Buildings and bridges are made to bend in the wind to withstand the world...

[shealone_stands]

A car loaded with teenagers pulls up in front of the Conrad. Finding parking in downtown Chicago is never easy, and Buffy is not willing to wait. She springs out of the car and races into the lobby - only to realize that while she knows the basement is where they keep the wanderers, she has no idea how to get there. Um.

The Doctor is wandering

Comments

[crimeatthetime]

Ohai thar, Martin. We heerd you liek demons.

Adrian looks at him, stopping where he is in the middle of the sidewalk. Blood. Demon blood. Demon blood--and Martin is obviously hurt.

He remembers the last time he tried to help an angel back to the Conrad after an apparent fight. But--

"What happened?"

[astrongerbeacon]

Martin stops walking. And blinks at Adrian for a minute. Of course. Well, he obviously can't avoid the demons, he might as well resign himself to it.

"I fell down," he says flatly. He pauses a moment, and then adds, "Of course, I was kind of helped by an overenthusiastic rakshasa, but the falling did happen."

[crimeatthetime]

Rakshasa. Of course.

Adrian takes a half-step forward to help Martin and almost recoils, the blood making him feel mildly ill. There's just something about it, seeing the vague reflection of yourself splattered across someone's face, an angel's face, that pumps out the adrenaline response of run, run, you stupid fucker, run. Adrian closes his eyes and shakes his head and holds out a hand.

"How bad's your arm?"

[astrongerbeacon]

Martin is trying not to look straight at Adrian. He's still fighting down the adrenaline rush from a fight, and adrenaline and archangels and any demon at all do not go well together. Rachel would probably be pissed if he attacked her boyfriend, unarmed or not.

"I'll survive. Might be broken, but... we've got healers." Not that Martin tends to inflict his broken bones on healing angels unless they insist. Though he's not wild about the idea of a cast either, for any length of time... Okay, he is not wild about any part of this situation, up to and including running into Adrian.

[takethechase]

Portia turns into a maned wolf, Casey. That is decidedly less cuddly. But it sort of counts. Ish.

Either way, she's spotted the cop from across the way and is homing in on her with the intent of... Who knows what. She likes Casey. Therefore, she will inflict herself upon the cop when the opportunity presents itself. Portia drops onto the grass next to Casey, just barely mindful of her suit. "Hey."

[andwhosearmy]

Casey turns her head to look at her, and smiles when she sees Portia. For someone she's only spoken to a couple of times, she likes the woman - though she does have to wonder if Portia's seeking her out, or just happened to run across her while on her own business in the park.

"Hey. Didn't expect to run into you here."

[takethechase]

"You either." Portia pulls out her flask and offers it to Casey in what's beginning to feel like ritual. She has to wonder if this is a bit like friendship, certain repeated sets of behavior that offer some kind of comfort through their familiarity. "Gonna get a dog? I had a goldfish once."

She pauses. "Dunno what happened to it, actually. Pretty sure it died."

[andwhosearmy]

Casey shakes her head a little at the flask, though she smiles a little at the offer. Portia's comment gets a little laugh out of her, and she shakes her head again.

"I think if I got a dog, it would probably suffer the same fate as your goldfish. Or at least be very lonely. Always liked dogs, though..."

[whateverthemess]

Karrin Murphy is in the park, wearing a set of hakama and a kimono she bought through the generosity of the people at the Prophet's compound. She's running through a set of Aikido drills, the slow, rolling motions soothing her despite the thoughts that keep trying to break through.

Motion. Redirection of energy--physical, emotional. It's so good to know she still has this, the simplicity of it. The clarity and power of it. When all else fails, she can find herself in the space motion creates.

[58diamondqueen]

Vansen doesn't recognize Karrin at first - the change of clothes and lack of a sword is a little disorienting. But after a moment, she realizes she does know her, and stops walking to watch for a moment. She never learned aikido, or anything like it - the closest she got were the karate classes her parents used to send her to, before, and karate for eight-year-olds is not quite the same.

She's still not quite sure what to think of Murphy, in general. (Who the hell uses a sword these days?) She doesn't mind having a moment to watch her while the other woman may not be aware of it.

[whateverthemess]

Murphy doesn't pay a great deal of attention when someone in her peripheral vision stops to watch. People have been doing that for the last half and hour--it's nothing new. When said person doesn't move on, however, her weird-shit-o'-meter kicks in and she takes in a few glances during the motions, reading face, hair, clothes in detail with each pass.

Well, then.

When she finishes her current set she stops, inhales, and comes out of her stance. A raised eyebrow, a tilt of her head--an invitation and a mark of curiosity both. Vansen is welcome to keep walking, but Murphy is more than willing to talk if the younger woman wants to hang around.

[58diamondqueen]

Vansen smiles a little, and moves closer now that she's fairly certain she won't be getting in the way. "It's pretty. Any of it actually useful?" Most of the fighting Vansen's been trained for involves guns, knives, or bar room (or... wherever) brawls. She's interested.

[prince_stupid]

Enter Ragnar, looking a bit beleaguered. It took doing, losing that guardian angel of his. He blinks up at Sydney, then down at the accumulation of cats. "I had thought once I no longer resided here, they would stop coming. It seems I was mistaken."

[mademeaweapon]

Sydney smiles a little at him, offering her free hand to him in case he'd like scritches too. "I guess they figured out they could get fed here. I don't think anyone really wants to chase them off... Are you okay?"

[prince_stupid]

"I am distracted," he says, rubbing his cheek against Sydney's fingers. "Thinking of my kittens and my home. Questioning the fact that I seem to have acquired a 'guardian angel'. I know not what to make of him."

A pause, while he contemplates her fingers instead of rubbing his head against them. "And I am uneasy. Cy says strange things of late. The city is on edge. A human might say it seems no more tense than usual, but that human would be quite mistaken."

[mademeaweapon]

"Oh." Well, that's not... terrifying at all. Sydney's survived a few very localized apocalypses in Chicago, but she gets that that's not what Ragnar's talking about. "Maybe it's a false alarm. The way things have been lately... Wait. You have a guardian angel?"

No offense, but he's a cat. She didn't think they... got guardian angels.

[chimaerasaurus]

Abby thrusts her way out the Kashtta's doors, stretching and twisting until her back gives a pleasant crack. It's a beautiful day in her head, regardless of the actual weather. She's got a job. Something real, this time. Something that required her to let the zoo know she'd probably be MIA for a day or three. Nothing big-big, maybe, but worthwhile.

This makes her happy.

[mademeaweapon]

Sydney tips her head back to look at Abby as she steps outside, and smiles a little. It's nice to see someone happy around this building, at least. "Hey. You look pleased with yourself."

[chimaerasaurus]

"Hey!" She tips Sydney a little salute-slash-wave. "Just heading... out, for a bit."

Out. To save rift-animals from smuggling bastards. Oh, this will be fun.

There's a pause as she weighs her options, the benefits she's found in impulsiveness, and then grins. "Wanna come?"

[mademeaweapon]

Sydney pauses a moment, considering that. Out, in Chicago, could mean a whole lot of things. But hey, she's not doing anything, and she's generally capable of taking care of herself, and...

"Why not?" she says, rising to her feet with a grin of her own. "Are we going out anywhere in particular?"