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

[cacophonish]

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.

[apocalypsehownpcs]

Fenix sweeps his hat off and bows low. "The most fabulous asshole you ever met, my boy! Now, let's see about that snack." So saying, he pops that back on his head and gestures for Jeff to lead on.

"So, anything important you wanna tell me about what ADI's been up to?"

[cacophonish]

Jeff starts in the direction towards civilization, snacks, and easy pickings-- which also happens to be in the same direction where the ADI's waiting to make an ambush. It feels dirty to play along with them like this, but he supposes there's no honor among avatars, anyway.

It's better this way. Once the ADI backs off from him, then he can really begin to explore the possibilities of his new existence.

"Mmm..." Jeff thinks, then shrugs. "Mostly they just keep getting attacked. The Lullaby Girl, the bug chick, some dude, um... what's-his-name, Mr. S..." Okay, the last one's never actually made an appearance, but Jeff's mentioning him, anyway. He did seem to have a hand in the nightmares, back in October, and, who knows, maybe Fenix will recognize the name, when nobody at the ADI did. "And the chick with the, uh, the major sun allergy." Katie. His buddy. Jeff shoots Fenix a sidelong glance, and some genuine amusement slips into his expression. "I mean, they all got in to fuck with the ADI. Some apocalypse disruption initiative..."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"We're gonna need to work on your intel skills, my boy. Part of being with my circus is being able to listen and retain. With Pyre away, we could do with another act. You're more twisty than most of the show, but I think we can make that More on the Spiral side, that work. Variety's the spice of life, I say!" He gestures broadly as they walk along.

And I wouldn't count them out with a few little breeches at home. We got into Gloucester, after all. They've been a thorn in a lot of people's sides for a long time. You come on with my group, we train you up... maybe I'll tell you about a few of them."

[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.

[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."

[cacophonish]

The whole thing about Daddy and his plans should snag at Jeff's focus. If he had any real interest in helping the ADI, he'd probably take that lead and tug on it, see what he can find.

But he doesn't.

Instead, he fixes Fenix with a look, eyes bright and hungry with naked curiosity at the mention of the old Smoke and Mirrors circus. It takes him a moment, but he remembers where he'd heard about it before. The derailed train...

"So our sides... we used to be a whole lot closer, huh?" Makes sense. A little bit of mindfuck goes a long way in entertainment. "That why you've still got the mirror? None of my kind survived, just... that?"

If he seems melancholy, it's only for a moment, before he shrugs and lets out a thoughtful, somewhat amused hum.

"Well, I was never good at sharing the spotlight, anyway."

Just ask his old band back home. He could be a real monster of a frontman.

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Some of them survived. But the thing about a ritual, my boy, is if you don't get it right, you lose a lot of momentum. And a lot of people, too. No one wants to hitch their wagon to a failure.

"Everyone who didn't get tripped up by ADI's interference spun off their own way. I did for a while, myself, before I decided to make another run. It's a long road ahead now, I'll tell you that. These sorts of things don't come quickly."