☆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

[panspermia]

Yan had been so convinced it was for his own health. Was that his own thinking, or had they forced it on him?

"So there's what we're doing already.... what Blanche wants us to do... and what he doesn't want us to do...?" He shakes his head. "How're we supposed to tell them apart? It makes my head hurt."

[giglio_madonna]

"If only I knew." Sighing, Luce leans back and starts to rub at her fingers. It's all one big mystery, and not a fun one either. People are dead, after all.

"Not going against him is probably at least one thing he's interested in, at least."

[panspermia]

"That's the big one, I can tell you that much." Blanche made that crystal clear. "He doesn't want any of us getting any bright ideas or whatever after all this." Greg's never been much for bright ideas in the first place.

[giglio_madonna]

"With a display like that, no doubt he's thinking it'll keep everyone in line." For once, Luce's smile isn't bright and cheery, but darkly sardonic. "Yet if we don't try to figure things out, us and those we care about are still in danger of getting hurt."

[panspermia]

"We're in danger either way." That means the logical thing to do is to try and press forward, but...

[giglio_madonna]

"You know what they say: knowledge is power." Reaching over, Luce gives a squeeze of Greg's shoulder. It's pretty heavy. The whole night is, with everything that went down. Any reassurance she could give would seem like lip service...

"I'll talk with some of the others and see if I can figure out anything. I'll tell you if anything pops up, alright?"

[panspermia]

Sure enough, Greg can only think of more worrying things that could happen to Luce with such a goal. She's smart, resourceful, connected, and brave, but Edward Blanche is... himself.

"Be careful, all right?"

[giglio_madonna]

"You say that like little old me could get in trouble." More seriously, she nods to him. "But don't worry. I won't be reckless, at least certainly with no reason to be."

[panspermia]

The problem is there surely will be reason for recklessness before long. In spite of his reluctance, Greg returns the nod. "I'll hold you to that." She wouldn't be Luce if she did any less.

[giglio_madonna]

Nothing short of her best smile is given to him as she gets up. Right now, it's all she can give. "I do have my band to look after, so I can't leave them in a rut just yet! I should go check on them one more time. But Greg... You can always come and see me, alright?"

[panspermia]

He returns her smile as best as he's able. "Hey, don't worry about me." His guitar gives a twang of reassurance. "G'wan. I know where to find you."