as he grabs Break's hand.]

...Let's leave this blasted place, shall we?

III and hope this is okay! ( '-')

[devotedtothecore]

[ It's possibly fortunate that in the ensuing chaos, there are those who yet maintain enough presence of mind-- and conscience-- to include "get others out of here" as a priority beside "get out of here". Shock freezes people, after all, and it's those stock-still statues, like islands amidst the roiling crowd, that are in the most danger.

A firm grip lands on Break's upper arm, squeezing hard enough to hopefully jar him out of the stupor he looks to be in. ]

You! We must leave, now!

sure!

[maddeninghatter]

[ To a casual observer, Break probably seems about as fragile and frail as anybody here. He is of medium height, small-boned and skinny--which should be immediately obvious to the person who's grabbing his arm. His pallor, his white hair, and his cane all make him look like someone urgently in need of being rescued.

He startles at being touched. ]

What--

Who are you--

Let go of me! What's going on!

[ He is wide-eyed but clearly unseeing. Though he capably hides it most of the time, in this moment he is obviously a blind man. ]

[devotedtothecore]

[ --damn, of course, that's why--

Either in surprise at the realization (of course you had to be actually blind to not see the abomination taking up half the sky), or because it's clear he has the other's attention, Chrys loosens his grip just enough-- he doesn't let go, but Break's more than able to pull free with a hard tug, if he tries to.

A glance behind at the turmoil, and back at Break. Clipped words tumble rapid-fire from his mouth, clear, concise, and tightly controlled. Determined. ]

I'm Chrysos, a Transport-- we're under attack. The United Earth is here, they've brought a great flying-- [ what to even call it--? ] --beast-machine with them, it's destroying this place-- all are fleeing, you need to as well, this instant.

[maddeninghatter]

[ In situations like this, when he can't use his senses to navigate, he can call on the power of his Chain, Mad Hatter to-- Except he can't. It's not responding. ]

Ah--

[ He'd foreseen some sort of attack. But he'd miscalculated, fatally. He'd felt somewhat reassured by the strength of his friends' powers; but he hadn't counted on the United Earth's ability to make something resembling a sealing stone. Without their powers, Gilbert is just a young man with a gun, Collette a girl in a wheelchair, and Oz--

Oz! ]

No, I've got to--!

[ Find them! But how? If they were using their powers, he could sense them. But like this, in this madness, blind, he is helpless to find anybody.

Helpless. He needs help. ]

You, Chrysos! I'm looking for Oz Vessalius, do you know him?

[devotedtothecore]

[ "Oz Vessalius". There's only one Oz he knows of, knows, and brings to mind a smiling face across a cafe table barely two weeks ago. Chrys casts another look at the crowd even as he answers, gambling on it. ]

Blonde short-hair, green-eyed, roughly fourteen or fifteen-- correct? I know him.

[ And it's not hard to guess, from the look on Break's face and his tone, how much he's likely to want to look for him. ]

I'll search for him-- but you've got to move, this whole pavilion is collapsing as we speak!

i

[crocodilesmiles]

Break!

( Collette's voice is chipper, her wheels on the courtyard ground silent compared to the sound of the feet moving around her; her chair is in excellent condition, and whoever took care to prepare this outdoor venue went above and beyond expectation. Indoors might not be the same... but she's hardly had the chance to explore in there so far. )

Did you know there's a whole bunch of little tarts on the table?

( She sounds conspitatorial; she knows Gilbert has him on the no-sweets diet, as a punishment that mostly makes her laugh. Even if she is glad he's eating healthier.

It's also Break who doesn't need to know she's dressed up for this, in an outfit reminiscent of home in a way most people wouldn't identify as American. Indian traditions, and Indian clothing, were not popular in the collect media consciousness as a whole by and large. (Their loss!) )

[maddeninghatter]

[ He has been trying to keep track of Collette also, but she certainly isn't making it easy with her silent-running wheelchair. He's glad she has taken the initiative to speak to him. He smiles into his teacup and murmurs: ]

Are you here to rub it in - or slip me a few of them, hm?

[crocodilesmiles]

I'm still deciding.

( She says, with a great air of contemplation to her tone of voice. )

Got any great logic to sway me either way?

[maddeninghatter]

My goodness.

[ He sets his teacup aside. Breaking at the waist, he bows low, enough so that his forehead bumps against hers. His poufy white hair might even tickle. ]

Are you going to make me beg? Tut tut! You naughty girl.

[crocodilesmiles]

( She giggles, hands coming up to brush at his hair on either side of his head. )

A simple please would do!

( She says, one hand dropping back down to a plate on her lap. )

Say aaah!

ii

[anklets]

[Not hardly. With nerves worn paper-thin, Lenalee's usual wariness towards all things haunted and ghostly has become anxiety hovering just beneath the surface; despite her (many) reservations, she has crept into these dilapidated halls (because that is what Exorcists do: they investigate the underbelly), and when Break pops out, this girl

sees white first and...

well, swings second.

Asking questions is in a whooole 'nuther ballpark.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ He'd heard Lenalee's distinctive step and so rather than say hello like a civilized person... ]

Hi hiiii--OOF!

[ Well. That was either gross miscalculation or a little bit of nostalgia. Possibly both. Anyway, he's down on the ground, making ignominious-sounding noises. ]

[anklets]

[ ...oh

it's you ]

What are you doing?!

[maddeninghatter]

What am I doing? I could ask you the same question.

[ Finally he manages to pick himself up and dust himself off. A spider ambles across his shoulder and leaps off; he doesn't notice it, fortunately. ]

You could hurt somebody with those, honestlyyyyy~!

[ Those meaning her fists. Of doom. Or her feet. He's still not quite sure what hit him, only that it was dangerous. ]