veneration (cw: destruction by fire)

[ewestmarch]

[The communicator is propped up on a small kickstand, in what seems to be a dirt lot. In front of it is a crude straw doll, twice life-size, bound to a wooden fencepost.]

Can't believe it's taken this long for one of you to die.

[Emilia's voice is somewhere behind the camera, and her shadow falls over the doll. Flames crackle and streak like a projectile to strike the doll in the center of its chest. It catches immediately and begins to burn.

Emilia recites:]

We are the chill in a coward's spine. We are the instruments of an unyielding ire. We burn the wickerman as a symbol of victory against old enemies. Those who fear and revile us as monsters will be struck down. In the face of atrocities, we have only grown stronger. We are the Forsaken.

[She pauses. The doll is still burning, but has lost its shape - it is mostly sticks and ash now.]

Dark Lady watch over you.

[Optional Spam, open to all:

In the streets of Blackway, a huge, rotting creature shuffles, leaving pools of foul liquid in its wake. It's twice as tall as a human and three times as wide. Four, if you could the cloud of flies around it as part of its radius. The smell alone is overpowering.

It's carrying a durable plastic bag filthy with the same ichor, filled with sewing supplies and topped with a hand-written shopping list in thin, spidery penmanship.

If you own a shop, it might poke its head in there, too. Its sense of direction isn't very good.]

Comments

[most_feared]

[He knows Boone is convinced otherwise, but he's still prepared for the worst. But it's Kay, he's always prepared for the worst]

It's dangerous out there. He was willin' to brave it. [That's something that can be respected.]

Action

[ratkicker]

[After that unnerving video, Jade takes a much-needed meditation break to get her mind off of that. It sounded too much like some sort of zealous propaganda, and from experience, this sort of speech never leads to something good.

Hopefully this doesn't lead to anything big.

Once her mind's calmed down, she goes back to review the family portraits she look the day earlier, picking out which ones to give to her most recent client.

A terrible smell eventually catches her attention, and the familiar opening of the door at Jade & Co. catches her attention makes her look up.]

Can I help you wi- [Oh Jesus what is that what is it holding.]

[With no time to waste, Jade whips out her staff and jumps over the counter, prepared for the thing to attack.]

[givessweetness]

Exactly what was the point of this little... display?

let me know if this is ok

[una_persson]

[Una, out and about, doesn't see the network post. What she does see is the flame along the fence line, and she picks up her pace in alarm. It doesn't seem to be spreading, and as she draws closer, she can make out a person standing nearby.]

Hello? Everything all right?

[ewestmarch]

Not that much safer in here, is it?

[ewestmarch]

[Emilia rolls her eyes, not that you could tell with the uniform yellow sheen.]

It's a holiday, asshole.

100%

[ewestmarch]

[Emilia turns, wand drawn, and steps between the newcomer and her pyre. She's scarcely more substance than the doll, mostly bones and fabric, but like hell is security going to interrupt her.

Unless it's not them.]

Oh, it's you.

[Her Standard is accented but passable.]

None of your business.

Action

[ewestmarch]

Rrrwwwr.

[The thing fixes mismatched eyes on her staff and freezes, like a rabbit in front of a several-times-smaller cat.]

[una_persson]

[Una stops, holds up both hands, showing them empty. With Emilia backlit, she can't quite make out her features, but can see her angular shape and the fact that she has something in her hand.]

If you say so.

[ewestmarch]

Why are you over here, huh?

[She wishes she had her flesh golem. It's not too safe to have him around fire, though.]

[una_persson]

I was feeling restless and I needed a walk.

[She realises this sounds like the worst possible lie, but it's the actual truth. Una has a lot on her mind these days, and stretching her legs in solitude is the only way she can manage it. And she does go out armed; she's not a complete idiot, and she knows what dangers lurk. But this seems like a bad time to have her firearm out.]

[givessweetness]

[You can tell Wynter's eye roll.] Expecting people to know your customs and assuming you can take someone's death for your unnecessarily public ritual without explanation is offensive. Asking for that clarification is common sense.

Don't act the victim here.

Action

[ratkicker]

[It doesn't seem to be aggressive, but Jade isn't too sure that it's not dangerous. Still, she doesn't want to hit that thing and have whatever it's filled with burst and spill all over the shop, so she assumes a more aggressive stance, pointing the staff at the thing and taking a confident, harsh step closer.]

Hah! [Just a regular attack grunt from her.]

[ewestmarch]

That's bullshit. I'm not doing anything illegal!

[ewestmarch]

I'm not taking anything. It happens this month every year.

[ewestmarch]

[It flinches and whines. The noise is plaintive but still a low, distorted grumble.

It hides the bag behind itself, clumsily.]

[una_persson]

Never said you were. [A wry smile.] I'm not security, you know.

[most_feared]

In it's own way. We got a better way to watch out for the risks. Out there, there's barely anything.

[ratkicker]

[To her surprise, it doesn't try to hit her, but instead looks like it's frightened of her.

Good. She takes another step closer.]

[ewestmarch]

Yeah, you're new.

[Emilia drops her hand to her side, but doesn't sheathe her wand.]

Well, I'm still not doing anything.

[ewestmarch]

[It's against the thing's nature to run, but not to reach one massive hand to clumsily grab for Jade's staff.]

Rwrrr.

[una_persson]

[She looks at the burning thing again, and an odd look passes over her face.]

It reminds me of—

[A pause, then she shakes her head.] Never mind. Something long ago and far away, I expect. Sorry to trouble you.

[ratkicker]

[Jade hops back in surprise, now convinced that the thing is actually trying to hit her. Fortunately, she's much more nimble than the monster and flicks the staff away from him and close to her body.

It's extremely tempting to fight him right there, but the mess would be impossible to clean up, and be especially back for business. Obviously, she needs to lure it outside and fight it there, hopefully keeping it away from the regular civilians.

She ducks and rolls, attempting to get around the monster and towards the door.]

[ewestmarch]

[She rolls past it easily. Well, now it's just confused. Where did the lady go?

It looks around, under all of its arms and under a nearby table.

???]

[ratkicker]

[She stands up once she reaches the door.]

Hey! Over here! [Her staff is out again.]

[ewestmarch]

[The flesh golem twists its head around but can't see over its own massive, hunched shoulder. Instead, it begins the laborious process of turning around in the tiny space.]

[ratkicker]

[It's awfully slow, and she notices it bump into one of the tables she sets out for clients. But she still waits for it to go outside.

A small group of people start of gather outside the building, but surprisingly, they're not panicking. Nervous, yes, but not so much as most people would if they saw a disgusting flesh monster about to leave a store.]

[ewestmarch]

[Finally, it does turn and sees... lots of people, wow. It frowns and shies back, this time clutching the bag to its chest.]

Rwrr.

[ratkicker]

[Now it's...scared? This is definitely a lot easier than some of the other monsters she had to deal with, but it also means it will be more difficult to get it out of the shop.

At this point, one of the members of the crowd taps Jade on the shoulder and whispers to her. Apparently, they've seen this monster before, and its never actively tried to hurt anyone yet, but just...looks really creepy.

Now this is embarrassing. Jade puts her staff away and stands up straight, shifting her weight from foot to foot.]

So...you can come out. I won't attack you. [Can it understand human speech?]

[ewestmarch]

Hmr?

[Uncertain. That's a looot of people.]

[ratkicker]

[Now she feels a bit sorry for it?]

Can you understand me? You can come out? [She takes out her camera. Maybe that will catch its curiosity? Anything to get it out of the shop.]

[ewestmarch]

[It inches forward out through the door, clutching its shopping bag. It did leave a snail trail of goo behind it in the threshold, though. Sorry about that.]

[ratkicker]

[That's so gross. But hopefully it's not worse that cleaning the living room after the kids tracked in mud.]

Hey, everyone? Try to stand back a bit.

[ewestmarch]

[The abomination is coaxed out into the street and its tiny head pivots back and forth.

What if it just. Sneaks away?

It tries, in possibly one of the least stealthy maneuvers of all time.]

[ratkicker]

[Jade will let it walk away from the area if it doesn't try to attack anyone. However, she will sneak a photo or two of it. She'll have to ask the others what that thing is, and pictures of rare species always sell well.]