aelwyn_aberration: (pic#15514583)
Aelwyn Abernant ([personal profile] aelwyn_aberration) wrote in [community profile] apocalypsehowcomm2022-04-12 02:32 pm

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

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!]
apocalypsehownpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2022-05-03 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
Fenix is looking significantly rougher than when he was first brought in, but there's still that challenging, unbroken glint to his smile. He gives Beau a long elevator stare, then whistles low. "Did it get hot in here, or is that just you, my girl?" The temperature around her warms significantly, becoming something sticky and unpleasant. At the same time, pain begins somewhere inside of her, an aching thing that can likely be ignored for now, but it's slowly growing in intensity.

"I'm a captive audience, here to answer questions, so why don't you ask them?"
bloodalwaystells: Hrm (Default)

[personal profile] bloodalwaystells 2022-05-03 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
The talk before the fight had been quiet but important, the two men detailing their strengths in combat and making a plan for their target. Winter knows most of the spells that Jaeger can cast, now, and the fact that they take a fair amount of energy. It will take him a minute to deal out his next bit of magic, all with the unhappy awareness of Nia's snitch around here somewhere.

He's also a respectable shot with the heavy pistol he carries, but he knows better to shoot into a melee. Especially when Penny is so fucking nimble and bouncing all over the place with her little hell-toy.

Jaeger circles the scene at a prowl, angling for the best spot to throw the barrier. Walls are good, domes are better, but he needs a second to catch his breath because that spray of metal hit him a little harder than he expected. Still, he's alert, watching the back and forth with a mix of anticipation and apprehension. He'll need to choose his actions carefully, react quickly, and that's foremost on his mind. He's promised Winter that he's a reliable partner, and he will live up to that.

And the Hunt is still there in the back of his mind, the rush of a fight, a chase, a kill, and he doesn't want to miss a moment of it.
cacophonish: MOPI (set1-00242)

[personal profile] cacophonish 2022-05-03 08:58 am (UTC)(link)
His eyes light up with hunger when the ringmaster proposes a snack, shining through his sad, lost boy act. He's certainly an eager thing.

"Yeah." He nods, seeming like his excitement is overtaking his usual uncertainty. "I've been working-- I can drive a crowd wild now."

(A lie. He always could make crowds go crazy, that's nothing new.)

It's a shame. He really does like Fenix. The flash, the showmanship, the way that, frankly, their priorities probably align a lot more than Jeff's do with the ADI's. He may not be into the whole fire thing, and the Desolation doesn't click with him in any way, but...

He does have more in common with Fenix and his troupe than he does the ADI. And if he had gone through with running away from Gloucester, who knows, maybe he would've tried to join the circus for real.

If it wasn't for the fact that Aelwyn asked him to do this, he wouldn't even be here right now. But there's opportunity in this betrayal (the mirror, getting the ADI off his back...), and really, will Fenix even be able to blame him? Or will he get it?

"Yeah... Let's pick up a meal. Dinner and a show. Almost like a date."
whisperedone: (2)

cw: torture bordering on cruelty, featuring fingers

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-05-03 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
He thinks about it. For a moment he truly thinks about the costs...and they aren't worth it.

"No. See, there's a break down in our communication here: I want the names-" He shifts again to keep his weight distributed despite the lingering burn in his knee. "But I don't need them. They aren't why I'm here."

He moves quick and efficient, his knife digging through the last three fingers on Fenix's hand without stopping. With no bone to find the joints of, he pushes until his blade stops meeting resistance.
whisperedone: (8)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-05-03 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[He smiles but lets the question go unanswered in favor of her story. His hearing was sharp and trained, but ultimately no different than anyone else's, if she wanted to assume super hearing that was fine too.]

You killed the fake god in the Astral Plane? That must have been a difficult fight.

[Crazy wizards and the Astral Sea and some god-like entity? He could only imagine how much of an understatement 'difficult fight' was. It mad him curious about the actual god.]

I think of the entities as like...lesser Betrayer Gods, it feels similar. Like a less organized and younger cult? They're powerful and messy and make mistakes as well as cause devastation, but they hold appeal to the right sorts of people.

For example, I don't know if you know anyone who might have made....deals with things stronger than an average being but less powerful than gods, but it seems like that. Like the power granted in a pact made.
the_archivist: (You will tell me)

Re: cw: discussion of massacres

[personal profile] the_archivist 2022-05-03 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[The door to the room opens and Jon walks in, in time to hear the last bits of what Fenix is ranting around. He wants to laugh, or at least to say something about how wrong he is, but he bites his tongue.]

That sounds like a remarkable lack of imagination honestly.

[Alright, mostly biting his tongue.]

apocalypsehownpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2022-05-04 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Fenix smirks. "Almost like a date." He offers a gloved hand to Jeff. If Jeff steps in to take it, he'll get an immediate gout of flame into his face. Just to test if too much has changed. It doesn't actually burn anything, but it will feel like it does for a moment.
Edited 2022-05-04 03:30 (UTC)
apocalypsehownpcs: (Default)

cw: torture bordering on cruelty, featuring fingers

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2022-05-04 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah!" Fenix's eyes flutter, and there's an immediate flaring of heat around Garner's nethers in response, like someone has lit his undergarments on fire. "Just here for the kill, huh? Or a trophy?"
apocalypsehownpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2022-05-04 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
[That voice. Fenix's eyes snap from Aelwyn and toward Jon, and his expression loses any and all joviality. For the first time since his capture, Fenix actually struggles.]

Gonna have Oculus do your dirty work, little girl?
worthallthis: (determined mean)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2022-05-04 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
She tugs fruitlessly on her whip, flaring the fire along it, scorching the metal of Winter's left arm, but otherwise not doing any damage. And he tugs on it, back, yanking his arm up and trying to throw her off balance.

Wisely, she lets go and flips back out of the way when he tries to lash the whip handle back at her. The fire goes out now that she isn't touching it, and he lashes with the heavier handle again, trying to drive her back towards a better spot for containment. The smaller the space, the more likely Jaeger can keep it closed.

She springs back again, and in between two booths, giving herself cover and possibly something to leap up onto if she's given enough time to do so. Good time for that barrier, Jaeger. Winter takes that opportunity to throw the whip behind him, out of reach of either of them, and advance to try and block her in on his side. The metal arm is badly overheated, some of the internal components twitching awkwardly, but it's still usable-- for now.
thedoctorsmate: (srs | neutral)

[personal profile] thedoctorsmate 2022-05-04 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
If you could point me to whatever you've been reading, I'd appreciate that.
Been thinking we ought to put together a better guide than the basic primer they give you in that little room when you're brought in.
We could all do with a bit more detail.
bloodalwaystells: confront (confront)

[personal profile] bloodalwaystells 2022-05-04 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
Jaeger has no choice but to close a bit of the distance, to get a better viewpoint for the barrier. Penny's moving fast, unpredictably, but she's also boxing herself in while trying to get cover from his attacks, and...

A dazzling burst of flame lights up the night, followed by a wave of searing heat and Jaeger is so very, very glad that for his size, he's fairly light on his feet because otherwise, she would have broiled him where he stood. He dives out of the way, and the pain is both sudden and shocking as his coat and shirt sear away in the sudden, violent spray of flames.

Oh. That bitch. The impact steals his breath, reduces his sight to blackness and starbursts from the intensity of the light, but she's got two enemies to worry about, coming at her from two different directions, and she's going to have to turn her attention back to Winter to keep him off her, too. Acrobatic as she might be, she's not in the best position and Jaeger fully intends to press the advantage and keep her off-guard until they can land a definitive fight-ending blow.

And he'll be okay in a second. He swears. From the ground, he angles up another spray of metal shards, and while only the very edge of it catches her, it's enough to draw more blood, ramp up her panic just a little more and send that frission of fear back to her Hunter as the tiniest extra spark of energy. There's a quick, sharp twinge in his chest, but the pain is everywhere and nowhere at the moment, and he's long since accustomed himself to fighting through pain. He notes it, measures it, discards it in the greater frenzy of battle.

The barrier will follow in a minute. But right now, he wants blood to soothe the insult of being burned.
whisperedone: (3)

Cw: blood

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-05-04 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
His eyes squeeze tight and his jaw clenches, but he drives the knife into where a lung should be on the right side of Fenix’s chest. Again, no resistance. A tendril of Garner’s blood snaps from his arm out to the new wound…but there’s nothing to grab, nothing to tie to and no purchase for the Brand to take hold. It splatters to Fenix’s clothes uselessly.

“No bones, no blood..and I assume no organs. Do you run only on spite, golem?”
worthallthis: (punch)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2022-05-04 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
Winter reacts to Penny's panic at the flying blades by lunging, grabbing her arm, and yanking. That will be the only gout of flame at Jaeger, because she's going to focus on trying to claw at Winter's face with her free hand. Lucky for him, he's got a face mask, so she just breaks her fingernails-- and drags soot as she tries to call up a spark and is distracted by having her arm twisted cruelly-- along said mask.

"Get back!" Winter snaps, for Jaeger's benefit, not Penny's, hauling Penny right up against his chest and smashing her there with his super-heated metal arm after the knives fly. "Back, Jaeger!" He doesn't want the man anywhere near her when he engages his grenades. Winter trusts that he can leap free in time, but he doesn't want to risk Jaeger.

And he also doesn't want Jaeger wasting power on offense when they have perfectly good grenades, dammit, and the barrier is much, much more important.
bloodalwaystells: Hrm (Default)

[personal profile] bloodalwaystells 2022-05-04 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
"I need line of sight," he returns, just a little bit breathless and voice scorched even more raw than usual.

The snapped words through his headset are enough to shake him out of his moment of bloodlust, though. A little bit lost in it, but not totally gone, and Jaeger scrambles back to regain some distance. Both mentally, and physically. The ecstasy of adrenaline is still there, damping the pain of what might be some serious wounds, and he still has the plan in mind. Still can focus his power, even through the twinge in his chest that hints at more damage than he expects.

Well, they knew this would be messy going in, didn't they? Jaeger finds his feet, ignoring the scorched-raw skin across his chest and arm, and raises a hand again. This time, there's intent, conscious effort there, and the first glittering flashes of arcane light sketch out the borders of the dome that's about to appear. It's not as quick as it normally would be, but he's putting everything he's got into it, and as soon as Winter gets some distance from the forming barrier, Jaeger will solidify it.
worthallthis: (ow)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2022-05-04 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
Penny has one more trick up her sleeve, and when she can't wriggle free from Winter's implacable metal grip or get a hand to his face because said metal arm is now pinning both of hers to her sides, she sends fire coursing down his leg.

He's had worse-- but he's had worse when he had a serum to heal it. It hurts, and that leg isn't going to hold him for long. Thankfully, he has his grenade in his flesh hand, already primed and counting down, and he shoves it into her pants pocket before pushing her directly into the budding barrier.

He falls back, rolls, hisses as he comes to his feet in a crouch on top of blistered and bloody skin. It doesn't stop him from throwing the second grenade at Penny's feet as she tries to catch herself from his shove, just in case one isn't enough. Time to bring that down, Jaeger.
cacophonish: MOPI (set1-00567)

[personal profile] cacophonish 2022-05-04 09:10 am (UTC)(link)
Jeff does move to take his hand, and oh. He remembers this trick. It doesn't make a sudden burst of flames in his face any less startling, and it sure as hell feels real in the moment, regardless. But it's difficult to say how much of Jeff's reaction (a yell, a flicker of panic, as he pulls away) is real, and how much is just played up as part of the act.

What isn't an act: the way he laughs afterwards, touching his unharmed face, borderline hysteric in his delight. Maybe it's just relief that he hasn't actually been burnt. Or maybe twisty boys are gonna twist.

"Asshole."

He doesn't say it like an insult. Instead, there's something like admiration in his voice.
the_archivist: (Do you think I'm stupid?)

[personal profile] the_archivist 2022-05-04 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jon smiles, just a little. It isn't a nice expression. Maybe it's a little too easy to remember what it had felt like, being the creature the entire apocalypse hinged upon, but he still remembers how it had felt, being burned by Jude, and how it had felt good to hurt her in return. At least for a while.]

As though you haven't burned someone's life and enjoyed watching their fear.
the_archivist: (Default)

[personal profile] the_archivist 2022-05-04 01:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean, it wasn't just one book. It was... hundreds, maybe thousands of documents.

And I'm not sure how much a guide helps anyway. It's all very contextual.

bloodalwaystells: Hrm (Default)

[personal profile] bloodalwaystells 2022-05-04 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Jaeger's judgment may have lapsed for a minute and probably cost him quite a bit in damage (if not trust from Winter), but when it comes down to the exact, necessary moment of action, he's there with fucking bells on.

The barrier solidifies around Penny, just a few scant feet from Winter, with expert precision and a semi-translucent glow that shimmers blue in the night air. It can be seen through vaguely, shadows and shapes, but it will prove to be as tough as concrete for as long as Jaeger can hold it. And he doesn't have to hold it long. Just a few seconds, ticking by like the roaring of his pulse in his ears as blood starts to drip from his nose.

It gives Penny those few seconds to realize exactly what's coming, and her scream of rage does carry through the barrier, that intense, horrible, perfect moment when she fully grasps her situation.
lesbeau: (« [Glare] my good bitch)

[personal profile] lesbeau 2022-05-05 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
Part of her thinks she shouldn't roll her eyes in what should be a serious negotation, but also, Beau doesn't care a ton and does it anyway. "And so far you're an annoying audience."

The pain is... a cautionary tale, and she can tell, but she's been hurt worse for less thus far. So she walks close enough to be threatening, arms folded across her chest. "So. Let's start with that thing you serve. What the hell got you into this... pact?" As far as she figures, Entities are Warlock patrons, and that's the best she's got going on that one.
apocalypsehownpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2022-05-05 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
You know what? You're right!

[Fenix's smile curls up.]

Every question you decide to interfere in--[his head jerks toward Jon]--I burn away something important from her memories. Wanna try me like that?
apocalypsehownpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2022-05-05 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
Garner earns himself another gasp, and then the feeling of a knife piercing his insides. "I run... on applause. You're paying for my tailor to get this suit fixed. I'll make you a different deal. Give me a finger, and I'll tell you why Pyre was back in Gloucester, even if you didn't notice him."

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