The Riddle of the Bells [[ Open ]]
Characters: Anyone interested in figuring out the mystery behind the church’s chimes
Time: Throughout the day (Currently post-dated to Sunday, February 13th)
Location: St. Peter's Church to the café at Barnes and Noble on East Jackson
Content: The bells of churches in the northern part of the Loop have been ringing all day - even for churches that ( Read more... )
Time: Throughout the day (Currently post-dated to Sunday, February 13th)
Location: St. Peter's Church to the café at Barnes and Noble on East Jackson
Content: The bells of churches in the northern part of the Loop have been ringing all day - even for churches that ( Read more... )
Deidre's eyes gleamed at the prospect, moving away from her father with wide-eyed excitement not unlike what was seen in children. Her form rippled for a brief instant and the dark-haired girl was replaced by a nightmarish creature, her skin erupting in metallic green scales and legs popping into backwards joins with a sickening crack.
But it was her hair that saw the most disturbing change. It lightened from dark brown to a bright metallic green shade, becoming as hard as diamond and a dangerous as any well-sharpened blade. It kept growing too, longer and longer until it reached nearly fifteen feet and it moved, writhing like snakes on the ground, supporting the demonic creature's weight.
Ruby eyes, now above the set of the too-human green eyes, glowered menacingly at the group.
"Now you see," Nicodemus said, looking altogether bored by the signs of tensions rising from the others across the street, "I did not come here looking to fight. In fact, I only came here to see one person in particular. I have no qualms about eliminating...roadblocks, as it were." Almost like an afterthought, his gaze fell on Neal. "Ah, Belias - you never did care for Deidre, did you? A shame - you two were quite charming together."
The demoness that had once been the pretty, doe-eyed girl hissed, looking from Neal and then to Dean, as if alerted to the ritual he was attempting to do surreptitiously. Nicodemus turned his attention to the blond man at the same time, eyes narrowing as his shadow bubbled angrily.
"If you are in such a hurry to make the same mistake your friend did, then I urge you - carry on."
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Okay, not the most elegant-sounding of spells, but backwards-speak wasn't always the prettiest thing in the world. It was also a lot simpler than her usual spells, but a little nudging of probabilities and energies around them would have to do.
Should things come to violence, be it from the demons in front of them, or some other unseen force, they'd find themselves safer and more protected than they'd be on their own. Whether it took the form of the unseen magical armor Zatanna wore herself, or just a second wind that would make things a little easier for her allies to dodge attacks, or just some inexplicable good luck, that remained to be seen. The magic would likely act a little differently for everyone.
[*ooc: Protect. Think of it as a buffer spell, whatever protective effect each player feels would be best for the character and scene.]
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However, once the woman they faced began to change, Galahad shifted his stance. The sword rang slightly as he unsheathed it smoothly. The spell settled around him as unseen armor as well. But it did change his tunic, bleaching it out and adding a red cross over it all. His coat of arms. Maybe it wouldn't offer any real protection, but it made Galahad feel more settled.
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She stepped beside Galahad, angled so that she was ready for a threat either to Neal or from Neal, hoping that the knight was prepared to cover Dean. Charity's alert gaze sought for the slightest shift from either Denarian, her warhammer still held ready in her hands.
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Fury. That conniving, selfish...
Nicodemus's cold, calculating frown fell on Neal, as if easily reading the thoughts running through his head. He shook his head. "Temper. Deidre, if you would...?"
A snarl escaped the fallen angel's throat and in a flurry of lethal, whip-like strands of metal, she launched herself at the group, too fast to even react, deadly ends already aimed at the hearts of Charity, Dean, and Zatanna...it would be over before it even beg-
A sudden flash of silvery light, and the crack of thunder.
And the demonness was crumpled on the ground, shrieking in surprised agony.
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Whether it could work with their type of fallen angels or even at all here remained to be seen.
(ooc: Banishing sigil that includes Enochian symbols designed for banishing angels away from an area. Canon hasn't stated where exactly angels are banished however.)
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"Amazing. Murderers, fallen angel or otherwise, are always so eager to lay guilt on the shoulders of others." She commented, her tone almost bored, more confidence in her appearance than had been in her before. Shoulders back, head up, and arms crossed, more so that she could tear off her coat if necessary.
When Deidre shifted forms, she watched with some interest, and most would think with a little too much calm, unless they were close enough to see her eye color change, ready to shift her own form as necessary. She was not quick enough to get any closer than Neal when the demoness attacked, and then the bolt of lightning. Instead of changing, she shoved into Neal instead, trying keep him from getting fried as well if any more were to fall.
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Demons inside their heads. The man couldn't be killed. Maybe... maybe she could at least cut them off from their demons? Or weaken the connection. It was worth a try.
She took a deep breath, and gathered up will and energy. "Snomed, eb decnelis! Peels nihtiw ruor tsoh!" Demons, be silenced. Sleep within your host.
If she were back home, she could do this in her sleep. Here... just doing that spell was making her unseay on her feet, and... she had no clue if it would even come close to working.
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Or, at least, he tried. Then came the flash of light and booming thunder with the girl falling to the ground. Galahad did his best not to let his heart be moved by her pain, but he did pause and murmured a prayer of thanks for the save.
Not that he was putting his sword away, yet. But it did give him a moment to get his feet planted under himself and ready to defend the young man on the ground if it became necessary.
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"Thank you, Lord," she murmured quietly, waiting for the next development. She knew better than to press any seeming advantage on Deidre, well aware that Nicodemus would be prepared to intercept any attacks meant for his daughter. The interception would most likely be lethal.
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"So, the war has brought them as well."
Lethal metallic strips writhing, the demonness that was Deidre slowly regained her bearings, rising to her feet, both sets of eyes blazing in fury at being humiliated in front of the group. She didn't turn to wait for her father's approval for another attack. Rage propelled her forward to the nearest person - Galahad - with a scream, blades of hair launching like dozens of sharpened razors.
And again, the sharp crack of something silvery-white like lightning, brilliant and pure, flashed between them, cutting off her attack.
Dean's spell and Zatanna's words seemed to coil around the demonness, and she screamed again, but didn't stop. She kept moving, kept trying to attack them - but each and every time, she was thwarted by a flash of silvery-light and the small boom of thunder. Even the shadows that extended from Nicodemus seemed unable to approach the group, to drown them in that inky blackness that had killed another young man only months before. They spilled harmlessly yards away and from the glowering look in Nicodemus's eyes, he had not been expecting this either.
"Well," Nicodemus murmured, his brow furrowed in thought, "it seems as if we have a situation here."
Every time there had been a flash of that mysterious light, pain sliced through Neal's mind and it was only sheer stubbornness that kept him from dropping to his knees in agony, although Jennifer's tackle did not help matters at all. He was only slightly aware that Deidre kept attacking the group despite the impossibility of it all, but that she did not dare move towards him.
What sort of ally is this?
Jaw clenched, he managed to grit out, "No - what we have here is a failure to communicate."
Silence. And then a slight smile from the other vessel.
"Yes, that too."
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He wasn't sure what was going on now with Neal and Nicodemus either, but Dean decided to go for broke.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,
omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii,
omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica," He began to recite part of the Rituale Romanum exorcism ritual, the Latin ingrained from long years of practice.
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"Then maybe we should all just stop. Tell her to stop and we'll return to talking calmly about all of this."
She found herself having to shout over the sound of the blinding lightning that kept coming down as Deidre tried to attack. But fighting seemed like it was only going to make things worse.
"Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. Call her off Nicodemus."
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"Something bigger is clearly going on here. I doubt either side here wants to be locked into a battle to the death when it hits the fan."
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He turned, paying attention to the strange man and the female. "Aye," he agreed softly, though pitching his voice so that it carried. "This fighting is helping no one." Least of all those attacking them. He kept his sword out, though he stepped back to a more relaxed stance.
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Eerily, the same expression was mirrored in Neal's face, except there was less anger and more...regret?
For a few long moments, there was silence except for Deidre's furious hissing as she tried vainly to make her way towards Dean, the ritual still falling from his lips. But something would wrap around Dean, something warm and placating, as if gently urging him, no, this is alright. Stop.
Nicodemus looked around at the group, as if memorizing all of their faces. When he finally spoke, his tone was colder than the most frigid of Arctic winds. "So be it." His gaze fell on Neal, and something in Neal felt the very chill of those eyes. "When we meet again, mortal, you will either give me those coins or you will die."
Well. That was no idle threat. And there had been no option given to the others. Neal's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. Didn't trust himself not to say something that would usually have Peter glowering and the rest of the agents groaning. It wasn't a bluff and he knew it.
What have you done...this is not right...
The darkness collected again around both Deidre and Nicodemus and then the streets were empty once more save for them. Glancing upward would confirm anyone else's suspicions.
The mist had vanished too.
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