View source for What The Hobo Brought In

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/11/26
|Location=Manhattan - Twilight Detective Agency
|Synopsis=It's a stormy evening in Manhattan, and sometimes even the King of Hobos brings in a lost one for help. Too bad this time it's Leida...
|Cast of Characters=Deidra, Will Sherman, Riku, Mercade Alexander, Celina Duvalis,  Leida
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>The Twilight Detective Agency is upgrading, but the essence remains the same. <br /><br />Gone is the scent of ramen and pizza, instead real food scents wafting through the air on occasion. Jazz continues to get played almost 24/7, except for an hour near midnight where it flips to a radio talk show, then back to jazz. <br /><br />Mercade himself is taking a nap. A nap consisting of lying back in his chair and snoring, with a noir mystery novel spread over his face. He does this a lot.

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riku has taken a mystery novel from Mercade's location and seems perfectly content to while away an extra hour. He still looks a little beaten up and weary, so an afternoon of jazz music and reading is something that appeals. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, turning a page and continuing You Play the Black and The Red Comes Up by Richard Hallas. Crime, double crosses, femme fatales, the seedy side of life on the edge of nihilism. Safely contained in a book. How novel.

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Celina Duvalis may be the reason behind this. <br /> <br /> However, this time of night, the den mother of the crew has instead sprawled out on the single couch in the lobby - Mercade uses his chair, she uses the couch. Will gets the top of a bookshelf. <br /> <br /> She is reading a romance novel, to counteract the book Riku's got.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will enters the door suddenly, looking concerned! <br /><br /> "Hey uh...I found a girl down in Manhattan...she's...I think she came from some bad place." he says, shaking his head. His eyes don't lie, SOMETHING was up, but something wasn't showing for him. <br /><br /> "I didn't get her name,... She's downstairs coming up kinda slowly." he says to Mercade and whoeever is in the room. He's kinda panacy.

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> EARLIER...<br /><br /> Outside, the weather has taken a turn for the worse with storms rolling in to shroud the evening sky in various shades of black and grey. Rain pours freely upon the City that Never Sleeps. From above it would appear that a sea of umbrellas, all shapes and colors, make their way through the always busy streets like schools of over-sized fish pushing and moving in a steady stream.<br /><br /> Brilliant lighting brightens the clouds for a few moments, a cacophonous explosion of sound puncuating its authority like the hammer of Zeus crashing upon an anvil only to rumble and retreat, content to merely let its presence be known. A few pedestrians peer out from beneath their protective canopy to gaze up at the storms but most pay it no mind.<br /><br /> As if the mood of the city were a reflection of the overcast skies, people grumble and curse even more than usual as they go about their business. A lone figure wanders the streets amidst this dreary backdrop, alone in its lack of protection against the punishing rains. A few people cast glances at the small girl, her hair matted down against her face pitifully, but no one bothers to help. Occasionally a particularly rude or annoyed person crashes into her and sends her tumbling to the pavement like a ragdoll but she simply picks herself up a few moments later, barely seeming to notice the array of scrapes and bruises she's accumulated.<br /><br /> Eventually the figure wanders to the front of some nondescript building and turns into the alley here leading to its entryway. Observers might wonder why she waited until now to get out of the rain but that doesn't seem to be her goal, as she walks straight through a massive downpour of gutter water spilling from the roofs above, completely soaking her to the core.<br /><br /> Curiously, she looks around in confusion for a few moments and then wanders over to the door and peers at it silently, tilting her head to remember something important. Finally after several minutes she reaches up with her tiny hand and raps on it with her knuckles then resumes watching it like a bird.<br /><br /> NOW...<br /><br /> Having been let inside out of pity or confusion, Leida mills about the entry way, casting her sleepy gaze over the various things here. Having come from a world of swords and sorcery, she's never seen things like telephones before. Despite Will's insistance that she follow him, she seems more interested in poking around first.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mercade snores a bit more, when Will suddenly bursts into the room. "Wha? Huh?" Mercade groans, the book falling to the floor as he straightens up and stares blearily at Will. "I'm, uh..." Seems to take him a second for his brain to engage when he wakes up. <br /><br />And then he sees who Will just brought in, like a cat out of the rain. <br /><br />A cat that likes to eat people. Mercade abruptly falls out of his chair with a crash as Leida enters and starts poking around. "WAAAAAGH!" Mercade yells. He starts fumbling for his guns. "OH MY GOD, IT'S HER!"

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riku doesn't take his eyes from the book. Nightmare images flicker past his eyes making him jerk slightly in the chair. He turns a page. "Will? If I didn't think the building would collapse on top of me to prevent it, I would strangle you. right. now." that he says this in such a calm and offhand manner matches his actions. <br /><br /> Riku has respect for books and so does not launch the noir novel at Will's head like a missile. Instead he puts the book down and leaps onto his feet, sword already in hand. "Not again. Not here."

:'''[[Deidra]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Deidra has been chilling out really flying about the city, torming the dumb mugger's trio, unknowningly making Vinny's life even more hell too she really didn't mean to. Either way here she is coming back inside and into the building. She's heard Will calling out about trouble sure, well a hurt girl and here she comes. "Right I'll see what I can do will. Shouldn't you have taken her to the hospital?" She's unaware just yet as to who it is yet.

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Celina hops to her feet in a fast second - and when everyone starts arming up, she pulls off her necklace, the entwined greek letters sitting in her hand as they start shining.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "...I...what?" Will looks confused! Both Mercade and Riku were going to shoot?! He turns towards the woman, focusing her eyes on her...and taking a step back. Will is just staring at her...the strings of fate looking for...something. However, the darkness is there, but that doesn't mean anything...RIGHT RIKU? However...something stirs! <br /><br /> "...She was already downstairs, I found her on my way out of the rain." he says. "What...is that..?" he says, something stiring again. <br /><br /> "Look guys, what the hell is going on here!?" He's still very close to her, confused as hell.

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Leida face is mostly obscured by her wet hair, the bangs plastered over her narrow eyes. She seems completely oblivious to the militaristic response being mounted to her mere presence. While it is probably true that if her powers were unleashed in these small confines with no prior warning the small girl could make a right mess of the situation in a hurry.<br /><br /> However, that is not what happens just yet. Instead she seems content to make a literal mess, tracking massive amounts of water and dirt all over the floor as she drips the evening's downpour. She turns idly at the top of the stairs and crouches down to inspect a discarded pizza box, flipping the lid open to peer inside before moving on.<br /><br /> Turning towards the gathering storm of another sort before her, Leida tilts her head quizzically and gazes from one person to the next. After a moment she smiles faintly and slowly brings her hands together infront of her chest.<br /><br /> "Ah... Lord Mercade... Lord Riku... how nice to... see you..."

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riku points to the message point tacked up in the lobby silently. There is a note there that is fairly recent as well although with older news. "Hello Leida." he says to the girl that Will brought in from the rain. <br /><br /> "It's a long walk from the countryside. Will, can you get her a towel or something? She's sopping wet." Riku gives Will a meaningful look, dissolving the sword but looking no less tense about the situation.

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Finishing a liquid string of Latin that anyone in the room probably would have a hard time following, Celina rolls the still glowing necklace back onto her neck, the two letters pulsing between silver and gold lazily. "Okay." She finally asks, her warm voice crisp. <br /> <br /> "What the hell is going on here?"

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mercade finally comes up with his gun, pointing it at Leida with an ominous CLICK. <br /><br />For an ominous moment, hit hangs there... And then he sighs. "fffffff-" He says, trailing off, and dropping the weapon on the desk. "Hello there, Leida. No need for formalities, I'm just a detective, no lord... How are you doing today?" Mercade says, his voice tense even if it is friendly enough.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Slowly...very slowly, Will just kinda goes to get a towel, coming back into the room after a moment, and hands it to Leida. <br /><br /> "W-Wait, did you say Leida?!" he says, Will turns back towards her, suddenly...concerned. Then back at the guys... <br /><br /> Then back at her... <br /><br /> Then back at the guys... <br /><br /> "THE *GOOSEHONK*" Will looks around. "Who has a goose this time of night?" <br /><br /> Outside, a Goose is sitting across from the TDA. He didn't get his bread today Will. He's Hungry. >:E

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> The girl's head swivels to follow this new person she's never met before with subdued curiosity, as if he were some sort of weird bug she'd never seen. When Will returns she just looks at the towel blankly for a moment before reaching out to take it from him with gentle care. She inspects the object from multiple angles, turning the folded cloth this way and that in her hands which eventually causes it to unfurl. This new development apparently warrants further inspection because she tilts her head to the side in that childish manner of hers and resumes fiddling with it.<br /><br /> Another peal of thunder interrupts her little game and the girl wanders over to the nearest window, peering out into the grey rain-soaked streets.<br /><br /> "Oh... how pretty...! the storm is washing the lands..."

:'''[[Deidra]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Deidra now realises hd'd been working on the repor but she see whom it was. She just stare not raching for her spell book at least not yet. "Yes Leida." She shifters now for a moment she just stares and she's got a really bad feeling about this. She's not making any hostile moves just yet. She seems ready for trouble given how this thing devoured 50 people yesterday ya she knows how dire this is. What little she knows she suspects the girl? She's long dead and is little more than a home for something terrible but she makes no actions at least yet. She knows where they live now this is bad.

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Leida. What are you doing here?" Riku walks across the room to lean against the wall, folding his arms. He has positioned himself inbetween Will and Leida, with his back to a wall and out of Mercade's line of fire as much as possible. "It's okay, Celina. Deidra. We're just jumping over bad dreams and shadows. Which we don't want again, particularly."

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Mercade." Celina's warm voice is the one that brooks no arguments. <br /> <br /> "What in the /world/ is going on here?" She asks, sliding the still glowing spell-symbol underneath her shirt.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mercade sighs, quietly putting the safety back on the gun and putting it away. For now. He turns away from the desk and sets his jaw, turning to help Leida dry off, giving her some towel-drying. "Yes. The storm helps wash the land, and gives the plants and people the water they need." <br /><br />At Celina's question, he looks over his shoulder at her, possibly taking his eyes dangerously off of Leida for a moment. "Leida... has a little problem." Mercade describes. "She's kind of possessed by an eldritch horror."

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will looks towards Riku...if this woman who he says she was... <br /><br /> But she wasn't...no, no Will knows better...something is hiding, and he can only see it swiming deep there...strings of darkness are there...and a fractured string...an important string. He takes a breath...but...where... <br /><br /> He looks worried towards Mercade, and then follows the woman (and Riku) towards the window. Will, doesn't look older than seventeen himself. <br /><br /> "Yeah. We just call it a thunderstorm. It's hard to say why we get them...something about moisture and condensation...but..." he pauses, thinking, "Other people say that it rains when the gods are sad."

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Leida looks away from the window and follows the towel up as it is taken from her hands but she doesn't seem to mind. A cute 'ah' escapes her when Mercade gives her a scrub down but again she remains passive and calm. Not that this probably does much to help the nerves of the people staring at her as if willing the eldritch thing inside to manifest itself and just get it the hell over with.<br /><br /> When her head emerges from under the towel again, she looks at Riku and her eyes go distant for a moment. "I... don't know..." She looks around at the interior of the apartment space, as if trying to figure out where exactly 'here' is.<br /><br /> "I think... a voice told me to do it... hehehe..."

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riku is going to break something in his head again if he stares at Leida boring a hole into her at this rate. He pauses, rubbing his eyes tiredly and shaking his head. "Right." he has a momentary suspicion, but he doesn't chase the thought and it dies before it can fully unfold itself. The voices could come from anywhere. She probably had a multitude of them, and one in particular. "Well, thank you for visiting. It's been absolutely nerve-wracking. Can I show you the door?"

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will kinda looks around... <br /><br /> He looks back at Leida... He looks at Riku... <br /><br /> "I'll even give you an umbrella to keep your head dry." he says. Will is a good guy! Even to the evil darkness of insanity. "But...uh..." he kinda feels bad about putting her out there...

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I don't know." Mercade says tightly. "But it can control the Darkness and summon Heartless. She's a danger out on the streets as much as here. I don't know... why... she somehow made it here..." <br /><br />He stands back up, and gives Leida a pat on the head before stepping back. "I don't know what to do here. Leida, how are you feeling? Are you hearing any weird voices right now?"

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Celina flops back onto her couch. <br /> <br /> "I am too old for this bull." She declares to the ceiling.

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Leida gives a sleep smile and giggles again, less creepily, as she's pat on the head. She turns to look up at Mercade and shakes her head from side to side slowly. "I cannot hear it... any more..."<br /><br /> Her hair and clothing are still moist but the drizzle of excess water has been turned into an occasional drip that adds to the scatters puddles on the floor. She glances over at Riku and Will, both of them staring her down though the former a little more intently. The girl suddenly cringes under their gaze and looks down at the floor as their suggestions finally filter through to her conscious mind.<br /><br /> "Was I scolded...?" She askes the air, as if the voice in question might answer back. "I'm sorry..."

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"but then it's not OUR problem is it?" Riku asks Mercade flatly, wincing slightly as he listens to how that sounds in his head and backpedals from the reflexive answer. "What are we going to do, Mercade? Wait for the pin to drop?" he laughs a little scornfully. "God. You've both have a lost puppy reflex, don't you?"

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will...looks down. He...WANTING to help, but at the same time...she's dangerous. Will's humanity kindof gets in the way of the obvious solution...he won't even consider it. However, what can he do? Worse...what if she hurts people... <br /><br /> Then Riku is colder...and he sighs...he can't say that he's wrong either. Emotions! How do they work!?

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I think we all are, Celina." Mercade replies. <br /><br />He folds his arms, leaning against his desk and sighs, then winces at Riku's unspoken solution. "I don't like it." Mercade replies. "I can't just kill her out of hand, Riku. If there was a way to save her..." He says...<br /><br />And then he grimaces. "On the other hand, if she /did/ kill 50 people already like that, we can't afford to sacrifice their lives for hers..." He thinks.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will grunts... <br /><br /> Then, without warning, he moves right over to Leida. He grabs her hand, "We're going on an adventure. NO TIME TO TALK!" he says, before litterally trying to run, or drag, her down the stairs and out the front door. <br /><br /> And then right towards the nearest portal.

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will drags Leida off. Celina opens her mouth, thinks about it, closes it, and just looks at Mercade. "All yours, boss." She says, finally.

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riku unfolds his arms, leaning away from the wall. This time he's glaring at Will, his teeth grit as the sword appears in his hand again. He shakes his head. "No. I'm not going to stand by and let it happen again." <br /><br /> This is followed by Will dragging Leida down the stairs and out the door, and of course he's stunned by the action and stands by, and lets it happen. Yeah. Riku goes from calm and collected to frustrated angry teenager easy. " WILL! DAMNIT!" he bolts down the stairs in pursuit.

:'''[[Deidra]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Deidra is just kinda ya not wanting to prevoke she doesn't doubt will's desire to help she may have to put him in contact with Aerith about this but they have. She then watches as Will does one of the bravest things she's ever seen.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Will grabs Leida and bolts. "WILL, DAMMIT!" He yells in a copy of Riku as he, too chases after. "GET BACK HERE!" <br /><br />Unfortunately for Mercade, Will's even faster than he is, at least in his Favored Terrain. This isn't going to end well for anyone.

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Celina Duvalis watches most of the room desert. "... I'm going to go have some chocolate pie. You want any, Deidra?"

:'''[[Deidra]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Deidra says "I'm afraid it will have to wait I got to go stop Will from getting his soul devoured!" She bolts off after Will. "You have your magic come on." She'll grabs Celina and pull her along if needed.

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Leida hunches her shoulders as the others talk over her like she's not even in the room, which is rather disheartening. Her index fingers interwine back and forth and she stares at them intently, quietly waiting for someone to pay attention to her again.<br /><br /> And then, in a move so bold it might be heralded as the ballsiest thing ever done, Will rushes forward and latches onto her hand. The hand of a being well known to be inhabited by pure festering darkness that derives joy, and worse, /sustenance/ from the suffering of tortured souls. It will make a fine epitaph, probably<br /><br /> . The girl is so caught off-guard by this that her normally dream-soaked eyes go wide as dinner plates. Leida gives out a shrill squeak of surprise as she's hauled almost off her feet by the speedy youngster, barrelling down the stairs and out the door into the torrential rains once again before she even realises what happened.<br /><br /> Struggling to keep her footing at speeds she's definately not used to, the girl stares at her 'tour guide' as she's dragged forward mercilessly by her wrist.<br /><br /> "An... an adventure?" She manages to get the question out over her lungs' frantic attempts to keep fresh air flowing into her tiny body.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will continues his run, as he looks back to the girl who is now on a wild run with him. "Yeah! We're going on an adventure! Don't worry, we'll stop running once we're there. However, you have to run WILDLY to get to the adventure! That is the first rule of adventure...running is involved! Also traps...and treasure!" he says, grinning... <br /><br /> God I am so stupid! <br /><br /> Riku is heard behind him as is Mercade. Sorry, guys but he's going to take this...he brought her in, he feels that she's going to be his problem. The portal is just ahead. <br /><br /> "By the way! I'm Will! Nice to meet you Leida! My official title is 'King of the Hobos.'"

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mercade continues chasing throughthe rainstorm. <br /><br />Idly, a side train of thought starts as soon as he hits the rain. 'God, I wish I had my hat right now.'<br /><br />He is /so/ going to get that Mistress of Games eventually. Anyway, Mercade continues chasing Will and Leida. "GET BACK HERE, WILL! THIS IS NOT GOING TO WORK, DAMMIT!" Not that he has any better ideas, but that's the principle of the thing!

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riku doesn't care about hiding his powers at this point. His friend has pretty much thrown himself to the wolves and it's such a.. collossally STUPID thing, such a reckless thing that he has a instinctual reflex to dumb people (who shall remain nameless) doing very, very DUMB THINGS for what they probably think are the best reasons. He chases after them. He tries to help them. Then he pounds to almighty freaking CUSTARD out of them for their good deeds. <br /><br /> This is one of the secondary reasons he became a swordsman. So this custard beating could take place at regular intervals and with a minimum of inconvieniences like actually losing. "I'm going to kick your ass WILL. I'm going to kick your ass so hard you time travel back to the beginning and have to start everything over!" <br /><br /> Not losing also involves running FASTER, and he can do that, so he stops yelling at Will and just /runs/.

:'''[[Celina Duvalis]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "I don't have magic for this!" Celina wails as Deidra drags her out into the rainstorm. Like a cat, Celina is not pleased.

:'''[[Deidra]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>GOOSEHONK IT WILL! You one it this time but they can't leave Will to the girl. If she's still even a girl. She can't be one to therow around the term monster lightly given what she is but damn that girl ate a lot of people. She can also fly once they get out side she's got the air advantage. "You can use your den mother powers then!"

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> The two youngsters tear through the crowds and the rain, people moving to get out of their way or simply getting pushed aside by the overenthusiastic charge. Leida doesn't say anything else, simply closing her eyes against the driving water as it assaults her unprotected face. Her breathing becomes heavy enough that her gasping heaves can be heard over their splashing foot falls but somehow she manages to stay on her feet.<br /><br /> And then the portal comes into view.<br /><br /> Like a switch was flipped in her head, Leida plants her feet and jerks to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk. She does not pull free of Will's grip but neither can he move her another inch, her body heavy as if it were made of lead. The girl's eyes go wide and she stares into the distance at the place where the worlds are connected, a look of utter horror on her face.<br /><br /> STOP<br /><br /> The voice in her head is powerful and firm. It blots out her thoughts, driving them into the dark recess of her mind and leaving only its forceful command behind. Her body obeys without question.<br /><br /> YOU MUST NOT LEAVE<br /><br /> The voice erupts with sheer force of will, shattering against the walls of her conciousness. She twitches, tears pouring down her face as visions of dark empty halls flood her mind. Blood stains the walls, dried and flaking into a thick ash that covers the floors. She stands in the middle of a large room. There are no lights. No people. She is alone with the darkness.<br /><br /> "No..." Tears roll down her face, mixing invisibly with the rain as she hugs herself tightly. "I don't want that...!"<br /><br /> TURN BACK<br /><br /> "I don't want to be alone...!"<br /><br /> Time seems to slow down, the people on the sidewalks staring at the strange display freezing midstride. The waterfall from the sky becomes thousands of invidual droplets hanging like crystals of an elaborate chandellier. Leida looks up, the dark touch of an unseen hand guiding her thoughts towards the one thing she fears the most. There can be... only one outcome.<br /><br /> "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"<br /><br /> A pillar of sickly purple light erupts from the ground like a geyser, stretching away into the heavens beyond the reach of sight. Negative emotion flows freely from it, insidious and caustic to all life. The flood gates have been opened. Prepare to reap the whirlwind.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> There is a problem... <br /><br /> She has Will's hand... <br /><br /> The pair STOP as she digs her heals in, slowing down the pair... <br /><br /> Then the explosion tears out all around them...the negitve emotion...it saps Will's strength. He is down to one Knee, the negitive emotion is...SOMETHING. He can feel himself...those things...bad things...Three hundred years of life, builds up all at once it is released. She can feel it, the soul weighs heavier than it appeared. <br /><br /> Then there was something else. Something DEEPER. <br /><br /> Something dark and powerful stirs in the heart of Will Sherman, Will might be old...but this thing was /eternal/. It was, however, asleep, she draws upon it's negitive energy, the maddess suffered for thousands of years...but it only stirs, as if shaken, and rolls back to sleep. <br /><br /> For that brief moment... <br /><br /> <span class=" bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hr">EVERYONE CAN FEEL IT</span> <br /><br /> Will is on his knees and one hand, he is shaking...but dispite all of that...it gives him an opening, because the thing that hid beneath her surfaced. <br /><br /> The punch goes, aiming to grab IT's string... <br /><br /> Will's voice is low, powerful...speaking in a language that nobody can understand, and then his hate filled eyes look into Hers. She can FEEL the words... <br /><br /> <span class=" bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hr">Why do you awaken me from my peaceful slumber? You have not the power...</span> And then it yawns...the hand TWISTS the string...trying to shatter it, but it is far too weak to be able to do that...instead it only looks to disrupt the magic that woke it... <br /><br /> Instead Will snaps back into awareness and falls back, staggering...

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mercade chases after the pair, not yelling anymore as they cut out of sight. They're almost to the Central Park portal... <br /><br />And then there is the explosion of Darkness. Mercade watches it lance into the air, and he promptly slips and falls under the flood of ambient energy and force. "WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" Mercade yells, helplessly. He's caught up in something he doesn't understand and he's not sure what is going on. He doesn't even see it. "WILL, DAMMIT!" He scrambles back up, and tries desperately to catch up.

:'''[[Riku]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riku cries out in panic and fear as that upsurge of darkness surges out of Leida, his mind wrenched to a screaming halt by the palpable SLAM of the energy reaching him like a wave of force. He stumbles, sneaker catching on the pavement and sloppily recovers in a three point crouch, the breath knocked out of his lungs by the sheer outpouring of negative emotions.<br /><br /> His mind cowers behind flickering images but they seem as brittle as glass now, not the impenetrable bulwark he had thought them to be. The images shatter one after another, drowning him in the negative tide of emotion. <br /><br /> He tries to hold on, but he's taking in too much. He fights but he's not ready. He's not the man in the vision, in the dark dream. And because he is not that, because of the nightmares and the fear and the panic.. He starts to drown, to flail and thrash in his own mind when. It. He. Whatever.. It shows up and the Rogue Wave sends him down for a final time. <br /><br /> That sense of darkness. That indirect looming sense of hate crystallizes around him and it feels like someone has stabbed him through the heart while he is desperately thrashing for purchase. Riku in the world of the surface and not of the mind gasps faintly, the only noise that passes through his lips as he crumples soundlessly to the concrete.

:'''[[Deidra]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Not all creatures of the night are evil. Gargyoles are much like humans, good bad and b ut there are things that can hide in the dark of terrible power. She can only stare mouth open in shock? No fear she can feel something an terrible power something very old, very powerful. It didn't even wake up. No it just basically mumbled in it's sleep. She doesn't even think about the rain pelting her she just stares in pure abject horror.

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Something stirs to life within the girl, something is both is and is not herself. A mind, ancient and hateful, slithers to the forefront with a soft hiss the emanates from the very air all around, everywhere and no where at once.<br /><br /> The demon fills the girl like a tidal wave, surging through every facet of her being and replacing it with darkness. The process is not pleasant but then it was not a pleasant creature. Suffering drove it, fed it, amused it... it took great pleasure in tormenting every living thing it could. But its power was not omnipotent. There were always things greater than you in the universe.<br /><br /> For an instant one of these beings was troubled by its own awakening and shifted in its slumber. A conciousness reached out and touched the shadows and they recoiled wildly, for once feeling the same pain of being unmade as the countless nameless people it had devoured over the ages.<br /><br /> It's 'strings' were plucked and the girl screamed, a pitiful awful sound as two voices mixed together in unified agony that no mortal should ever feel. It shared the pain with her for it /was/ her and she was it and yet they were seperate. Such paradoxes were the underpinnings of the universe, rules and formula woven together by madness incomprehensible to all. These things did not need to make sense. They simply were.<br /><br /> As Will pulls away from her touch the pain that his own inner demons brought to bear lessens and the darkness hisses again in rage. The pillar of light dies, winking out as quickly as it came, the energy it etruded sinking into the small innocent girl. Her eyes open slowly, head lifting to stare at the boy before her with menacing purple hate.<br /><br /> "Will you take me..." She whispers, the demonic echo cutting through the air. "Into the abyss...?"

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will doesn't know what happened...his heart was gone for a moment. For a brief moment...It wasn't Will there, it was...something. There was no merger, no other THING...it was just there, and Will was gone... <br /><br /> Now the girl whispers to her about something...into the Abyss...what is even going on...what?! Will is fightened, it shows in his eyes...something is wrong!? He shakes in abject horror of himself...of the girl... <br /><br /> Riku...he can see him...Deidra... <br /><br /> Will reacts...he doesn't know how or why...he just has to do something... <br /><br /> "GO!" he says, and with as much force as he can muster...attempts to punch, litterally PUNCH her so hard that a portal takes her. <br /><br /> Hit or miss, Will collapses, he's got nothing left...everything is distorted...his vision, his powers...

:'''[[Leida]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will's fist comes in and he swings, relying on an ancient power rather than pure physical strength to strike at the creature before him. The girl raises her hand, a soft small palm intercepting the fist with a faint slapping sound. Masses of dark energy surround the outstretched limb, purple fire that burns eternally but does not consume. Rather it strengthens her, fills her with the power to mold the antithesis of light and life itself to her will.<br /><br /> It feels like punching a lead wall. Worse than this, its like plunging your hand into pure sorrow and hate given physical form. The fire flickers coldly, lapping at Will's clenched fist which is now held firmly in place by the vice-like grip that closes around it.<br /><br /> Leida does not allow him to fall. When he collapses, she continues to hold him aloft by his hand, her impassive emotional gaze following him down.<br /><br /> The powerful voice echoes even now in the shared mind of the twin entities but unlike the innocent child to whom this body belongs, the insidious creature that now towers over him knows the who and the why behind it. It regards the human before it, recalling the feel of the scraping hands across its soul or what counted for a soul in demons, wondering exactly what had transpired.<br /><br /> And then the world is filled with light.<br /><br /> An ambulance tears through the city streets, its lights blaring and sirens screaming at the world to clear a path. Was this vehicle simply carrying an unfortunate victim in its carriage and returning to the hospital or had it responded to the plethora of crashing cars as panicked drivers lost control in the surge of negative power? No one would ever know.<br /><br /> The emergency vehicle hits a path of particularly slick road and loses traction, skidding sideways on its wheels as it hydroplanes chaotically. After a few harrowing moments it crashes into a jackknifed car and its superior weight and uncontrolled speed flip it end over end into the air... directly onto the distracted demon.<br /><br /> Leida turns to look as the sound catches her ears and vanishes in a squealing crash of metal and asphalt. The doomed machine continues to tumble towards the portal and with its final burst of energy, vanishes into the dark corridor.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Will isn't going anywhere...he's far too weak at this point... <br /><br /> Then he is slumped, only held by the demon. He smiles...no...it was the end, he figures. He entered this world like he's about to leave it...*GOOSEHONK*ing confused. <br /><br /> Then Will is saved by Ambulance...he doesn't even register it, the final blow never comes...he just looks up...seeing something smash her into the portal. He laughs...bitterly...and then finally, collapses under the weight of his own exhaustion.