Ill Met By Moo-Light

[aelwyn_aberration]

Who: Aelwyn Abernant & YOU?
When: 4th of September, two days after the last night of the circus.
Where: Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe
Summary: A meeting, away from the prying eyes of ADI.
Warnings: TBA?



[Aelwyn mentioned offhand that they should discuss a plan of attack in person, away from the prying ever-present eyes of the ADI. Pretty early in the morning she tells a few people she thinks are tight with enough people to make a meeting work without having to go through the regular channels and one things leads to another and eventually, a meeting is organized.

At an Ice Cream place, which, to be fair, makes a really good milkshake. Aelwyn arrived here extra early, just to check that she managed to actually book the place and keep it away from prying eyes. Luckily, it seems that whatever money she has, it's good enough to afford one booking.

So she's there, at the table, a cup of ice cream in her hand.]

I think we've all got out suspicions, right? And I'd say a lot of us are sick of not knowing when we're being watched by those who claim to be protecting us.

Who wants to start? [Logically, she knows she should, but she's a dramatic bitch, so why should she.]

Comments

CW: mention of injury (burns); threadjacking OK; will match prose or brackets

[guildmastermind]

Shiroe has his usual leather notebook, but has traded out the quill pen and bottle of ink for...a ballpoint pen with a feather taped on the back of it. Don't judge him. At least he's not wearing his cloak? Though without it, the corded mouse that he wears tied around his neck is visible, which is just as weird in its way.

His face is still shiny and red on the lefthand side, pulling at the still-healing burns when he speaks or makes a strong facial expression. But it's healed well since the circus; someone's been pestering him to put burn cream on it.

"Is this meeting to share information about the circus and other recent weird encounters off the grid, to talk about ADI without being watched, or both?"

open to trhreadjacks!

[marmoron]

[ and here's keith sitting with a strawberry milkshake in hand. ]

Think we should take this as an opportunity to talk about both. There's been a lot of messed up things going on and ADI hasn't exactly been entirely forthcoming.

[ a beat. ]

What happeend to your face?

[ because apparently nobody told keith you don't just ask questions like that. ]

[guildmastermind]

Pyre slapped me. Apparently his flesh turns to hot wax if you manage to upset him enough. I was very determined to get information out of him, and that was an interesting fact to learn.

[He smiles, even though doing so hurts.]

I've got a bit more information from and about him--and relating to the circus as a whole.

[aelwyn_aberration]

He threatened to do the same to me. He's fond of doing that, isn't he? [She rests her head on her fist.]

Go on...? [She desires the facts.]

[guildmastermind]

Well, I pointed out that he'd be nothing without the circus, that Fenix rescued him from a life of obscurity and loneliness and that he could be dropped at any time. You know, just pointing out the hooks Fenix has in him. Pyre seems like he might have been a sweet kid to begin with. He's just desperate to be seen.

[aelwyn_aberration]

Yes... he's a very naive person. I gave him a warning to doubt his saviour more but I had spent the last five minutes mocking him and threatening him, so I don't think he listened.

So ungrateful...

[marmoron]

So he's... made out of wax? Or at least he can turn parts of himself into wax?

[ .... ]

Sounds like the Fenix Down Extravaganza and the old Smoke and Mirrors circus that Charles Moore was a part of aren't all that dissimilar after all.

[guildmastermind]

Oh? What do you mean by that?

[Shiroe's intrigued by that comment--that's not something he's come across in his research, yet.]

[marmoron]

Yeah. The old circus was apparently known for fire based performances and a traveling wax museum. Didn't read anything about fun houses or mirrors.

[guildmastermind]

Wax has been coming up as a theme--not just with Pyre. Someone found candles, and lots of them in Fenix's and Penny's train cars.

[aelwyn_aberration]

Both. [That burn looks nasty. This is the guy who taunted Pyre into hitting him, huh.

Can't relate. The foolish little cretin crumbled as soon as Aelwyn dared him to try. Still, at least he's not dead.] Sing to your heart's content, dear. I think we've all made a lot of observations that don't entirely add up. So the hope is that by sharing that information we can get closer to getting to the bottom of it all, and figure out our plan of attack when we meet the boss.

[guildmastermind]

True, all boss battles require adequate preparation.

[Not how she meant it? Oops.]

Most of what I've learned is in relation to Pyre specifically. I shared my key points on the network already--even if you're not willing to post there, you'll find it by looking.

There's a few themes that don't seem to connect with one another, though. The funhouse seems separate from Pyre and his performance.

[abrightboy]

Maybe Pyre's performance was only a distraction. Maybe the funhouse is where the real shady stuff is going on.

[Don't mind the guy in the suit who's just sitting down and butting right in.]

[guildmastermind]

Or they're both shady, and working in partnership toward different goals. I'm not so willing to dismiss the performances at this point.

[Shiroe doesn't mind the company at all.]

[abrightboy]

What do you think the point of them was?

[guildmastermind]

We know the entities we're facing are interested in evoking fear, and Pyre's performance did that. They made a point of making Gloucester the first stop where he did his show--the decision likely came down from above, from Fenix. He pushed the idea that ADI had something to do with the Smoke and Mirrors derailment 100 years ago, so it might have been his idea of revenge against ADI.

The funhouse, we understand less about, but from what I've heard, the mirror at the center was the focus for whatever happened there.

[abrightboy]

I ran into a couple of people who went inside. They came out hallucinating. Badly.

[guildmastermind]

Jaeger mentioned he had a problem with that, too. I didn't go inside, I'm afraid. I don't like being lost, even for fun, so I avoided it. I sort of regret that now.

[abrightboy]

I didn't go inside either, and I don't regret it at all.

[Seeing his mentor in that state had shaken him. Gil was the steady hand on the wheel since he was ten years old. Malcolm is supposed to be the basketcase.]

[aelwyn_aberration]

The performance... Pyre's specifically, I think we can know fairly easily what the point of that one was.

It seems to have been some kind of ritual he undertook to fully shed his humanity and sell his soul to the Desolation. That's what he said, anyway.

[bossyboiler]

Why would he willingly do that?

[ She's not disputing the fact that Pyre sold his soul but why willingly? ]

[aelwyn_aberration]

[She furrows her brow like the question just does not logically make sense to her.]

I mean. Immortality and infinite power? Why does anyone do anything? It benefits him to be the predator rather than the prey.

[bossyboiler]

But the downsides?

[aelwyn_aberration]

Stop being downsides once you've shed your humanity. [She shrugs. It's a lot like lichdom, really.]

It's just a question of what you value in yourself.

[bossyboiler]

I suppose.