☆TRACK V: I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE PT. 2

[interdimanagers]

Who: Everyone in the last part of the log.
What: Everyone has a terrible night.
When: December 7th, 2054
Where: Naomi's ocean side mansion, followed by a secret Pride laboratory.
Warnings: Violence, blood, and at least one murder. Vague gore. NPCs being unhinged in a threatening way, though it's possible to have your character avoid ended up in the ballroom if you don't want to see this mess.

☆I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE The bubble has burst. The chaos of the night’s violence has finally boiled over into something uncontrollable – blood has been spilt, screams have been heard. No matter where you are in the mansion, you know by now that something is acutely wrong. Multiple members of Pride have been hurt – possibly killed – and you may still have no idea why. Some will try to escape. Some will try to fight back. Yet, as any rebellion starts to descend, a piercing note - a melodic cry - will summon you towards the ballroom. It can be resisted, in part - but only as far as you find yourself frozen in place instead of moving forward, at least while this spell holds. It's drawing you to the source...if you follow it, maybe you can stop it. The compulsion is strong for members of both labels. The cry seems to echo long past its termination point, to be heard wherever you are. If followed, it will bring you to Naomi Rivers in the center of the ballroom, her expression creased with strain. Though you may desperately want to strike her, something intangible is holding you back. "No!" she shouts at any Virgo nearby. "It isn't done! You need to...you need to finish this!" She'll point desperately at the nearby Pride, rendered unable to flee. "Get them now!" You don't want to. "Do it!" The compulsion weighs heavily on you - for Virgo, to act, and for Pride to surrender themselves. All subtly has disappeared. This last effort is unconcealed and nearly hysterical. You feel yourself slipping beneath the soundwaves. Power rolls off of her, the energy thick in the air, like something you can taste and smell. You can't do this. "I command-" The fabric of space-time cracks like a peal of thunder. All at once, the spell shatters.

Comments

THE CONFLICT + VIRGO AFTERMATH

[interstellarnpcs]

Lesedi has appeared behind Naomi in a flash like fire and starlight. Her hands is outstretched, and Naomi body convulses around it. Lesedi's hand has materialized within her chest, parting flesh and piercing it as sharply as any blade.

Naomi's song fades on a single note, and she is left to fall at Lesedi's feet. Lesedi's hand is left gorelessly sheeted with Naomi's blood, the true nature of the blow hard to make out for a distance. Lesedi is alight with wrath, her eyes wild with it - nearly insane with it.

"What have you done?" she roars, her eyes cutting into nearby Virgo, an inhuman light radiating from within. She takes a step forward, blood still dripping from her hand. "What...have...you...DONE?!"

She raises her blood stained hand, prepared to strike whoever she finds closest. Before she can, Edward Blanch suddenly appears across from her with his own hand raised, energy dissappating around him like a crackle of static. She squares off with him, stepping forward.

"Lesedi..." he says tersely.

"Raise a hand against me, and I swear I will kill them all," Lesedi snarls, before her tone rises into the wail of a wounded beast. "THEY WERE MINE!"

"Please," Blanche says coldly. "You have already taken more than your share. Did you really think it would never catch up with you? That I would just let it 'slide?'"

"Traitor! I'll kill you!" His laugh in reply to her threats is chilling.

"You were the first to break the rules of this game. It's about time you learned there are consequences for your insanity."

Lesedi disappears in another crack of thunder, and then appears directly before Blanche, her hands rent into the shape of claws in her fury.

"Coward! Disgusting, pathetic, coward! At least I had the nerve to take them with my own hand!"

"We are even, Lesedi," Edward says, unflinching.

"Fuck you!"

"We are even. Blood for blood."

"NO!" Lesedi roars, and then pulls away, as if revolted by him. She casts Naomi's body a disgusted glance, before glaring back at him. "This isn't over. I swear to the heavens...for every one of mine that dies, I will take one of your own. With my own hands."

Her eyes have blankened into something lightless. She looks to the other members of Pride.

"Come," she says. A few moments later, they will all be torn from the mansion, and taken somewhere else, leaving Blanche with only a body and what remains of his Virgo.

[TLDR: Lesedi got mad and teleported all of the Pride out of the building. There will be a followup for Pride members posted in the next little while, but please reply to this topper for last minute Pride reactions to things as this scene unfolds, and then for the Virgo aftermath, now that the spell has been broken.]

EDWARD BLANCHE

[interstellarnpcs]

[Edward remains, long after Lesedi has vanished. He stands before Naomi's body, staring at it blankly, his expression more contemplative than remorseful. He hasn't given any order to anyone yet, either musician or managerial staff. He is silent.

Blood slowly oozes across the floor.]

TIGER, AS THEY TELEPORT

[tigermillionaire]

Tiger sees it all go down. One moment, he was almost certain he was going to die - one of the Virgo was going to finish him off, like Nia had tried to do before. Maybe it would even be Greg. Or Luce. Or any of the others that were supposed to care about him.

But then Lesedi 'saves' them, and things only seem worse. He can move again. He can think again. But the only thing he sees is something awful that he doesn't even really understand, and he finds himself stumbling back in revulsion, a hand clasped over his mouth. He's in shock.

No. No. Please No.

Lesedi turns to the rest of them, and he's terrified. He's scared of what she'll do. She's so angry. He doesn't want to go, but he knows something is coming. He tries to find Greg in the room, reaching out to him in a panic.

"No...DAD!"

That's all he can get out before they vanish.

SANS...DOING HIS THING

[exhumerus]

When Naomi dies and the spell breaks, all Sans can really think about it is a dull "oh."

Oh, that just happened. Oh, he guesses someone was rooting around in his head all night. Oh, he tried to kill some totally innocent people for basically no reason. Oh, he let Greg wander off into a war zone while he stayed outside and smoked pot.

Oh.

The return of sanity comes the return of totally rational fear and discretion, which has him mostly quiet, after the Prides leave. Blanche isn't saying anything. Naomi is dead. Hoo boy. He feels weird and bad.

"Welp, I just peed a little," he says, way too loud for the volume of the room.

Luce

[giglio_madonna]

1

[After checking on Naomi and Blanche, Luce can be found to the side for a moment. Her black jacket from earlier in the night is missing, and blood is staining one cuff. She has her head in her hands.]

[She... just needs a moment.]

2

[And then the moment passes, and Luce is hurrying about the place- a true woman on a mission.]

Alright, everyone gather up! Is anyone hurt? Scared? [As if anyone wouldn't be.] I'll take care of you if you need it!

[Which is exactly what she'll be doing as long as they're still stuck in this damnable place. Anyone who looks shaken up, not quite there just yet, she'll be finding them and getting them out of the room.]

[She's not sure what the plan is, but a good first step is getting everyone out of the room where the corpse is.]

MEANWHILE, HIDING IN A BEDROOM

[hanginginthere]

[Bai Shen is not - so - blissfully unaware of the events below. he is buried in pillows and blankets, trembling as he convinces himself desperately not to move, not to leave, not to hurt anyone else

there's something to be said about resisting a compulsion on fear alone.

he ain't saying it, just whimpering to himself. ] I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home...

[wickedlyable]

There's a lot to take in. Okay, no - there's a veritable assload of shit that just went down that she's going to need to process at some point. But first, Johanna is going to stumble onto the nearest balcony and vomit into the garden below.

Not because she almost killed someone. Or did kill him. Or two people. Or- she doesn't know, all she knows is that's not why she's sick, because apparently she's done this before. She remembers, clearly, the way the axe had looked sticking out of that girl's chest, and she remembers knowing she put it there. Holy fucking hell. She was going insane.

And that wasn't even the part that affected her the most. It was losing control. It was being taken advantage of so easily. She looks down at her shaking hands - they're still covered in blood, just like her dress, Squalo's blood, because she'd almost killed him. Anger boils in her chest, but for the first time, it isn't controlling her. No, the feeling that overwhelms her is clearly guilt and disgust - at herself.

"Holy shit." Maybe this is what shock is. Not knowing whether she's been swearing at herself for ten seconds or ten minutes. Not really noticing if anyone comes up to her unless they say her name.

CHRIS

[neonmonstrosity]

[Chris is... He doesn't know what to do. He's sat on the floor at the edge of the ballroom, back pressed against the wall, spliff gone out from inattention and hands drumming idle beats on his knees while he tries to calm down. He's used to drama at parties, but this isn't drama, it's murder. It's fucked up fucking murder and some bullshit label rivalry and all Chris wants to do is go home, get high and go to sleep without thinking about any of it.]

[He keeps thinking, 'Tony would know what to do, Jal would know what to do,' but those names don't mean anything to him and that in itself is another piece of shit on the whipped bullshit sundae that this night has become.]

[Chris drops his head back with a thunk as it hits the wall and a groan of frustration; he just wants to go home.]

[thelittlemerman]

[Finnick is as far away as he can be from Naomi's body without leaving the room, and he can't tear his eyes off of her. His clothes are soaked through from the pool, but this is not of immediate concern to him as he steps backwards until he hits the wall, a pillar, something to stop him in his tracks and then slide down so he's sitting on the floor.]

[It's almost a relief, that he wasn't the only one to lose his head at this party. Looking around, it seems that some have done even worse than him - at least his victim didn't lose any blood and walked away. Can his colleagues say the same?]

[But in the same sense, can he? The image of Naomi with her chest torn through like that is too close to the boy he saw with the trident sunk into his lungs. Was that part of this nightmare? And if it was, what was it supposed to do? Spur him on rather than stop him in his tracks? In any case, he probably shouldn't tell anyone about it. Pretend it didn't happen. It's time to put this whole thing behind him and keep on moving.]

[Except he can't right now because he's almost catatonic.]

Tsuna

[dame_tsuna]

[After talking to Blanche, Tsuna wanders away from the crowd a bit. He just.... he can't deal with this right now. He just tried to kill someone. That's... a little hard to wrap his head around. He wonders if Xanxus is okay?

And, oh God he dragged Nia into his plot too! Even controlled or hypnotized or whatever that song did to them.... how could he do such a thing? He's the absolute worst. He should have been stronger, tried harder to resist, something. He doesn't know.

He... he should go find Nia, make sure she's okay. Except for now he's just gonna lean against this wall, and try to remember how breathing works.]

[giglio_madonna]

[And there's Luce, gently kneeling down in front of him as she looks upwards. There's a handkerchief in her hand, which she raises up to wipe at his face.]

Tsuna?

[loveconservative]

[It's Nia who finds him before he finds her. Her face is tear stained and she looks like a wreck. Greg was able to snap her out of it--to stop her before... before she killed someone else.

So when she sees Tsuna leaning against the wall, rather than any words, she throws her arms around him. She might still be crying, but he's okay. No one retaliated against him. Lesedi didn't hurt him. But the threat "for every one of mine that dies, I will take one of your own."

God. How many deaths will Nia end up being responsible for? She might have really killed three people on her own--and one with Tsuna. Her grip is tight and she's clinging and fighting absolute despair.]

It's over. [She says it like she's trying to convince them both.]

PRIDE AFTERMATH

[interstellarnpcs]

No matter where you were during the party, you'll suddenly find yourself in a grey-built room lined with devices that fall somewhere between surgery tables and hospital beds. The ones here are all empty, but as you appear Lesedi is already standing at a door leading into a new area. The door is made of heavy metal, and locked.

Those that were taken away for 'treatments' all those weeks before will recognize this place - in essence, even if not in the specific sights. They'll remember sensations of cold metal, unforgiving machinery, and pain.

It only took a moment to arrive here - gone from the beach house one instance and here in the next. It feels weird. Disconcerting. Worse, because Lesedi is just as mad as he was when she pulled you all here in the first place. Everyone with critical injuries will have been removed from the group, their present location unknown. Except for Xanxus, who is lazily propped up on one of the tables out here.

"You!" she points at the huddle of confused Prides, her words sharp and furious. "Don't...any of you do anything. Don't...you dare try my patience now. You know what I can do to you, and I will not make it so quick."

She puts her hand on the door and it starts to open. She is clearly still distracted with her thoughts.

"This is his fault. He...he's ruined everything!" she's busy ranting to apparently no one in particular, though the way she swings around to face the group again makes one feel like she's expecting your condolences. "He knows how much this will set me back! That spiteful fucker! Half a dozen, at least!"

She turns again, putting her hand on the doorway.

"Unless, I...I could still..." She clenches her fists, her arms shaking with the pressure. She turns back to those left with minimal injuries. "You! Two of you! No...three! Help me right now! I demand it!"

[You can use this section for after the event reactions from Pride members. The first three people who tag into her thread will get whisked away to endure Lesedi's ranting for a bit longer, but the rest will be able to rest. A couple 'doctors' will arrive a bit later to attend to any non-critical injuries with the weird scifi equipment.

If you have anything to say to Lesedi, she may humor a brief conversation before leaving. If you really want to deal with this shit, that is.]

LESEDI SANTIAGO HAS A TANTRUM

[interstellarnpcs]

[You do feel compelled to obey her, either out of fear or something else. Where did all the others go?]

Re: PRIDE AFTERMATH - Xanxus

[variaboss]

There's still ice clinging to him. There's actual icicles in his hair. His lips are bluish and his teeth are chattering. But he's there. Probably dying slowly, but what can you do. He's still trying to work this out. What the hell...just fucking happened.

Sort of hard to think about anything because his brain is been pretty much shut off by the cold. He probably took/drunk something he shouldn't have either and it's the cold that's keeping him relatively alive still.

And it's a testament to being Xanxus that he slowly forced himself up the wall in the corner he had been dumped. He'll get himself taken care of eventually, maybe. He's got something to say.

"What the actual fuck." Still, he's not stupid and he's putting two and two together and getting there was a noise.

[maipokerface]

Tonight has been a night. Tonight has been a really damn annoying night. Mai makes it back all in one piece unlike some others but it's not without it's cost too. She's still damp if not to the point of dripping anymore, has a few good spots that are bound to turn into bruises in the next few days and a few good scrapes and scratches here and there.

Lessedi takes time out to rant and rave while dragging off a few Pride members and Mai takes time to roll her eyes at it all as she snarls in irritation herself. She's pissed and tugging with some irritation at the ties of her oxhorn buns that have all but fallen out now.

The person closest to her gets asked, "Have you seen the rest of Crown of Thorns? Aramat, Artolo, Tooru, Wolfram?" She lists off the names in quick time.

[scalpedsociety]

They took Squalo away but it doesn't help. This party has been awful and all Tamara can do is sit in a corner with Squalo's blood on her dress as the doctors check her. Her face is unmoving, and frankly she's cried enough about waking up to her student's body.

She just wants to go home.

TIGER UNIVERSE | OPEN

[tigermillionaire]

Tiger is a mess. He didn't want to be here. Moments after they suddenly arrived, all he can think about is how he had wanted to stay with Greg so badly, and how he had been torn away from him again so trivially. Tears are still in his eyes.

"Dad..." he mumbles again, more quietly. The sinking realization of where he is only makes things worse. It's the labs again. He remembers them only in bits and pieces, but just seeing these medical beds is enough to terrify him. At first, all the can do is whirl around in a wide eyed daze of horror, the sound of Lesedi yelling bringing on a desperate sense of panic.

He flees, running on prey-like instinct, and sinks back into a corner and just curls up into a ball. He's way too scared of Lesedi to yell or fight, and he can't find most of his bandmates. It's just him and Molly, now.

Why is this happening to them?

GREG, BACK AT VIRGO HQ

[panspermia]

Not long after the worst of it went down at Naomi's, Greg made himself scarce. He needed the time to himself, to process everything. All the way through when they're shipped back to the Virgo Tower, he's too dazed to do much in the way of talking.

Once back though, he's easy to find. All anyone needs to do is follow the sound of music. The gentle, melancholy sound of guitar drifts over the patio of the shared space in Virgo. Maybe some people would think it inappropriate, after all that happened, but it's the best thing he can think of to try and calm himself down. He's scared, confused, and lost, but through his music, he can feel a little bit like a human again.

In turn, anyone who listens to the music may find it calming as well, speaking to something in their hearts; Greg's melodic power is unpracticed and unconscious, but it seeks to soothe some of the damage done to peoples' souls this night.

[loveconservative]

With Tsuna all right and everyone intact, Nia has been trying to get away from everyone. The music draws her, though, and... her hands finally seem to stop shaking. She hasn't really stopped in hours.

When she tracks down the source her eyes widen and she almost bolts, but she feels rooted to the spot at the same time. When her feet do move, it's toward Greg. And she lets the words come out before she stops them.

"You stopped me."

[trustme]

Doctor doesn't expect to sleep tonight and he begins pacing in the halls at headquarters, waiting for signs of the bandmates who had gone elsewhere for the night to arrive home safely. Then he hears Greg playing and his restlessness dissipates for the time. He remembers then his own words earlier that evening. He had said that music was how he escaped bullies all his life. Why not turn to it again, old friend that it is.

A little while later Doctor came walking down the hall to find Greg with his cello and bow in hand. "Hello," he greets him with a tired smile when he finds the man playing his guitar.

SANS IS HERE cw: drugs/substance abuse

[exhumerus]

Sans never really made it back to his penthouse. They were dropped off in the shuttle bay, of course, and ushered back up to the shared living areas...but Sans didn't really find himself willing or able to complete his journey to his actual house that night. There didn't seem much used to it. One, he got distracted on the way, and two, he didn't really feel like going to a place where there were other people who were probably going to bother him about stuff.

So, naturally, after stopping to get himself a bit more 'medicated' on the way, he allowed his natural lethargy to consume him nowhere in particular - in this case, towards an isolated end of the patio, next to a trash can. He literally falls sleep on the floor with a smoking blunt still in hand, because hey, ending this night by making good choices would just be dishonest.

He ends up sleeping there, concealed by a couple leafy potted plants, until Greg has already been playing for a good long while. If anything, it's Greg's performance that lets him sleep as well as he does, in such a fucked up place. When he blearily becomes conscious again, he almost feels calm enough to...well, to do something that isn't laying around and smoking. And he finds himself curious about how long he's been asleep, and whose playing.

Of course, when it's Greg, that leads to some mixed feelings. He feels weird and shitty about everything that went down, and he's nowhere near sober enough to fully rationalize that it wasn't totally his fault. He's also not sober enough to avoid and awkward social situation instead of just blundering right into it.

So, maybe it's kind of weird when Sans just abruptly emerges from the bushes (clearly having been there the whole time) and sits down somewhere nearby, reflexively re-lighting his blunt. Hey buddy. Hey. He makes sure to start things off on a polite note.

"Heeyyy...still alive, huh. Heh heh."

Nice. Like, he already knew that because Greg had been there on the return trip and stuff, but...for some reason it feels worth saying.

[cherishthistag]

Like a lot of people, Undyne is kind of a mess right now, tired but lingeringly restless, and the soothing sound of Greg's guitar draws her to where he's playing.

She just stands there at first, watching and listening, and feeling some of the evening's sharp, prickling distress begin to smooth out, at least a little. Then, almost suddenly, she sits down a little way from him with a heavy sigh, pushing a hand through her lingeringly chlorine-damp hair.

"I guess this beats chucking a chair through a window."

[nibelungvalesti]

She ought to stay away. After what she'd done, after what she'd thought -- she had no right to see Greg again. She ought to stay far away. She was a monster, a nightmare given flesh! ...and yet the music drew her because it soothed her. She needed it more than she needed to protect Greg from herself, even though knowing that hurt her.

Meril sank to her knees next to him, her arms wrapped tight around herself, and let the music wash over her.

[giglio_madonna]

It is a soothing melody. Almost strangely so, in fact, and Luce finds herself wondering if this is what Squalo was speaking of when she ran into the man at the Music Festival. It reaches deep down inside, and she stands at a distance for a while merely listening.

Soon enough, however, she drifts closer and sits down with him. "How are you doing, Greg?" she murmurs, because fussing over others still does her better than anything else.