Settle The Score | The Assassination of Fenix Down (Player Plot Open-Log)

[aelwyn_aberration]

Who: Aelwyn + Anyone Who Wants To Be Involved In This Assassination
When: April
Where: Around Gloucester, Springfield, the Circus, assorted other locations.
Summary: A murder is planned, executed, and staged. The details are yet to come.
Warnings: Discussions of murder, actual murder, blackmail, espionage, gaslighting, TBA.

[Several months ago, following the Circus' initial visit, Aelwyn was given permission to take down Fenix Down and his circus. Now, after more recent revelations about their unseen enemy, the plan has become a higher priority.

The plan is as follows. To ensure that this doesn't implicate ADI, a false cult will be created for this specific purpose. They'll keep the entity behind it vague, but one must be selected to ensure anyone paying enough attention would be able to identify it. They'll create conspiracy theories, fabricate old reports from decades ago to make it seem like this group is only recently being resurrected.

And then, with that done, they'll execute the plan itself. Staging the kidnapping and murder as if it was the act of that cult, and an extensive interrogation.

OOC Post here!]

Comments

[aelwyn_aberration]

That's a rather bold assumption. You don't have to have a heart to love someone. [Kalina quite literally had none, and Aelwyn's sure she was capable of it. Her ex partner, for one, she talked about him with admiration and nostalgia, even when recounting how she killed him.]

Let's start with a few easy ones. What happened to our boy Pyre? I miss him, he was so terrifically easy to push around. Less like wax, a whole lot more like putty.

Secondly, this circus. What's it for? You recruit people and help them become avatars, but it doesn't seem limited to our beautiful burny boy in the sky. After-all, you tried to recruit Jeff Calhoun and you had that spiral mirror.

[the_archivist]

'Don't like' and 'Won't' are very different things.

[He could tell him about the last Desolation avatar he'd met, or what had happened when the Not-Them had threatened Martin. Could tell him about how it had felt to stab Jonah Magnus. But he holds that back for now. No sense in revealing more than he has to.]

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Oh... hundred years or so ago." Fenix grins, a wild light in his eyes as the pain flairs in Beau's body. "Time flies when you're having fun! Abe's long dead, though. Your little organization saw to that. And Fenix is mine, I'll have you know."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

[Fenix just smiles at Jon.]

Oh, you're in deep, Eye boy. Still gonna guess you'll feel worse than she will in all this, though.

[There's a sharper bolt of pain through Aelwyn.]

But Pyre, Prye, burning bright. It's a shame, really. His act's been drawing in huge crowds. Lotta potential in that kid. Daddy called him home to help with some family business. And when Daddy calls... He's a good boy. [There's clear derision in that.]

Just like Jeff! Now there's a talent I could've done something with. Might still do... Hey, Jeff, you listening from anywhere? I don't mind a double-cross, but you know what's even better? The old triple-cross! They'll never see it coming. There's a space for you in my circus! Based on what your 'friends' are saying, I'll be needing a few new headliners.

[lesbeau]

She grits her teeth, and copes by cracking her knuckles. "Alright. Not so old, then. I've killed things older than you."

The thought of really chatting this guy up is beginning to fade as the pain rises; if anything, the pain is starting to make her pulse race, the excitement of a fight pushing her forward. "Guess you're just the next one in a line of chumps who took the easy way for power. What do you know about the rest of 'em, then? The other fear not-gods?"

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Not my circus, not my monkeys." He smirks. "But I know the Oculus lot after the mess they made back in the 80s with their little ritual attempt. You've got the twisty boys and girls, too. We got a mirror from their little patron. Past that? You tell me. I stick to my lane, for the most part. I know some names, the theory behind them, but I'm not a scholar on the topic. I'm just a clown."

[lesbeau]

"Yeah, you look like one, too." She tilts her head at him, surveying him a bit more closely, and circling around to a side- but keeping her eyes on him, always, steady.

"Tell me about that ritual. Sounds like you were involved. What happened?"

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Why thank you, my girl! I've been aching for a compliment here." The pain begins to build in Beau's body, focusing in behind those staring eyes of hers.

"As for the ritual, what's there to tell? It was a flop! ADI derailed our train before it got to me for my part in it all. Abe and most of the circus died, and that left me to pick up the pieces."

[lesbeau]

She's still pacing him, but when the pain builds and he's giving her shit, she pulls her fist back and slams it into the back of his head.

"That's not what I mean. Details, Fenix. What were they doing, what were your plans, don't skimp on me here."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

Fenix jerks in the chair he's tied to, but Beau may notice that her hit isn't as powerful as it should be, like his head just gives some. But then, the same force is slamming into the back of her head. "Why do you care about something that failed?"

[lesbeau]

She jerks in turn, cursing under her breath, moving to his right side. "You're not asking the questions here, Fenix! And I bet I can get punched a lot longer than you can. Now answer me!"

[apocalypsehownpcs]

He grins at her, the expression vicious and petty as he seems to be considering letting her put that statement to the test. But, eventually, he tilts his head. "We were gonna blow shit up. What else were you expecting, girlie? We were gonna run that train off the rails into a packed crowd and kill thousands of people all at once. I'd set up the big tent, the gasoline soaking all around it, ready to catch flame and burn every last one of them for the Dancing Flame.

"We were going to bring it into this world and watch everything go up in smoke."

[whisperedone]

He moves as his count hits zero and he hears the fwump of her trap being placed.

She’s the distraction he needs in that moment: a split second of time that allows him to stab the frigid blade of his glaive into Roderick’s torso. The man cries out and there’s pain, but there’s anger and shock just as much. A creature that didn’t expect to be hurt is even more deadly.

Garner tanks the glaive free and there’s no spill of blood he can hear. Not that he has long to think on it as he hears the man turn, ostensibly to keep both threats in sight. There’s no sound of a weapon though, no retaliation to counter he can hear even as braces to meet it. Instead, there’s only the feeling of an odd burning sensation building quickly in his shoulder.

[lesbeau]

She's full-on frowning at him now, moving back around to his front with a grimace. "You're right. I shouldn't expect anything from you. That's why you're here, tied to a chair and getting the shit kicked out of you, and I'm not."

Beau squares her shoulders, watching him carefully. "So you were going to what? Take over their ritual? Go in and blow their shit up so you can bring in your stupid fake god? Because I've heard all this shit before. You're not giving me anything new, Fenix, and that's not good if you want to keep living."

[whisperedone]

[She has a very good point. Certainly there were plenty of people back home who went their whole lives without running into a single thing like a god or a creature aiming to be like one. Here it did seem more...inevitable. Like how they couldn't even use their abilities without feeding something. None of them seemed to have made any pacts and yet here they all were.

She makes her gesture and he knows what she's likely waving at: the circus, even if a larger one in nature, was still small pickings in the grander scheme.]

It does feel a lot like putting out small fires in the interest of them simply not joining the larger one we can only smell burning but can't see.

[He thinks a moment, weighs his words, but presses on. Beau seemed a good sort, righteous and well-meaning at least.]

That is why I am partly hoping the more avatars we remove, the more likely it is we might get a direct reaction; something measurable we could track and follow to the source.

[aelwyn_aberration]

I can guarantee you he's not listening. It's a nice effort, though.

[She does show a physical sign of irritation at the pain this time, the slightest wince that she tries desperately to smother, but she comforts herself with the prospect that it's nothing compared to the unimaginable pain and suffering waiting for this fucker.]

Who are his parents, then? And his real name for that matter?

It's interesting, there's a new influence pushing. F-Y-R-E. They've been sponsoring avatars of all sorts, Spiral, Slaughter, Corruption, Flesh... Desolation. And they keep sending them our way. F-Y-R-E gives off certain associations and with a sizable grudge against ADI. You're seriously saying you know nothing about that? I guess your fire god doesn't keep you informed.

[the_archivist]

[Jon return's Fenix's look with a complete lack of concern, just blinking slowly for a moment before he smiles, dark and hungry.]

Oh, you have no idea.

[Fenix has no idea how deep things really go, or how far Jon has gone. It's almost embarrassing honestly. Part of Jon wants to gloat, to force the knowledge of what he had been into Fenix's head and watch him beg like Jude had done.]

Of course, no-one would possibly ever see a betrayal coming from something known as the Twisting Deceit.

[cacophonish]

Jeff groans a little, as if called out. "I try to retain things, it's just hard when... you know, everything's blurry, um, that line between..."

What's real and what isn't, and so on.

"But I'm good with a crowd," he promises. "And... I want to work on my act, and train, and--" Jeff stops himself, seemingly mid-thought. "What happened to Pyre?"

Genuine curiosity, not even fishing for intel here.

Then, back to the more important topic: "Would I be the only one? Who's..." He makes a spinning motion with his finger. Because, for a moment, it's really tempting to abandon the plan and join up with Fenix for real. Jeff has no attachment to the ADI-- if it weren't for a few lingering (human) attachments, he'd probably leave the organization behind without a second thought. And the circus would have others... maybe not quite like him, but similar enough. He could feed freely, perform, and keep himself entertained.

But he remembers the feeling when Katie stuck a blade in him, and how his desperate search for belonging had left him bleeding out, alone in the dark. Sure, it's a total improvement over where his life had been going, but he doubts she did it for his own good.

Whatever he's looking for, he won't find it blindly trusting other avatars. Even if he does like Fenix, in some strange way.

[worthallthis]

Winter cranes his neck to see, and... actually groans. "Why can't these people just. Fucking die," he grumbles, and forces himself back onto his feet. He gives the nearest shred of wax-person a vicious kick with his burned leg, well away from the other bits.

Because a couple of those pieces are already inching back towards each other, and that seems like a bad thing.

"We need to. Separate it all," he guesses, eying them, giving another piece a kick further away-- closer to Jaeger. This kicks some dust and debris over some of the bits still between the tents, which helps them to stop wiggling.

[lesbeau]

[They were all kind of forced into it, having to make other worlds' magic work on this one's schedule. It bit, frankly. It bit real bad.]

You think they might take notice if we keep knocking around their servants? Provided they don't send just, I dunno, something big enough to crush us.

[But it is kind of all they have to go on right now, huh. Besides, she's done stuff like that before. Might as well.]

Pretty much all we've got, though. Wish Caleb was here. He knows a lot about magic and planar theory.

[Really, she just wishes her whole team was here. Then they could fix this and go home.]

At least they're stuck wherever they are as long as we take out avatars. Gives us time.

[lowficharm]

Okay, see, I'm not crazy. Not great to hear about Pyre, though. Maybe if we're lucky he won't want to get revenge.

I don't want you to think I enjoy this or anything. I just don't want to see more people getting hurt.

[aelwyn_aberration]

If we're lucky, he'll be dead already.

Relax, Blackwood. I'm the one who came up with the assassination plan in the first place, if you advocated for mass murdering the entire circus and the whole crowd too, I wouldn't really have any room to judge.

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"You say that like I'm expecting to live. I'll have some fun with all of you, and then one of you is going to kill me. That's how this goes.

"Didn't even get a chance to try at the ritual again. Kinda rude, preempting a guy like that."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

I'm not in the business of asking for real names. He calls himself Pyre? I call him Pyre. I'm also not in the business of educating you kids about the Dancing Flame, but apparently no one ever told you how this actually works. They don't talk to us. Maybe the youngsters like Jeff and Pyre think something's there, whispering orders, convincing them they need to do whatever it is it wants, but that's not how it happens.

[His gaze flicks to Jon.]

Maybe Eye boy understands better. There's no talking. You get a sense of what you're supposed to do and you make it up as you go. Twisting Deceit, Oculus, the Dancing Flame. They're all the same. And FYRE, apparently, decided to put its mits in everyone's business. I'll be very surprised if it doesn't get them burned in the end.

[apocalypsehownpcs]

Fenix waves dismissively. "Family matters. Nothing to worry about. He'll be back soon enough once Daddy figures out he's not gonna get what he wants outta his little schemes.

"Roderick's got a touch of spin, but you'd be the only one fully filling that little niche. I can make it work. I used to be part of the Smoke and Mirrors Circus. Our sides have got more in common than you might think. Especially in this line of work."