Fantasy Magic Brew Cafè (CLOSED)

[Elfia Nightwing]

"Sometimes...In my dreams..."Ellie admitted, looking down. "Sometimes outside my dreams to..." she whimpered. "Sometimes...It's more like screaming...Telling me you're not safe, that were going lose," she cried, gripping her head. Ellie frowned, staring down at her feet, "I-I know she's just trying to help but...Sometimes...She's scary..." Ellie whimpered.

 

[Cryobionic]

"Not if you want to keep your nose." Vincent deadpanned, looking back at Raya, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly before turning back to the matter at hand. "Have you tried telling the forgotten lady to shut up? To leave you alone?" He asked, leaning against the wall with a frown, his mind racing.

 

[DestinyRed]

"If you dare touch my nose you will find youself without hair." She murmured then knitted her brows together then raised a finger and pointed at herself, "Dreams! I can do those thingies!" She announced, not sure if that would help or not, "I could... I don't know what that would do actually."

 

[Elfia Nightwing]

"I can't do that! She's a important person in history!!!" Ellie squeaked, looking at Vinny with shock on her face. "That would be extremely disrespectful!!!"She screeched, She gave the group a weak smile,"I'll be fine, I'm learning to block her out," Ellie giggled nervously.

 

[Cryobionic]

"She is also tormenting you, which is almost twice as disrespectful, Ellie." Vincent said dryly, crossing his arms over his chest, "Or in my book it is, at least." He muttered under his breath, looking up at the jar of Soul Fire, deep in thought. "What do you mean you can 'do dreams'?" He asked suddenly, looking over at the blue haired protector, trying to think of a time where she might have mentioned something like that.

 

[DestinyRed]

Raya tilted her head, "Um, I can do this." She said tp Vincebt, then walked over to were Ollie was and poked his forehead, suddenly closing her own eyes and falling to the floor. She always forgot a chair when she did that... What she saw wasn't the nicest dream, it was a dream born of fear. He was walking, the setting was foggy in the dream but she could make out the trees faint and foggy outline. He was walking then he suddenly stopped and two dark wings appeared sending a burst of darkness around them. Apparently this dream didn't want to be direct, she shrugged as the scenery changed to a dungeon. There were three figures there, but only one of them had a face, the lady was bad. Raya knew it to, just by the look in her eyes. The lady grabbed Oliver. Then omething happened, to quick for her eyes to see.


Suddenly the scenery changed again and she saw what happened Crystal clear. Oliver was in the Cafe and launching himself at Ellie before- Raya yanked herself out of the dream with an actual scream. She didn't care if he was probably going to kill her for this but Raya knew that dream would be toture if she let it go on. He was dreaming about would of happened if he hadn't been stopped, so, she grabbed his shoulders and shook, "Wakeup! Wake the hell up!"

 

[Cryobionic]

A searing, excruciating pain shot up his arm, spreading over his chest and into his mind, making the imps entire body tense up and beads of sweat appear on his forehead. His tail was hitting against the the floor in protest, thumping against the woodworks in an uneven, sporadic rhythm. Yellow eyes flew open, a high pitched whine resonating through the cafe as Oliver pulled away from the protectors grip, his eyes wide and wild, one hand reaching up to clutch the unnatural bump on his left shoulder.


The imp scooted away on his butt, not stopping until he felt his back collide with the far-side wall, and looked up at the group in shock, his damp bangs hanging over his eyes, casting shadows over his ashen face like a partially overclouded moon.


Oliver's eyes flew from one person to the next, taking in their faces, trying to root himself in reality. He tried reaching up to clutch his head, but found his left arm unwilling to cooperate, the limb setting his nerves on fire in protest of the disturbance. The imp exhaled slowly, quickly recognizing the signs of his dislocated shoulder. With a soft whimper he clenched his teeth together and shoved his left elbow between his knees, squeezed his eyes shut and quickly twisted his body away from it, causing a loud, sickening popping sound to ring throughout the cafe.


Oliver fell back against the wall clutching his now fixed arm, breathing heavily through chapped lips as his gaze once more returned to the group.

 

[thistle]

Quincy’s offhand comment about his blood’s abilities caused Jun’s brain to stir, announcing an idea that had been a reoccurring thought as of late.


Jun, on a regular basis, was one who preferred to avoid conflict if possible, opting for a passive alternative to dissolve heated arguments. Likewise this trait was reflected in his fighting style. He relied on stealth and agility to maneuver through a fight, settling on evasive tactic and wit to brute force. Physical touch was also limited, as he tended to use it to deflect blows or as a finishing move, knocking opponents unconscious with just a moment’s concentration.


But with the war approaching and the enemies growing more bold, Jun had finally concluded his style required modifications. His swiftness only lasted as long as his stamina, and though he had enough to last him some time, it was not unlimited. There was also the risk of multiple enemies, or the presence of an ally at the time; if they required aide, how long could he redirect their attacks until they finally offed himself or his friend? The presence of weaponry reduced survival even further.


For that very reason Jun had been contemplating on how to harness the use of his blood. It was a resourceful tool, and its destructive properties could easily be capitalized upon. The only issue was finding a way to contain it.


He fingered the material thoughtfully, rubbing the fabric between his fingers, wondering if it were possible to obtain more. Vincent had made trips to the underground market in the past, and once he returned to the cafe, Jun considered asking the demon if spools of the supernatural spider silk were available for purchase. Or perhaps Ellie or Akira had some spell on hand that was powerful enough to withstand his blood’s caustic abilities.


The silence that lulled between them drew the pair into an awkward stalemate. What had previously held intensity and profound confusion for either party before, was now replaced with mutual uncertainty. Seeing as their encounter no longer hazarded danger, or at least any prominent signs of it, Jun carefully extended an offer. “There is a chance,” Jun said, speaking slowly, “that we can remember what happened to us. A wisp told me. It’s nothing difficult – more draining than anything – but I’ve found myself slowly regaining my memories because of it. Perhaps if you’re there as well, you might remember too.”


There was no surety that it would work, and to some degree the proposal sounded far-fetched even to his own ears, especially since Quincy had admitted to remembering practically nothing. But this unveiling of his past had cost Jun dearly already, a mental endeavor that none of those at the café would understand, or at least not as well now that Quincy had come into existence.


Jun straightened from the ground. “I’ll return this, like I promised,” he said, hinting his withdrawal for now, “but if you’d like to…be there during the process…” Jun quieted, wondering if this was the right decision. “How will I find you after this?”


@Cryobionic

 

[Cryobionic]

"A wisp, you say?" Quincy repeated in a quiet murmur, his red eyes narrowing slightly in demented bemusement, his thoughts drifting off to the only wisp he knew of, and said wisps odd behavior during their last conversation. The nightmare hummed softly under his breath. A situation in which should have gained more answers, left him with only more unanswered questions, more curiosity about the entire matter at hand. It was positively... frustrating.


And yet, at the same time, Quincy couldn't help but feel an odd twinge of excitement about it all, like a child learning how to walk, the frustration and seemingly endless forestalling of such a feat vastly outdone by the reward at the end. "I suppose it is worth a try, hm?" He finally said, his gaze rising to lock with his brothers golden stare, his head tilting to the side, accompanied by a manic grin, "It's strange, I've never been very interested in my origins until now."


Which was a very true statement. Quincy had never bothered thinking very deeply about where he might have come from, or how he might have been made. Ever since he had opened his eyes for the first time, his mind had been too bombarded by distorted images and confusing sounds, his body in too much pain for him to actually take a step back and ponder about the origins of his creation.


And then he had embarked on making himself known within the underworld, and had been too busy to actually care. But... for some indeterminable reason, this wasn't the case any longer. Ever since he had been in the presence of his twin, the voices that had previously occupied his mind had seemed to quiet down, the gray mist of madness which usually clouded over his thoughts, and scrambled them before he could even begin to think too deeply upon them, had been diminished into almost nothing.


Leaving him with that same, nearly forgotten need to find out just what it was that had happened all those years ago.


And with a mind to find out about it too.


The nightmare's eye twitched when Jun rose to his feet, his chest tightening in a strange manner, feeling almost completely constricted. Quincy looked down surprised, pressing one pale hand against the front of his purple shirt, a small, confused frown upon his face. It was almost the same feeling he would get if someone took something of his, like that one time when the clowns of the circus had decided to incorporate one of his hats into their act without telling him, or that time the soldiers of the dark lady's army had stolen his Minotaur. It was positively maddening.


And then it was gone, almost as quick as it had come. Quincy got up from the ground too, his hand dropping from his chest, deciding to just let it go and address his brothers next question. "If you dream about me," Quincy giggled, knowing full well how weird those words sounded, "I'll hear you. It's a rather practical system, that is. Easier to find feed that way, darling."


@thistle

 

[thistle]

Jun noticed the change take place in his twin’s expression once Vahl was mentioned. Although the transformation had been more subtle than usual, Jun had been a victim of that insanity before, dashed to the ground with clawed hands seized to his shirt. So when the shade saw the darkened mask take over, he backed away instinctively.


Even though Quincy was his brother, it didn’t dampen the well of caution he held for him. The fact that he had seemed to contemplate the presence of the wisp made Jun’s brow furrow in the slightest, questioning why Vahl's mention had seemed to affect him at all.


In that very moment, of all things, a memory from back at the castle was triggered, when he had hesitated at Ellie’s door after exploding at Akira’s servant. It was his current expression which had ignited the recall. The troubled mask was one he’d worn when those on the other side had returned only silence – and it was because of Quincy that Ellie and Raya had been unresponsive.


“One last thing,” Jun remembered. His lips felt dry then, and his gaze faltered, retreating to the damaged pavement where the tendrils of smoke had finally stopped curling in the air. “Those girls you attacked at the castle – you remember them, don’t you? I can’t guarantee anything unless you promise not to repeat what you did.”


It was a bold demand, very bold. There was no telling how Quincy would respond to it. Jun was ready to bolt from his spot once he saw the anger surface.


@Cryobionic

 

[Cryobionic]

One pale, perfectly shaped eyebrow ascended slowly at the request, his crimson eyes widening a little as something akin to disappointment flashed through them. Though Quincy's expression remained the same as he reached a hand up to tap against the scar on his cheekbone in thought.


"That is certainly... audacious of you, darling. Nearly bordering on admirable, really," He murmured dryly after a slight pause of hesitation, his nose scrunching up in obvious displeasure. Such a request, for him to refrain feeding off the fears of his chosen prey! It would have surely sent him into a whirlwind of laughter filled rage. Usually, he would not have hesitated taking a persons eyes out of their skull for even suggesting such a thing, drawing their torture out, making another meal out of their delicious, terrified screams for mercy.


And he would have done so without question.


Had the person behind the request been anybody else.


But as the situation stood now, a choice between the answers to his questions and finding another soul to prey upon, the decision was quite the simple one. And it annoyed him to no end.


"Oh, all right," He finally relented with an over dramatic sigh, waving a hand dismissively over his shoulder while his crimson eyes rolling in mock exasperation, "I promise I won't visit your... girls anymore. I'll leave them be." Quincy held out his unharmed hand, pinning Jun with an expectant look.


@thistle

 

[thistle]

His response unwound the tight spring of coils that had been building in his chest. It wasn't until Quincy struck a hand in the empty air between them that Jun felt his breath leave him in one wave of relief, stepping forward to return the grip.


As the space closed and their fingers brushed, it brought an aching sense of familiarity. Even then his nails had been painted, as Jun now confirmed that the hand stretching through the blinding light had belonged to Quincy's, trembling with desperation, finger tips scraping against the still void and not his own. Why Jun had been unable to grasp his hand in that instance of time and where Quincy had disappeared the second after was one question that continued to bite the edge of his mind.


The bond stitched between them was still fragile, and could easily break with one ill mannered comment. But for now it would suffice. Heat flowed from one pale palm to the other as Jun closed his fingers in a brief exchange. There was an oddness to the familial gesture, mainly because Jun would have never imagined shaking hands with Quincy ten minutes ago.


"Thank you," he repeated once more, not entirely knowing if words were necessary. Then, pulling away, Jun left, shrugging down the damaged sleeve of his coat, rotating the material over so the gaping holes would be hidden from prying eyes.

 

[Cryobionic]

As he watched his twins retreating form, Quincy wrapped the fingers of his right hand around his left, trying to stop it from twitching. As their hands had touched, a strong, almost overwhelming feeling had gripped him so suddenly, it had been all he could do to refrain from ripping his hand away. It hadn't been a bad feeling, really, but an unfamiliar one.


Quincy didn't have many feelings he could positively name, but he knew of the basic ones. Like anger, hunger, giddiness, happiness and betrayal. And the feeling he had gotten when Jun's fingers wrapped around his had felt like a perfectly demented blend of all of those. It left Quincy wide-eyed, and a little more than confused.


The nightmare watched as his twin walked further and further away, until he finally turned a corner, slowly disappearing behind the clock tower and out of sight.


And that was when the fog of madness came back in full force.


The nightmare's fists clenched painfully, his blood-covered nails nearly digging into the skin of his palms as his left eye began twitching sporadically, and a twisted grin began to stretch his way across his pale face. He could feel himself begin to crack up, giggles bubbling up from within his chest before finally erupting from his mouth in the form of a high pitched laughter which left him hunched over, shoulders shaking.


Had there been anybody around, they might have questioned why there was a white haired, wounded boy nearly falling over in laughter among the Christmas trees, and perhaps why that laughter sounded as far from joyous as one could come, but there wasn't.


Quincy cupped both his cheeks, caring little for the blood that was surely now going to cling to his pale face, and twisted his body around in an effort to clear his mind once more. To regain that coherent state of mind which had gripped him the moment he had bumped into his brother.


But it wouldn't come.


No matter how hard he tried to find that clarity, it seemed to evade him. Like trying to press two magnets against one another, it felt absolutely impossible at this point. The nightmare breathed in harshly, trying to get his laughter under control, before straightening up, wobbling a little unsteadily in the process. It was no use, the sanity he had discovered while in the presence of Jun had completely left him.


Quincy began to softly hum the familiar tune of the circus melody under his breath, before he turned around swiftly, blinked a couple of times and began dancing in the opposite direction of his brother.

 

[DestinyRed]

"Oliver!" Raya shrieked, ignoring Ellie and Vincent behind her, "Who the heck was that!?" she asked in a panicked tone. She wasn't exactly sure what she was feeling at the moment. Scared? Angry? Frustrated? Confused? It was basically a mixture of all of them. Raya had watched Oliver's dream, so Oliver would've known she was there, "W-was that what happened earlier?" she whispered, her eyes the size of saucers.

 

[Cryobionic]

"Haven't you ever heard of inside voices?" Oliver joked weakly to try and deflect her question, his voice faint and raspy, his throat dry. He figured he had been screaming too much for his voice to work properly, which was rather disturbing thought, he realized quickly. In truth, Oliver wanted nothing else than to ignore her shrill, questioning voice and go back to sleep. At least now that he knew it had all been a dream, and that Ellie wasn't about to succumb to the force of his hands around her throat.


At the thought of the witch, the imp stole a glance upwards, his yellow eyes connecting with the Ellie's deep blue ones for only a moment before he was forced to look away, too ashamed to even look at her for too long. Oliver brought one rainbow covered sleeve up to his mouth and tried to drag away the taste of... the dark lady's blood. It wasn't working.

 

[thistle]

He was no tactician by any means, as Vahl continued to scan the array of illustrations scattered across the weather worn table, but it did not stop the wisp from resting a finger on one of the maps, singling it out from the rest. The parchment was decorated in charcoal slashes and other significant markings, and it made the soldier accompanying him shift with unrest.


“You're pushing your luck if you continue to shift our forces Northward," he told the captain standing opposite from him, a look of poorly concealed disgust on the harpy's face. The emerald feathers of his wings - the only stunning detail of the creature's otherwise overly sharp features - bristled at the comment. Vahl pretended not to notice. "Pretty soon those lands will be encroached upon by our soldiers, which wouldn't be a problem if it didn't border near the mountains. Giants slumber there, I have seen them before." The harpy prickled further when Vahl stabbed the map, drawing an invisible line over a patchwork of repeating triangles. His finger nearly fell off the end of the scheme as he finished tracing. "There are many of them and where we are located currently is just in touching distance of their lands. Abaddon makes enough fuss within that area as it is, but if you continue to shove the army in that direction, then those giants will be upon us before this war even begins.”


Expansion of Serathi’s domain wasn’t entirely bad per say - in fact it was necessary now that the troops numbered a little over five hundred. But as the army had swelled in size, so too had the the training grounds, the diminishing of supplies, and also the number of tents and shelters to accommodate basic necessity. Those who took flight preferred to roost in the tops of trees, but they only occupied two fifths of the army.


The rest of the majority that were grounded resided in makeshift huts or hollowed pits of the earth, hills of upturned dirt littering the plains.It promised all the makings of a war as intended, but It was a disastrous sight. If there was any order that existed it was within the training fields, where stark fear, as enforced by Quincy’s orchestrations, commanded obedience and subjugation. Though the nightmare was baffling at most times, his abilities as a general were unquestioning.


As of right now, the said general's current whereabouts was beyond Vahl’s knowing. The last he had seen of Quincy was watching him swing from branch to branch earlier this morning, retreating from the grounds and into the forest, using the infected, yellow limbs as though they were a set of gnarled monkey bars. When one of them had snapped in irritation, splintering in the mare’s hands on the upswing, he had simply tucked both legs and arms to his chest, hit the floor at a roll and traded his mode of transportation for cartwheels.


"At the very least, you should stop stealing from them," Vahl remarked curtly, and the harpy replied with an expression of bewilderment. "The elves, the ones you've captured as slaves. You've been using them to supply the armory and keep the stocks fattened, but if you continue to have them carve out the mountainside, then it'll end in consequences." Elves, whom were closely tied to the earth, were capable of reconstructing nature for their own uses; the supple arm of a tree branch could easily be shaped into that of a hunter's bow just as a patch of forest moss could be spun into a summer hat. As of late, those abilities had been capitalized upon to reconstruct settlements and fashion weapons. The mountains which acted as a backdrop to the mansion were unexpectedly full of obsidian, and little time had been wasted in shipping off a cartload of elves to harvest the stone.


The captain, who was in no mood to be lectured by Serathi's plaything any further, stalked around the other side of the table and advanced on the wisp. "Anything else you'd like to inform me on?" the birdman grated, fists clenched by his side and the veins of his arm standing out like iron cords. His wings, easily twice the length of Vahl's height, flexed in warning, feathers wide and flared. With his back turned to the woods, the harpy missed the glint of light that winked from the cover of the woods, sending Vahl's head to tip imperceptibly to the side.


"Why yes," said Vahl, sounding enlightened by the offer as the light oriented slowly in their direction."Now you'll understand why you shouldn't have enslaved the elves."


A split second of confusion fell across the captain's face, then the beginning of rage as the mask of a terrible snarl started to form, preparing to spew insult. The harpy's head jerked forward instead as if an invisible hand had swatted the back of his head in disapproval. But his eyes were too wide for it to be appropriate, and the wisp leaned forward in mock interest, looking as inquisitive as a child.


Reflected in the afternoon night and shining with fresh blood protruded an arrow from the man's neck, its steel head having punched straight through his Adam's apple. He gurgled, grasping feebly at the object with spasming fingers, then his eyes rolled back into his head. "As I said," the wisp repeated tonelessly, his lips pulled up at the edges as he took a single step backwards and let the body drop lifelessly to the floor, "there'll only be consequences."


From the tree line a hail of arrows streaked across the sky, and a blood fill cry sounded as figures robed in sleek, silvered metal flew from the forest, swords flashing. It was the elves, come to take back their kin.

 

[Elfia Nightwing]

" M-my lady... There is a situation," A broad shouldered hunter stuttered, kneeling down to the ground as he stared at the plush carpet, avoiding any or all contact sith the demoness." Situation?... What kind of situation?" The demon hissed, her red eyes narrowing in annoyance." The elves... Have started attacking, they plan to take back the prisoners m'lady," the hunter said carefully.


Serathi who had been pouring a glass of red wime, shattered the chalice, spilling it's contents all over the floor. " I told that idiot he was playing with fire," Serathi hissed, stalking out off her room, the black, lace embrodered dress she had changed into, billowing around her as she stepped outside, a group of hunters now following her." Rally what ever troops are left and prepare to defend," She intructed, walking over to the wisp who was standing on a high place, staring down at the chaos." My lady, shouldn't we realise Abbadon?" A hunter asked, shying away when he saw the demon glare at him.


" abbadon will destroy both the wlves and our army if we let him out now," she simple said, glaring at the men." What are you waiting for?! Go!!" She screeched, sending the men id deferent directions, yelling at her army. " what's the damage?" She finally asked the wisp, staring down at the carnage.

 

[Cryobionic]

"Honestly," An over dramatic voice called out, quickly followed my a sigh of exasperation as Quincy approached the grounds slowly, "I leave for one day, and the manor gets attacked?" The statement was followed by a giggle, the sound of it growing ever closer as the nightmare came to a halt beside the group. His crimson eyes glanced down at his dead captain, a pale eyebrow rising in slight amusement.


"Pity," He murmured softly, nudging the harpy's leg with his bare foot, "I rather liked that man, a fun thing to tease, really." The white-haired terror leaned down and swiftly yanked the arrow out of the mans neck, bringing it up to his face for closer examination. It was expertly made, the body entwined with detailed inscriptions that flared up with light at his touch. Quincy dropped the arrow to the ground in disgust, it's wooden form clattering against the graveled floor.


"I do so hate elven enchantments," He muttered, looking up at the the demon and the wisp, a sneer of displeasure clear on his face as he stretched out his fingers, trying to get rid of the cribbing sensation that had shot up his arm, setting his newly acquired wound aflame, "They don't sit right with me for some reason. Belial only knows why."


The nightmare sighed softly, before walking over to the dark lady, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at her expectantly, awaiting the order he was sure was about to come. It had been quite the hassle to make his way back to the manor without being spotted by the enemy, and he nearly had, when he had mistakenly tred on a loose pile of dried up autumn leaves. He blamed it on the circumstances, his mind was too occupied to focus properly, perhaps, but it still did not make it any less annoying.

 

[thistle]

"You don't wish to see the damage first hand?" Vahl asked, not glancing up at the demoness's approach, black lace entering his peripheral. There were more elves than expected as a line of them raced into the encampment, catching many of the soldier's off guard. Those on the exterior end of the encampment were left with little mercy as honed steel sliced into unarmored bodies, many of underworld beings still wrestling down panic and confusion as they tried to comprehend the situation.


Another pair of foot steps joined them as Quincy appeared by Serathi's shoulders, leaving Vahl somewhat surprised he didn't simply jump into the fray himself. "They've attacked from the eastern end of our encampment, which was a wise choice on their end. Many of the soldiers there are still new." Vahl inclined his head toward the mountain range. "And I'm sure half their squad is headed to the mining camp as we speak." The wisp stepped close to the edge, dusting off his pants and looking completely untroubled. A a fleeting glance was sent to the pair as Vahl spoke over his shoulder. "This'll be exciting, won't it?" Then he dropped from the cliff side, plummeting through the thermals and into the tree line.

 

[Elfia Nightwing]

Serathi's eyes narrowed, as she pinched the bridge of her nose." Just...do what ever it takes," she hissed, waving off Quincy as she glared down at the horrible dispplay from her army." Where the hell is that dark fae?!" She hissed, the grass around her turning black.

 

[Cryobionic]

A smirk made it's way across the nightmares pale features as his blood red eyes flashed with excitement at the prospect, "Whatever it takes, hm?" He purred, his smirk being quickly replaced by a disturbing grin. Quincy leaned down to the dead captain once more, his nimble fingers wrapping themselves around the wooden handle of the mans weapon. A swift pull had it dislodged from it's hold, and the nightmare let loose a giggle as he spun around, twirled the spear and raced over to the encampments in a flurry of movement.


"Look alive, my lovelies!" He called out as he came close enough, startling the already panicked soldiers badly, as they all turned as one to stare at their strangely demented general. Quincy placed the spear into the ground, using it to flip himself up into the air. His white locks flew around him as he landed silently on top of the chest of one of the fallen soldiers, his cribbage caving in slightly at the pressure. He watched the rest in and almost childlike glee, his grin a little too wide to be natural. The nightmare raised his spear, using it to point to each of the individual soldiers now gathered around.


"We are being attacked." He deadpanned, his words unnecessary, as proven by some quiet murmurs from the crowds, "And while that is all fun and exciting, the dark lady has ordered you all to put an end to it." This time the murmurs rose in volume, some yells of protests even coming through. Quincy ignored them, his grin only growing wider, "And if you fail," He whispered, red eyes flashing in deranged ecstasy at the thought of what he was planning next, his words coming out in a quiet purr "The circus is always open to new arrivals."


The words, even though whispered, were heard by all. A strange sense of absolute fear began to lace the soldiers minds as they scrambled for their weapons. Quincy smirked as he watched them, his body twisting to spin around on top of the fallen, his spear whipping around him as he laughed with glee.


"Ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted, directing the tip of his spear towards the advancing elves, "Boys and girls!" An arrow shot out, straying past his cheek and pierced itself into one of the trees behind them, "Children off all ages..."

 

[DestinyRed]

"Inside voices? Yes I've heard of them." she said, "I just don't use one." she quickly noted that Oliver had a bad taste in his mouth when he brought his sweater to his mouth, which confused her but she stood up and went to get the imp a drink. For anyone else she would have grabbed water, but considering Oliver was Oliver she just snatched a bottle every type of alcohol she could find and placed them in front of him, "Pick your poison."


She was hoping that if he was slightly influenced by alcohol he'd spill the beans about his dream. Feeling like she could go for a little herself Raya grabbed a random bottle, popped of the top and took a sip, quickly placing it back on the floor and coughing into her arm, "What the hell was that?!"

 

[thistle]

Metal as thin as slivered glass cut through the air, the honed edge well prepared to bite through skin and bone, but Vahl touched the flat surface of the blade and changed its course. The slight amount of pressure caused the weapon to slip through open space as the wisp danced aside, enjoying the look of frustration that crossed the elven warrior's face. She struck out again, a wide blow that sent him retreating back, then proceeded to sweep her blade upward, advancing upon him with quick, short steps. Dust kicked up between the two of them, one surging forward, the other stepping backwards lightly until his back hit a tree, catching him by surprise.


Feeling heady with excitement, Vahl evaded at the last second, hearing as the blade lashed out, a pair of fresh divots making the wood weep amber tears. She held the sword with both hands, silver eyes jaded with unchecked malice as her pale white fingers gripped just above the pommel. The woman struck downward and Vahl moved at the same time, catching both hands by the wrists and smiling sweetly down at her. He had a feeling she would have bit him if he neared his face any closer, and before her metal clad boot could whip out, the wisp's fingers tightened with an iron grip.


The elf bit her bottom lip, wincing visibly, but refused to cry out as he grated the fine bones of her wrist together. She struggled, and Vahl's hold intensified. Then, with an audible crunch, he pulverized ivory bands of her wrists, finally hearing a muffled sound of agony escape her. As he released her, the wisp took a step forward, swiveled on the ball of his foot, cranked his hip around, followed by his leg, and sent the force slamming into her midsection as the kick made contact.


It bowed her body inward, then she hit the ground hard and stilled. Shouts rang across the field, and Vahl spared a glance over his shoulder, spotting the nightmare general wield the staff with deadly precision, a mere blur as he whipped it around and sent it crashing into the helm of the enemy. Serathi's forces had seemed to collect themselves after a split second of pandemonium, putting into practice what they learned, using talons and claws and any means of weaponry to drive the enemy back.


So far the field appeared balanced. Although notably fewer, the elves were polished warriors who conducted themselves with formidable deadliness. They hacked through the hellish fiends as though they were wheat, despite the soldier's attempts to hold them back. He felt the air shift behind him, and Vahl whirled around to avoid the elven blade by a hair, an expression of delight arriving back on his face.


Unwavering, the wisp broke the kneecap of his attacker, then before the elf had time to fall, Vahl ripped the blade from his hand and sheared his companion down the middle. Then he buried it in the first soldier's back, twisting the vicious blow with almost a casual air.

 

[Cryobionic]

The imp nearly flung himself at the bottles, but managed to restrain himself just in time. It wouldn't do to shake up his arm or his ribs until the morning, when they'd healed, else he might risk actually permanently damaging them. So with a small, nearly unintelligible murmur of gratitude, he reached for the half full bottle of gin, thinking it to be the best choice at the moment.


Downing a few gulps of the strong liquid quickly brought a sense of warmth to his body, calming his shaking nerves enough to at least make his hands stop trembling and made the him lean back against the wall in exhaustion. He soon looked up at Raya's insistent questioning, though, and slowly raised one, dark eyebrow. "Have it maybe occurred to you," He rasped out silently, before taking another swig of the bottle to try and clear his throat, "That I may not want to talk about it?"


The dead almost uncaring tone in his voice surprised even him, and although it didn't show, a small twinge of guilt flashed through his chest as soon as the words had left his mouth.

 

[thistle]

In a daze, Jun pushed through the entrance of the cafe, lost in thought, expecting to find solace in the quiet happenings of the building. But instead what met him and sent his brows turning upward in slight appall was the nauseating smell of sickness. It was the same odor that had assuaged his senses when Ellie had grown sick in the backroom, tossing up the contents of her alcohol indulged revelry the night before. There was something else to the smell as well as Jun hurried inside, eyes averting the direction where the smell came from. It almost smelled like iron.


He peeked beneath the edge of his pinky, and when he saw the floor was unstained, Jun lifted a cautious hand and found Oliver and Raya sprawled along the floor. Currently there was a look of disgust on Raya's face as if the bottle she held had spat an insult at her, while Oliver, clutching his own alcohol companion, was visibly more reserved than usual. The imp's expression was empty, which made Jun balk and momentarily forget about his recent encounter.


Shoving the tattered ends of his jacket into a pocket the shade, after cracking open all four windows as he passed, approached the pair. How in the world they had managed to accumulate this many bottles of alcohol when Vincent was just at the counter was beyond him. His eyes rested on Ellie for a moment, then Luke and Akira who remained near the back of the cafe. It was a very sullen atmosphere that it changed the feel of the building entirely.


"Everything alright?" he finally asked to no one in particular, settling beneath his awning of hydrangeas that looked particularly limp today. "Has something happened?"