Fractured Realms

Who: Much, Sky and JJ (OPEN, tag for Mark)
Where: Sister of Mercy Hospital, Detroit
When: After this
What: Recovery

Much groaned as consciousness came back to her in a more solid form than it had been in the past hour or so. They had moved her from the emergency room in that time to a private room and, as her vision re-focused almost painfully, the morphine in her system still making her numb and a bit nauseous, she saw Skye lying in the bed beside her, looking the worse for wear with bruises all about her face and arms. She wondered how she herself must look and, glancing down at her leg, groaned again as she recalled her injury.

And then the tears came, thick and hot, rolling down her cheeks like a torrent. Skye looked away and Much could not see if she had joined in, but she doubted it; Skye had her own way of grieving, and surely what had happened must have hit a whole different and unique set of nerves for the girl. How much of what Will had done to her had been him, and what had been the Darkness? Even much herself wondered it. Doctors came in and out; they spoke with Skye about something at length and, when Much could finally see past one of them, she gasped aloud at the chart, a sonogram one of the men held.

"Don't say anything," Skye implored her hoarsely, "especially not to my brother. I'm not keeping..." But, as if he were summoned by the mention, JJ appeared, his angelic face crumpled with fear and anxiety. He ran to his sister's bed and it was at least ten minutes until he could be appeased that she would live and was in fine health.

Who: Laila, Morgana and Schuttmann
Where: Laila's penthouse, NYC
When: Mid-afternoon, after this
What: Erik is introduced to his charge

Laila moved agitatedly through her lavish penthouse apartment, often stopping to gaze out the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows in the sunken living room out onto the canopy of green that was Central Park this time of year. LeFaye's call had been frustratingly vague, but Laila had heard enough of it to get the gist: she was leaving again (this in of itself rubbed Laila the wrong way, as she'd taken a trip to L.A. without even an escort, a fact for which LeFaye had been appropriately contrite about and now, Laila guessed sought to overcompensate for) and wanted to leave her with a babysitter!

Her face seemed set in a permanent scowl, her stomach doing flip-flips; she didn't like receiving unknown or unexpected visitors. And she hated, above all else, being patronized. She wished Yancy were there; he'd know what to do or say to make her laugh, to ease her jangled nerves. She paused by the aquarium, glancing at it, listening to the soothing sounds of the water moving as she tried to take deep breaths. This would be fine, she told herself; if she was really bothered, she'd just call Mobie to chase him away or something!

She looked up when she heard the elevator approaching, trying not to betray her uneasiness or urge to scream and then vomit.

Who: Jane (OPEN)
Where: Las Vegas
When: A week or so after Rodney and Anika's wedding
What: What happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Vegas

( Cut for length )

Who: Morgana and Schuttmann
Where: NYPD HQ, NYC
When: Mid-afternoon
What: Morgana attempts to recruit a bodyguard for one of her most valued clients

Morgana was beginning to see the virtues in being sweet little Anna LeFaye as opposed to the imposing and stern Morgan; while her power suits used to command attention, her new body and the wardrobe she was required to wear in keeping with her appearance was decidedly less intimidating and, though she thought she'd miss it, she found that people responded on occasion with equal enthusiasm to do her desire. That didn't mean she could bear to look at herself in the mirror, seeing Nimue's cold gray eyes staring back at her.

No one paid her much attention was she strolled purposely into the station. She'd left Laila alone once, while she had her own concerns to look after, and what did the girl do but get herself involved with one of the Fairytale Murderer's many victims. Laila was setting new standards for danger prone, and Anna couldn't help but admit a fondness for her as well as a newly felt culpability for her ultimate fate, especially should it come at the hands of Mordred. She shook her head as she sighed, her loose red curls bouncing about her shoulders. With Mordred, with renewed purpose of hatred, dogging her heels, it just wouldn't be safe to abandon her as she had done before. Which meant manipulating one of these sorry saps into babysitting.

She considered her usual go-to men; though none would know her new appearance, they would certainly listen to any relation of the powerful woman they had once hidden and changed evidence for. But none of them had been able to help those poor De Verre girls or that repulsive little midget and so why should she trust one of her prized possessions to them. No, it'd have to be someone involved in the investigation, especially if the bait was to be taken. Of course, she'd leave out the tiny little detail that she was more worried about an attack from her own son than that little fool of a piper--right before she herself turned tail and ran because she was all too aware of the pattern in the killings, and how much of a target she was.

"Detective Schuttmann, please," she asked, sweetly pursing her lips, at the front desk.

Who: Will, Much and Skye
Where: Parking lot, Will's motel, Detroit
When: A day or two after this
What: The Darkness finds its mark and chips away once more at the foundations that support the Merry Men...

( Cut for much heartache and an unexpected goodbye )

Who: Silvio and Krissy
Where: just outside the Detroit portal
When: a month (Realms-time) after this
What: Silvio needs to get out of the Realms

Elías had stepped in instantly, banishing the panicking counselors before they could do more harm. Jessika had already withdrawn behind the Mother Superior and the priest had picked up his rosary to keep his hands busy. The foreign prince had quickly assessed the situation, arranged for the quiet transportation of Jessika to the convent with impending plans for her return to her kingdom, and sent messengers to her father to explain the need to preserve their alliance despite the annulment. In fact, Silvio had felt almost useless as he watched the young man gather the pieces of his life and try to rearrange them into some semblance of control. He had finally snapped out of his haze when the other man took him by the shoulders and said softly, "We'll send Sabina with Jessika for her return, perhaps one of the monks. Eliana can handle matters back home."

There had been the unspoken permission for Silvio to flee. It hardly seemed to be in question that he would. He didn't stop until he came to an old hedgewitch's cabin. There he exchanged some gold for a night's stay and directions to Krissy which involved a rather nasty sounding portal. He didn't care, even when he came up choking through the sand. He'd pushed himself a little too hard on this journey but he wasn't going to give up now. He needed someone to talk to, someone who didn't see him as a king, and really the only person he wanted to see right now was Kris. Beany, for all her kindness, had felt very torn now that her little matchmaking enterprise had ended so badly and they both wanted some space from each other. So here he was, pounding on Krissy's door, worn and dirty, looking for a place to hide from his life for just awhile.

Who: Ambrose, Mina, and open
Where: Starlights set
When: just before the interview
What: Mina on Starlights

"Murray-Harker," the gangly-twenty something with horn-rims prompted, staring at Ambrose impatiently.

"Love Bites, vampire erotic fiction, not a Stephanie Myer, much more in line with the classics," Ambrose rattled off as his make-up artist applied foundation to his face. "Personable, well-loved by fans, doing a signing tour for her latest. Biggest news is the acquired rights for her series which is still floating without a director."

"And the way we hear it, she's not interested in Rob Zombie picking up the project," the boy added, adjusting his glasses and scribbling furiously on his clipboard.

Ambrose snorted. The guy was probably paid to comb all the fan sites in preparation for these things. He wondered how much of that information the young man retained. He let the assistant ramble on for a bit more while he flipped through Yancy's script. At last he thanked his artist, told the kid to get him a soda just so he would stop hyperventilating around him, then moved his way to the green room.

Knocking twice on the door, Ambrose called out, "Mrs. Murray-Harker? Ambrose Pierce. Not trying to catch you off-guard or anything, I'd just like to talk before we go on camera." He felt a little stupid explaining his reasons to a door but he added anyways, "Keeps me from sounding like I swallowed my script, you know?"

Who: Kevin and Yasmine
When: Shortly after this
Where: The precinct in New York
What: Kevin has some things to talk about...

Kevin didn't want to think of it as "rushing" back to the office, even if that did pretty much sum it up. He took some chances in the traffic that he might not normally, if only because he knew he could get away with it. And he was in a hurry after all. Upon entering the office, he made a beeline for Yasmine's office, wanting to speak to her at once.

He asked an officer he passed (one of the few not on site with the latest murder), "she with anyone?"

"No, sir," was the quick answer, and the guy appeared to blanch when he considered whatever wrath Yasmine was about to face.

If you only knew, Kevin thought.

He let himself into her office without so much as a knock. He shut the door behind him, then turned back with his trench coat whirling like a veritable cape, and crossed to her desk. "We need to talk. Topic the first: I heard you had a conversation with Ambrose Pierce. I need to know what was said. Topic the second might get a little personal. But we'll get to that." He had braced himself against her desk, feeling his heart hammer at the sight of her and trying desperately to ignore it.

Who: Mark, Much, Will, Skye, and J.J.
Where: Much's apartment
When: after this
What: post-rescue decompression

Mark had decided to pick up host duties since he still wasn't sure what to say to any of their guests. It was a lot easier to make sure all the weapons were returned to their proper places and that everyone had something to drink instead of figuring out why the hell Will was beating his girlfriend or why Skye wanted to be with the guy who was with her sister or what J.J. knew about Robin. Stuffing his cloak in the safe, he sighed and wondered what they were going to tell Robin. Will had made it pretty clear without saying anything that he wasn't ready to face their fearsome leader just yet.

He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed himself a beer. Busying himself with opening it, he let himself decide by some subconscious process that it was Will's choice and he had done enough springing the guy from jail. He lingered in the kitchen doorway and watched Much. He was more of an honorary Merry Man; his bonds with the group ran deep because of the intensity of the lives they'd shared, not from growing up together as it was with most of the group's members. Taking a quick pull from the brew in his hand, he made his way over and asked, "Anyone need anything while I'm still up?"

Who: Silvio and Krissy
Where: mirror communication between the world
When: a few days (Realms-time) after this
What: collect call for Krissy Diomedes?

Troilus' messenger was slow in coming, at least, that was what Silvio growled when he heard news of what had happened in their nearby ally's kingdom. Sabina had questioned the poor man nearly to death, gathering the details beyond the written letter of Krissy's wild appearance as she walked through Ambrose's kingdom into the castle with the intention of killing her former lover. That and the revelation of an agent of Darkness in her company had put everyone in the kingdom buzzing. Jessika had only waited until their council had been sent out before she questioned her husband on the nature of his friend. His silences said more than his words.

He was startled when Jessika left the throne room and returned with a magician. "He says he can conjured a person through a mirror," she said simply, firmly, her dark eyes flashing with an understanding that troubled Silvio more than he cared to let on. The magic-user hesitated and clarified the nature of his powers but it was all one to Silvio and he found this proposed solution completely acceptable.

Jessika insisted that he use their bedroom instead of his study. "The windows are better shuttered here," was her only explanation as she moved him in front of the large mirror. The magician was uncertain how long the connection would last but he spelled the glass carefully and stepped back at last. The Queen motioned him from the room, letting Silvio know with a single nod that she intended to take care of the man's payment. Silvio only waited until they'd closed the door behind him. "Krissy Diomedes," he said clearly. The mirror fogged and he leaned towards it, his eyes flickering as he looked for her familiar features. Catching sight of her, he took hold of the mirror and called out more sharply, "Kris!" to get her attention.

Who: Ambrose (offer to Yancy)
Where: Yancy's office, Los Angeles
When: after this and this
What: his apology is way past due

He'd been turning Yasmine Moreau's business card over and over in his hand for the better part of an hour. After swinging by New York again to give Erik his file of stories, he'd thought about calling her as she'd suggested although he was definitely out of town. The forced six months of therapy had taken a stark contrast to his fly-by conversation with the Realms counselor. On some level, he had to admit to himself that talking had helped and that he still wasn't at peace with Rosamund's death. "Same old story there," he told himself in a muttered growl, shoving the card back into the detective novel. He'd read all of three pages today, his day off. He didn't need Ms. Moreau to tell him he had a much more immediate problem he was avoiding.

Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his keys off the table. He weaved his way in and out of L.A. traffic while he tried to figure out how he was going to apologize to Yancy for letting the F.B.I. know that he'd confessed about their cover story. He thought about explaining the letter he'd received from Willa expressing her concern about his recovery and telling him in a little detail about her son. Every way he thought of presenting his impulse to meet with the New York detective came off sounding like a forced line and he slammed the car door just to let out a little of his tension. Yancy was the one who made fake dialogue sound natural. Ambrose wished the guy could write him even a draft of a script for what he should say but that just wasn't how life went. It was his own fault for going back on his word. It took him a moment's pacing before he rapped on Yancy's door. "Face the music," he muttered under his breath, tapping his toe anxiously as he waited a reply.

Who: Chris and Jack (tag for Rodney)
Where: a tower, Rodney's castle, the Southern Kingdom
When: two days after this
What: it's not easy to understand

( Whatever Chris had done had made it a little easier for Jack to walk about the castle without Bella. )

Who: Kevin (Open)
Where: Warehouse district of NYC
When: Mid-Morning
What: Another day, another crime scene...

( Cut for length and a graphic crime scene... )

Who: Thora (tag for Jonas)
When: Night
Where: The streets of New York
What: Thora finds another "stray" on her way home...

It wasn't easy to convince Dan that she was safe walking home alone, especially with a killer on the loose, but Thora was quick to remind him of her powers. No one was going to try anything with her, or else she would go Storm on their asses. And while she was tempted to stay all night with Dan, she didn't want to ignore Pup and Dayna. Pup was especially on her mind lately with all he'd been through. Between Dan and work, she felt like he was ending up on the bottom of her list by default, and she certainly didn't want that. It might do him good to find her home in the morning, making waffles and bacon for him. Anything to cheer him up would be an improvement.

Even though New York should be terrifying to anyone with sense when it was this late, Thora couldn't help the skip in her step. Being with Dan had definitely changed her outlook for the better, and she only wish she could impart that feeling to everyone around her. Then again, when she'd been a sad sack and seen happy people, it hadn't made her feel anything but jealous. Being on the other side of that, she could finally see how petty those emotions had been. Yet she wouldn't be seeing it if not for Dan. The air seemed clearer, the stars ahead brighter even with the city lights nearly drowning them out.

Thora paused in mid-step when she heard curious noises across the street. When she caught sight of the source, her jaw dropped. "What in the hell...?"

Who: Natasha (open to the cops)
When: midday
Where: NYPD precinct
What: trying to get the story

Tasha walked into the precinct briskly. Her heels clicked against the marble floor. Her press badge was clipped onto her collar, making most of the uniformed officers avoid her. She came finally to the area in which the detectives had their desks. She walked up to one randomly and smiled brightly at the person behind it, "Good afternoon. I'm looking for Detective Coleman, please."

Who: Sam and a hobo
When: middle of the night
Where: Warehouse district of NYC
What: Sam claims another.

( Cut for Length and Implied Violence. Contents could be considered NSFW. )

OOC: Have fun, coppers.

Who: Yancy and Kevin (Tag for Thomas)
When: Afternoon
Where: Yancy's office, Los Angeles
What: The investigation continues...

( Cut for Length )

Who: Peter (Open)
Where: His apartment in Detroit
When: Morning
What: Old habits die hard...

( Cut for Length )

Who: Krissy, Troilus and Artemis (Tag for Robin)
When: Just before/during this
Where: Ambrose's Kingdom, the Realms
What: Krissy's confrontation

( Cut for length )

Who: Rozalina and Vlad
Where: Transylvania, the Realms
When: After this
What: Rozalina's plan for retreat doesn't go exactly as she had planned.

( Cut for length )