Who's afraid of the sun? Who would question the goodness of the mighty?

[unprodigalchild]

There's a naphil in Grant Park. Actually, there are several nephilim and a Time Lady in Grant Park, but they're some distance away right now. Melissa is sitting on the edge of the fountain and staring intently at... nothing in particular, at least nothing that anyone else can see. Emily's been saying something's been coming for a while now, but now

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[cleverblasphemy]

CJ should not be alarmed by the monstrous figure climbing out of the lake.

Raziel really should learn not to do this sort of thing in broad daylight but in his defense, he didn't exactly plan to be in the lake this time. He just... got into a scuffle. With a few humans. And then a very large... something. If xenobiologists want to identify it, there'll probably be footage up on YouTube before the night is out.

He hops up onto dry land, wringing out his scarfcape with a superfluously lugubrious sigh. Because even his nonlingual communication has to be pretentious. He looks at CJ, considers feeding, then dismisses the idea. He's hungry, but it doesn't seem worth it right now.

"If one were to lodge a complaint against this city, its feral animals, and the masses who inhabit it," he says, half-talking at CJ, half-talking to himself, "to whom would one wish to speak?"

[shiksafemnista]

Maybe CJ shouldn't be alarmed, but she is. Just a little. Because the monster from the Black Lagoon just crawled out of Lake Michigan, and now it's talking to her. It takes her for a moment to get from there to processing his words enough to structure a reply.

"I'm going to have to say God, but I don't exactly have any connections in that department." Her connections seem to run in the opposite direction, and God, she was trying not to think about that.

[cleverblasphemy]

"In which case I imagine I'd have little luck as well," Raziel answers, completely ignoring the fact that she seems to be looking at him like he's going to eat her. It's fair. He was considering it. "My experience with gods has been that they are far more interested in advancing their own aims than seeing to the needs of those whose lives they so casually appropriate."

He takes the scarf off entirely, shaking it out and revealing his complete lack of a lower jaw in the process.

"...which I suppose lends a certain credence to the idea that the Rift is some god with its own plans for this world, loathe as I am to accept that."

[shiksafemnista]

CJ does not stop eying him uneasily as he takes off the scarf. The lack of a jaw is a little unsettling, for one. How is he talking?

It seems a little rude to ask.

"It's... a popular theory, from what I've heard. It doesn't hurt to have someone to blame... I'm sorry, is there a reason you were just in the lake?" Yeah, all the questions she could ask and that's the one she picks. CJ has her priorities straight.

[sinsofskin]

Leona has seen nephilim before. They tended to spring up after the War, with the odd bedfellows and the comfort women and all the bastards resulting from them. She wasn't expecting to find nephilim children in Chicago, though, so when she sees Melissa on her stroll through the part, she has to pause and take stock.

Then she adjusts her path, walking up to examine her more closely. There's not much point in playing harmless, of course; not when those things can tell a demon as well as a demon can. But she's not one to grab random children off the streets unless circumstances really demand it.

"Anything interesting on the other side?" she asks, pausing at the edge of the fountain. Okay, so not all nephilim can muck with the Rift - she thinks - but she's not up on her hybrid physiology. You hear things, around the Organization, and what she's heard suggests that naphil kids Sense Stuff. One day she's going to run into rephaim and be severely put out.

[unprodigalchild]

Melissa jumps. She'd been so focused on the Rift that she didn't notice the demon approaching until she spoke. For a second, she looks up at Leona, eyes wide. Her eyes dart briefly in the direction of Donna and the other nephilim, but return to Leona after a moment.

Demon. Rakshasa, which makes her scarier than most demons. Her voice is even softer and quieter than usual when she answers, "Yes." She pauses a second, and then adds, "I don't... know what it is."

[sinsofskin]

Leona can practically smell that fear. From a tiny little girl, it's... not that intoxicating. Make her a full grown man, and that'd be a different story, but terrifying children doesn't even give her half a rush. It's too easy.

She smiles - a bit unconvincingly, if we're honest - and shows her palms in a gesture of harmlessless before turning back to the fountain. Let the lady indulge some curiosity, Melissa. That's all she wants here.

"Bigger than a breadbox?"

[unprodigalchild]

She nods, harder than really necessary, biting her lower lip. It's easy to feel, here in the park. Not that it's exactly hard at home, but the Rift opening there is small, so small it barely fits a person. Here, the whole Rift is pressed so close to the skin of the world that it stings, and with every breath there's the possibility that it might tear open.

"Bigger than a breadbox." Not that she's exactly sure of the size of a breadbox, but it sounds small, anyway. "Bigger than all of us."

[cyfor]

"Didn't get. Were got."

Ignore the tiny British kitty's lack of grammar, CJ. Cy jumps onto the bench and climbs into CJ's lap without waiting for an invitation. "Hi."

And she flops onto her back.

[shiksafemnista]

CJ starts a little, but a moment later she recognizes Cy and relaxes a little, smiling faintly at her. After a moment, she reaches down and scratches her belly. She may be a talking cat, but... well. Still an adorable kitten who doesn't seem to mind being petted.

"Hi there." She's not going to question that first comment of Cy's. She knows by now it'll just turn them both - and mostly CJ - in circles.

[cyfor]

"You're twisting windward already." Cy stretches and starts purring. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."

Easier said, fuzzy.

[shiksafemnista]

CJ smiles, just a little. You try not smiling when there's an adorable kitten purring on your lap, talking or not. "I'm sure that would be comforting if I knew what it meant."

[sittinontrains]

Jamal is staring at the girl carrying the jar with a similar expression of perplexity. He tilts his head to the side and leans back. He'll eventually figure out what she's doing...

A few minutes pass which feel like hours to an impatient kid.

Or not.

He climbs to his feet and wanders over to her. "What are you doing?"

[howmuchisfate]

Shilo jumps a little, startled to hear someone talking to her. She's almost on top of the butterfly when he does speak up, and after a surprised jerk, she goes absolutely still, trying not to frighten it away from where it's landed on a park bench.

"Catching bugs," she whispers to Jamal, edging a little closer to the butterfly with jar at the ready. "Shhh." This is important. ...apparently.

[sittinontrains]

Jamal is still confused. He doesn't understand the word 'bugs' exactly, but assumes she means the butterfly. He could figure out that she was catching it, but the why was lost on him. Maybe he should have asked that instead.

He creeps up behind her as if he thinks he can somehow be of help or be enlightened by getting closer. It's just a butterfly.

"...why?" Jamal has the sense to whisper this time. He apparently has no patience.

[howmuchisfate]

Shilo lunges and drops the jar down over the butterfly, grinning in triumph for a second before she glances back to look at the kid who keeps asking questions. She's never really had to deal with kids. What are you supposed to do with kids?

"I... collect them. Or I used to. I kind of had to start over since..." She shrugs. "They're pretty."