Aelwyn Abernant (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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apocalypsehowcomm2022-04-12 02:32 pm
aelwyn_aberration) wrote in apocalypsehowcomm2022-04-12 02:32 pm
Entry tags:
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!]
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!]
no subject
[He'd needed to get out of the flat for a bit anyway.][He holds out the lighter towards Aelwyn.]
What did you want to speak about?
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But it's an interesting little social ritual all the same, and something Aelwyn could have done with her fingers or mind. But, unlike many others, she's adjusting. Slowly, but surely. She exhales, letting the heat settle into her lungs. It's no surprise that the smoke tastes like the smallest morsel of nourishment to her, considering what she's on the cusp of becoming.]
I wanted to run some of my theories by you, if that's okay. You always seem to be good at correcting any minor mistakes I might have made, and frankly I find the office a bit oppressive at the best of times.
[Or rather, she's never convinced her own words won't be used against her. She presents the file to Jon. The cover is blank, of course. The page below it, however, is entitled, OBSERVATIONS & SPECULATIONS: JONATHAN SIMS.]
Oh, and if you brought your phone with you, I'd reccommend turning that off.
no subject
[But his inclination to ignore it seemed to have paid off. The work had mysteriously gone back to normal levels soon afterwards.
He glances down at the file and flips it open, and his expression hardens.]
Is this a kidnapping? Because it's really getting ridiculous at this point.
[He feels a sudden surge of empathy for Mike Crew, and his ire that Jon had been there to ask questions rather than just have tea.]
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If I were kidnapping you, I wouldn't start by handing you a file, now would I? And on top of that, I'd have to be so unbelievably incompetent to just try to kidnap you in front of the place where we both live. I'd like to think I present as at least somewhat less stupid than the people running this organization, or buying into it anyway.
[She shakes her head, taking another drag in contemplation.]
No, it's more a confrontation. I just don't think you'll want them to hear it. And if they're spying on us it's through the phones. I don't bring mine with me these days.
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[When you've dealt with the things he's dealt with, the idea of places being more or less safe doesn't really apply. Leitner had been living in the tunnels for years, Nikola got into Georgie's flat.
She does have a point though, although he could argue that certain entities definitely don't need phones to spy on people. It's a shame he doesn't have control of cameras like Elias did.]
Fine.
[He pulls out his phone and switches it off.]
If it takes too long, Martin will get worried though.
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At the mention of Martin, she nods.]
I'm sure we'd both prefer he remain uninvolved but I also can't imagine you'll keep this from him. If he gets worried about us having a conversation then I guess I can have it with both of you at the same time. If not, I won't bother him. [She takes another drag of the cigarette, blowing a ring. She tried very hard to be something desirable and interesting in parties, to get over that feeling of deep self hatred for her normal self. This happened to be one of the many methods she tried.]
Enclosed in that file is a compilation of circumstantial evidence that you and Martin know far more than you're pretending you do. I had a little niggling feeling for months, but it was only really confirmed as something substantial when Martin accidentally let slip about another Desolation avatar he knew.
And then, for more substantial proof, I believe that your little trick against our darlingest boy Khalil was in fact a rather sophisticated power that you used, and not just the powers of persuasion.
[She turns and looks at him, something sharp and familiar in her eyes. She might be primarily of the flame, but it's not the only entity that has a certain level of affection for her. The Beholding is rather fond as well. There's no hint of mirth in her tone as she asks, plain and simple.]
Who are you really, Mr Sims?
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[Because it was the two of them, together. That was the deal.
He flips idly through the file, curious despite himself. He can't help but snort softly when she mentions Khalil though.]
Khalil? I genuinely just explained some of the horrors we've seen, what these creatures can do, and how he could potentially help us stop them. And asked him to write down what he knew. Everyone else went in there like he was a dangerous mass-murderer rather than a scared victim who'd been manipulated. Amazing what a little kindness and empathy will do.
[He hadn't even used his abilities in the interrogation. Didn't really need to.
He blinks at her when she asks, unafraid because he thinks his threshold for fear is entirely broken by this point. And it's not the right question anyway.]
I mean, I really am Jonathan Sims. I grew up in Bournemouth. I'm not some... shapeshifter or impostor or... body hopping cultist.
no subject
And then there's a penciled in passage about the fact that he got a coherent and eloquent written statement out of Khalil somehow, which does include some less professional and less academic notes about how Khalil is a blubbering simpleton incapable of looking up his tormentors on the internet, so writing a coherent statement seems a bit beyond his ability.
She has one on everyone of interest.]
Oh, fuck off. [She rolls her eyes. She grew sick and tired of this attitude with Ren, she doesn't need it from this guy too, especially since he seems to be holding things back that could have saved lives.] You only decided to play nice because you wanted to be better than me. You wanted revenge before I talked to you. And then you decided you'd like the moral high ground.
[She isn't kind towards most people, least of all people she can genuinely understand. Being caught in a situation way above your head and responding by being a coward and letting everyone else take the fall because you're too scared of the consequences landing on your head? Aelwyn understands that all too well.
But she shakes her head at his clarifying statement and sighs. He's playing dumb. Lovely.] But that's neither here nor there. And you know that's not what I meant. Do they have the entities in Bournemouth, wherever the fuck that is?
You've been withholding a lot of information. While I'm sure you have your reasons, I'm not content to just watch everyone [Read: Mercy and herself. Anyone else she might have had a protective instinct towards has vanished, something she almost wants to blame Sims for.] suffer every month for the sake of those mysterious reasons.
So I want to strike a deal.
no subject
I changed my mind because I spoke to him, and realised he was just a scared, stupid man in far over his head, manipulated by things he can't even hope to understand. You didn't even enter my mind.
[And maybe he has a little empathy for that. Mind, he also currently has a fair bit of empathy for some of the other avatars he'd met, watching him stumble around like a new fawn, demanding answers of things that could eat him.
Ugh... not a healthy mindset.
He gives her a sharp look at that.]
Then ask better questions.
And Bournemouth in is England. And yes it does. The entities don't really care about geography.
[He lets out a heavy sigh and rubs his forehead between his eyes, then looks back at her, something almost sympathetic in his gaze.]
It doesn't help you know? Knowing more. You think it will, you think it'll keep people safe if they just know things, if you just know things.
But it doesn't. It just drags you deeper. And makes things more dangerous because it brings attention to you.
[Admittedly, being ignorant also doesn't help.]
But go ahead, what kind of deal?
no subject
She looks at him, baffled and somewhat disbelieving before breathing sharply out of her nose and reducing the cigarette in her hand to nothing but smoke with just the snap of her fingers.
She's got enough fear welled up for that. It's a good relief. Something that was as common to her as water is being kept from her like it's hard drugs but that doesn't mean she doesn't like the rare moments she gets with it. She decides to abandon the Khalil argument. It's hardly like he matters anymore.
His sympathy doesn't reach her. It's not something she comprehends, for a number of reasons. But she does understand his warning well enough, even if she thinks it's stupid.]
Yes, well, much like you it's not my first time dealing with monsters beyond human comprehension. [The Nightmare King's forest makes Gloucester's monthly horrors look like a picnic with how targeted the torture was in there.] I'm willing to take my chances this time, even if you and your boyfriend are content to sit back and watch. In my experience? It's not a picnic to just shut up and do what you're told either.
You don't want things - ADI, one would assume - to know that you know far more than you let on. First of all, get better at lying. Whenever someone says something wrong you immediately try to correct them. [She'd say something about mansplaining if she didn't also do the exact same thing.] Second of all... fine. That's fair enough, I guess. Just keep me informed, whenever it's relevant, and I'll find a way to steer the right people in that direction. Our fellow passengers, for one. In return, I'll keep your secret, and help cover your tracks.
And of course I'd like your help with this mission.
no subject
My getting involved in things has historically never made things better. And Martin deserves a chance to be... normal. Happy.
And I don't trust ADI. Even with the best of intentions, organisations that investigate the entities tend to end up serving them, in one way or another.
[And because his ability to trust had been so thoroughly broken that it was a conscious choice now.]
...fine. I can provide some information. And this mission? The murder you've got planned?
Well, if they're made of wax then it's worth investing in a lot of sawdust.
no subject
[She judges anyway, a little. But she understands wanting to escape this. She'd want the same for Adaine, if it were ever an option.]
I do agree, though. If ADI isn't already actively serving evil, it's going to turn that way. That's just inevitable. My current theory would be that Reyes is an avatar actually pulling the strings, but Nia is a human being played like a cheap whistle.
If they are genuine, they're so mind numbingly incompetent that they wrap right back around to being malicious.
[She raises an eyebrow. Sawdust? Huh.]
The ADI operative supervising us recommended liquid nitrogen. They're all aligned with the desolation, if that helps.
no subject
[At least in theory they could leave if they wanted to.
He gives a soft hum at the mention of Reyes, turning the idea over in his mind.]
Pulling the strings... yes, that does sound like something the Web would do.
[They'd been manipulating Jonah after all, hadn't they? Guidinng him towards his inevitable destruction.]
Yes, I know they're Desolation. Martin mentioned Jude Perry, you said? The Desolation cult she was part of, they would self-immolate and remake their bodies in wax, able to be endlessly reshaped, at least until they burn out.
Of course, that's only if it's pure wax. Mix it with something else and it rather inhibits that ability.
And then you can decapitate them.
...won't kill them. But they won't be able to do much about it.
no subject
[She considers this.
It feels... wrong. Shallow, somehow. Maybe in the far background the Web is manipulating everything for it's whim. God knows the Mother of Spiders did so when she was manipulating her own shadow wars, back in her solar system. But Jon is the expert, for better or worse. She thinks it's possible his experiences might be colouring his biases, but they're useful nonetheless.]
I'll keep that in mind. Martin's good at forging documents, isn't he? [Their mutual appreciation of crime is one of their few shared commonalities. There's probably others, she's just going off vibes.] Do you think he could forge a report detailing as much, dated from around the point in which the circus and ADI went toe to toe last time?
no subject
And the Web is usually pulling strings, somewhere along the line. They tend to think more long-term.
[And are potentially the only entity that can think in anything close to what a human would understand.
All of this is gross simplification, of course.]
Martin did fake his CV, so I suppose a report is something that he could manage.
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[She hums. Well, she wouldn't put it past Jeff. She wouldn't put it past herself, really. The apocalypse was a laugh for her, for a while.]
It could be that they're all just planning to betray eachother. But you've surely noticed the pattern that none of the incidents neatly fit into a single entity, right?
[She chuckles at that. Martin the little crime man... fair enough.]
I'll let you bring it up with him, then.
no subject
All the Entities want to get off their ritual first. Their servants tend to want the same because they believe that if another entity does it first, they will be destrtoyed, or left behind, or become victims of the entity that does perform the ritual.
[All futile in the end, but not inaccurate for how they work pre-apocalypse.]
And of course I've noticed. It's not-
The entities are less discrete points on a line, and more a spectrum of colour.
Where does blue end and purple begin? But orange and bright green will never work together.
The Lonely and the Vast tend to be rather complimentary colours. The Lonely and the Corruption, rather less so.
[This would be easier if he could just say what he knows. Or even better, force that knowledge into people's heads so they understand like he does. Words seem so flawed and inefficient.]
I'll speak to him, if you give me a solid task summary.
no subject
[She sighs. Does becoming an avatar really rob you of the ability to see how thoroughly dull a world with nothing but one type of fear would be? Yes, she's experienced the rush of feeding and it's the best feeling in the entire world, but nothing but that and it would stop feeling like that. It'd just be numb.
Ridiculous. The absolute lack of vision on these idiots.]
I'll send you one. The most important part is that I need it to realistically note that it's a genuine weakness for them, from a first hand account.
Anything else I should know before we go into this? Ideally I'd like to avoid torturing Fenix for information. His patron is quite literally pain. And it's an inefficient means of gathering accurate information even when it works.
no subject
Yes, exactly.
[He stubs out his cigarette at the idea of information gathering. He knows where this is leading.]
And let me guess, you want me to share how I got Kahlil to talk so you can do that?
no subject
Fair warning, though, if you tell me that it can be achieved by treating him with common human decency, I will punch you in the head.
[Said extremely flatly. Somehow she doubts that solution is particularly viable with Fenix anyway. She raises an eyebrow at Jon expectantly.]
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You can't do it.
...but I can.
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Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit of a drama queen?
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Yes, I can do it. You'll need to restrain him though.
[He holds up his scarred hand.]
I'd really rather not repeat this if possible.
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Still, she wonders. Martin mentioned Jude Perry, this Avatar of the Desolation who died screaming and begging. Is that the one who left her mark?]
Thank you. [She sighs. She realises that this is more or less just blackmail, but she doesn't think she's been unreasonable in her demands.] I'd like to avoid losing people.
...Any more than we've already lost anyway. [And despite talking about pre-meditated murder and assassination along with a massive amount of fraud and deception, there is a wistful grief to her tone that suggests it's genuine.]
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I'm not- I don't avoid things and lie low because I don't care about people suffering. We've lost a lot of people.
But I know how much damage I could cause. I've had a lot of experience of making things worse.
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