taleless npcs (talelessnpc) wrote in fableless, @ 2017-07-22 01:12:00 |
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Behind the Crystal Ballroom, out in the gardens, a portal opened. The sounds of the ball could be heard in the background, but it was just noise, and where the portal was it was quiet. Perhaps ten feet away, a woman’s high heels lay abandoned on the grass. Their owner stood, transfixed by what she saw. It was a view from the skies, looking down: to the right, a long beach, leading into the desert; to the left, the sparkling and dangerous blue-green of the sea. Over the sea there were birds — not seagulls but the massive, clawed rocs, their occasional caws mixed in the constant sound of the waves. And far in the distance there was a small outline of a city, from which somehow she imagined she could smell the rose water and hear the nightingales. Ana Abedini sighed, out of longing, out of relief. She grinned, out of excitement, out of fear. Then she dropped her purse and walked right through. As the Tale of Sinbad the Sailor made contact with its original world, the portal, previously no larger than a double door, began to glow at its edges — and expand. It rose, upwards and outwards, until some of the hedges were bisected by its growth. The owner of The Kitchen Sink had left behind a ledger, and on it was a debt. With her disappearance, Woodsbridge had just inherited a whole lot of bad luck. And the rocs, seeing a large aberration in the sky that hadn’t been there a moment before, drifted closer. For that evening, Fiona Lin had borrowed a young woman’s face. It was with this face, youthful and naive, her borrowed smile-- much too wicked and fevered for the round, gentle features this body offered. The opening to the other world-- their world, had stayed open. She paid no attention to Ana, who had decided to take the plunge. Willingly. And better yet, it wasn’t closing. She thought of Peter in those moments: how before his death, she had almost become happy that he hadn’t died the death she had set up for him; that she was glad to be with him, at the end of all things. And how now she stood here, alone, while some baby, who would one day have to reconcile with those memories, cried in Minnesota. The Glamoured woman looked through the windows of the Ballroom, towards the people who were unaware of what was happening before them, as they had been unaware of the Larger Picture throughout the last year. Through the tests and trials-- A screech came from through the portal. She turned quickly, just in time to see a flurry of feathers and talons ascend from the Portal. There was a scream-- a horrified scream that took her moments to realize that it was her own as the talons of a large bird gripped her sides, turned sharply, and swooped back into the Portal from whence it came. A TOTAL OF FIVE ROCS COME FLYING OUT OF THE PORTAL, Their bodies are as large as trucks, their wings even more expansive. The change in environment panics them, and each reacts in different ways. THE FIRST ROC SEES RED,, outlined around the first person its eyes fall onto: FIONA LIN, who witnesses will see as a petite, youthful looking blonde. THE SECOND ROC flies right into the large glass windows into the Crystal Ballroom — and they shatter. Glass flies everywhere over the dancing couples and socializing Tales, who until then had no idea anything was wrong. VOLUNTEER ONE sees the giant monsters, drops his partner VOLUNTEER TWOhalfway through a dip, and bolts out the nearest exit. VOLUNTEER THREE is injured and trapped when a piece of wall falls on them, but luckily JASPER SAMPSON-SPENCER happens to be nearby and helps them out, though it keeps them in the range of danger. VOLUNTEER FIVE attacks the roc, but misses. It doesn’t matter, though: after a while of flying around, this roc manages to find its way through the hole it made on its own, and bleeding and injured, flies back into the portal. THE THIRD ROC seems confused, but not violent. It flies around watching its companions before settling down at the fountain in the gardens and taking a long drink from the waters. VOLUNTEER SIX brings out their best bird-whispering skills, to no avail. But when PILAR SAMANIEGO approaches and says, loudly, “Shoo!” the roc seems to acquiesce, and flies back to its home. THE FOURTH ROC flies out and seems to have a mission in mind. It comes so close to the ground that just the force of its wings passing by knocks over several people in the gardens. KAE QADAR panics and uses their powers against the roc in self defense when it heads right for them, but this only sends the roc into a sudden rage, wherein it begins to attack everyone and everything it sees. It snaps for VOLUNTEER NINE arm, injuring them but thankfully not latching on completely. It picks up VOLUNTEER TEN with its huge claws, carrying them around for a while before dropping them from the air. VOLUNTEER ELEVEN tries to distract the monster and get its attention back to the portal to the Homelands, whether it be by voice or whistle, flashing lights or powers, but to no avail. The roc is unable to be led away and continues to take victims, until JAIME FREEMAN, THIRTEEN, AND FOURTEEN, with their powers combined, are forced to take it down. THE FIFTH ROC flies away, just like that. Once the other rocs have been taken care of one way or another, MAXIM PUKHOV and VOLUNTEER SIXTEEN are enlisted to go round up the creature and lead it back to its own world. After it is all over, there is a moment of intense quiet. MALLORY PARRIS breaks it by saying, loudly and bewildered, “What the FUCK?” VOLUNTEER EIGHTEEN leads the impromptu organizational efforts of those who didn’t flee for whatever reason, checking on the injured, sending people to get medical care, and arranging rides for those who need to get home. VOLUNTEER NINETEEN is hysterical, and needs comfort before rising from their sobs; only VOLUNTEER TWENTY is able to get them out of it and take them home. Unnoticed in the chaos of the cleanup, MARCELINE COMLEY runs over and grabs a feather off the fallen roc. MARCELLO PALLA finds him or herself in the area where the portal is and finds ANA ABEDINI’S shoes and purse on the ground. VOLUNTEERS TWENTY-THREE AND TWENTY-FOUR are also drawn to the Portal and, unsure if it will stay up, make the leap and jump in. RYAN FINNIGAN goes to order COP VOLUNTEER TWENTY-FIVE and NPC COP to stand guard near the Portal, as it is not clear if the rocs could come back and cause more harm. |