Everything Is Never as It Seems
Characters: Declan Coyne and Clare Edwards
Time: After he appeared in Chicago
Location: Between the Bean and the hotel - walking back to the hotel.
Content: Catching up. Declan needs answers.
Format: Prose
Warnings: None ( Read more... )
Time: After he appeared in Chicago
Location: Between the Bean and the hotel - walking back to the hotel.
Content: Catching up. Declan needs answers.
Format: Prose
Warnings: None ( Read more... )
"We're in a city based on Chicago, only due to the rules there are monsters here. Vampires and folk lore stuff mostly, I've fought goblins before. Wizards are on our side," Clare omitted that some vampires are on their side for the moment, best to keep it from sounding too much like any past fictions she has written involving... well, both of them.
"I found her out here a few weeks ago, she's fine. We went out shopping the other day," Clare will omit the girl talk as Declan doesn't need to know that. It was kinda cute how devoted the two were to each other's wellbeing. She missed that with her own sister... but Darcy's been gone for a long time even before she came here. "She's adjusting rather well to this."
"Maybe it shold, but I've got the sword and know what's out here and how to fight it," Clare smirked back, enjoying the fact that she's got a bit more worldly experience than Declan. ...even if the subject wasn't one she'd want more experience with.
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Okay, he was busting her, but seriously. Vampires and wizards and monsters. He really didn't like that. Though when she confirms Fi's safety, he relaxes a little. "I bet she loved that." He smiled again. "And I'm glad."
He didn't want to reveal Fi's propensity to become unstable. Declan knew she had a tendency to hit the bottle pretty hard. His mother mentioning it when she had to deal with Bobby's lawyers. He might have been protective of her more than normal, especially since everything that happened with Bobby. He was just used to Fi's eccentricities, kicking himself now for what he thought was Fi being Fi.
"Well look at little Clare with a sword. I'm sure you can write a book worth of interesting stories now." He said as he started back towards the way she came.
"So tell me what I need to know. You mentioned sides. What are we fighting over? Why are we here? Is there any idea how we get back?" He flooded her with questions.
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"Shut up," The confidence she was calling on quickly vanished as Declan tore into one of her more sensitive embarrassing high school memories. Kissing his neck at school. She undid her Kevlar, letting it slip down to show that her blouse had a rather low back. Low enough to show off five scars, like those you would get from claws cutting into flesh, "I didn't write stuff like this."
"It was... not like any shopping I've done before," Clare left out exactly what they were up to during the shopping trip, what they talked about. Revelations they both had. She pulled her Kevlar back into place and started toward the hotel again.
Clare flushed and let the comment about her writing what happened here go. It was nice to have that vote of confidence in both her writing and that she'd been on quite the adventure... but after all this she really wished for normal again. That could wait for after the rundown of Chicago and all its issues, "We're fighting a grand multi-dimensional evil spreading to worlds upon worlds. Most of which we know as fiction. Harry Potter is in the city. We're here being protected from the darkness so we can fight it... we're all here to help in some way."
"Which still doesn't explain why we are here, or Fi. We are well out of the league the others are in."
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"Shopping with Fi tends to end up that way." He smirked at the thought. Shopping was the woman's calling. She was also good at therapy sessions while shopping. Call it a knack. The thought made him.
He listened, nodding. "So something big and we're all like the protectors of our worlds. And Harry Potter is here." Declan pondered this for a moment and smirked. Okay, a little odd, but okay. "I wouldn't think any of us were the people to pick to save our world."
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"It's fine, that one is just poorly placed. It wasn't very painful when it happened," The legwound she got at new years hurt a lot more than the claw to her back. It hurt but it was far less problematic than the whip of barbed wire. She figured Declan would tease but it wasn't the time for jokes like that... really.
Although the idea of biting his neck did appeal to her.
"It gets weirder," Yes, Harry Potter and saving the world were the not weirder bits, "The people behind this place and building up a way to fight this evil? Prominent features of history books. The likes of Einstein and Houdini." She was right there with Declan about how they weren't the optimum choices for this sort of adventure. Even doing her best she hasn't been able to be very helpful... or keep out of trouble... or not make deals with evil multi-century old sex vampires. Her face fell thinking of how much she didn't belong here, losing sight of all the ways she's done very well for herself.
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Declan took in the surroundings, taking note of their path back to the hotel. "So we're fighting a bunch of historical figures? Great. Do we have any advantages? Besides like Harry Potter." He asked some more. "How do they work? What do they do?"
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"Safe is relative," Clare agreed. "The streets are safer when you know what to expect. But safer still is the hotel."
"No, fighting for a bunch of historical figures. Against someone from Arthurian legend. I think I know who it is but speaking her name gives her power, so its best to leave that be," Clare thought about the rest of his questions, rolling them over in her mind. What advantages did they have? Six months here they've been fighting uphill blind the entire time. Sure, some of the people in the city had power, skills, training, or heart to go with this, but...
"Well, I think being the good guys is an advantage. My story shouldn't end in evil destroying every world. That'd be really depressing," Clare looked smug with that answer, confident. Eternally optimistic. Then she sobered a little more to truth, "We have a half dozen wizards, a few professional demon hunters, a few professional demons and vampires, some heroes I'm pretty sure are from Japanese RPGs, and a few more oddities. Such as a demi-god and an alien princess reincarnated in- you know what, let's just say we've got advantages." It'd take hours to really cover what she's learned from everyone in town.
Clare cocked a curious look to Declan's last questions, she wasn't sure what part of this he was asking about, "They work, they do?"
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"We sound formiddable at least. Are there many like us? Just regular humans?" He replied. "And I meant how does the otherside work. You mentioned vampires and fae? Like how does this all work? Being here, being stuck here?"
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"You party too much," Clare commented with a small sigh. To be fair that was a pretty valid alternative theory of events... for him, less so for her mind you, "Want me to pinch you to prove you're awake?" A part of her suggested she should say bite in place of pinch, but she didn't think she could manage the sentence without losing her nerve.
"Um... if your definition of 'regular human' is simply a matter of capabilities and not experienes?" Clare figured that was the best standard to use, as if you included a requirement of normal experiences she doubted anyone outside the three of them were qualified, "Sam and Dean Winchester, Mrs. Carpenter, Ms. Murphy, Eames, Joan, and Ms. Johnson most likely count. There are others that might count, but if I were to start naming them it would only be an estimated guess."
"We're... not entirely sure. From the sounds of it the greater evil ignites and enchants the existing darkness of other worlds. Granting them powers and drive to bring worlds closer to ruin. Here the primary footsoldiers are Vampires. Three different kinds, some like the classic Nosferatu story and silent films vampires. Decaying bodies that cannot move after sunrise. Giant evil bats, they feed on blood and cannot move in sunlight. And White Courts, they feed off life energy through powerful feelings. Despair, Pain, and Sexual Bliss." Clare gave Declan a pointed look as she mentioned the last feeding habit of the White Court. A thing she knows about Declan's reputation, and thus worries her he might be all the more in danger of.
"Faerie folk come in two kinds, the kind that really like talking and making deals. And the kind that really like eating children and causing massive property damage," Clare glanced at Declan, "the former is more dangerous. Deals don't get broken with fae. Also there is no need for money so no matter what you do never pick any sort of coin up ever in this city." She won't go into the gritty detail of Denarians, but at least Declan should know about the coins and not to touch them.
As they arrived in front of the hotel Clare started on the last thing, "We don't really know how this all works, except we're trying to defend ten pillars and only nine of them are safe. We haven't been told exactly how we win, or what happens if we win. Only what happens if we lose... let me save you a lot of time and just say beyond your worst nightmares."
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Declan looked up the hotel when she headed toward it and grinned. He'd been there. In their world though. But this was definitely not their world. What would the Coynes say if they knew where their children were? He smirked again before heading in.
"So what are the current operations like? What's going on now?" He asked, feeling like he was almost caught up.
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"That would be the gist, yes." Declan's attempt to sum things up worked, Clare decided his version was very succinct. "But... when you get past the terror, how big it all is... it's really exciting," Clare grinned, embarrassment washed over her face for a moment. She didn't mention it much, it seemed tacky to mention except to people she trusted. Declan she figured might understand the thought a bit better than others.
Clare waited till they were inside and she was out of her kevlar before answering. In case Declan was a Fae trying to trick her. Up until this moment she hadn't shared anything that wasn't already publicly known. "We're trying to get an item to help turn the tide in this battle with darkness. To get that item I need to find the Holy Grail. I... haven't had much success yet. I need to work on it."
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"Well if you need me to do anything, I'll help as much as I can." He told her, watching her peel off the kevlar. What? He was a guy, she was disrobing.
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"Know any secrets to becoming a knight? Cause that's how the we get the Grail," Clare didn't notice Declan was taking great care to watch her kevlar come off. Which is probably best as she might faint otherwise. Now that she had more access to her shirt she cleaned off her glasses and smiled at Declan. Still no alarms from the wards so he was the real deal.
"So..." Clare worked through the mental checklist of important things, why they were there, what was going on, what could kill you... right! Food and supplies, "I mentioned it earlier with the never touching coins, none of the stores take money. They think they do, you can get clothes and food anywhere in town. We should also get you a room." Clare blushed slightly as an errant thought raised to the surface of her mind, that her bed in her room was plenty large enough for two.
"We should also find Fiona, and let her know you're safe and here. It'll make her day," Clare scrambled to find a line of thought away from the past thought she had.
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The Coynes grew up just having each other after all.
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"Right, this way, her room is near mine," Clare was glad Declan didn't continue his teasing right now. Her current state, and the possible ways that this meeting could become uncomfortable she would rather be as composed as possible when they see Fiona.
Clare pushed the nerves and worries aside as the elevator headed to the floor they would find their fashionable classmate. It wasn't that long a walk before Clare stopped at a door and knocked, "Fiona, I found someone that wants to see you."
Fun thing to notice, on one side of the hallway someone has painted a mural of people dancing. On the other side a starlight horizon.
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