Blood Mage Apologist
Angel Encounter - Marin
Marin, back in human form, starts walking up to him- she keeps her hands where he could probably see them if he looked, not that it would stop her from throwing fire. But it's important to look harmless. "Sure. I don't think you would hurt me, if you're an angel," she jokes, giving him a gentle smile.
"I haven't really done anything that sinful. Well, I cheated on a few tests back in when I was a young bird, but I don't think those count, do they?" She tries to seem relaxed, and mostly manages it. "But , yes! You can have it back, but we wanted to ask you a couple things first," she smiles at him. "I've never spoken to an angel before and I was hoping you could answer a few questions? You can have the car back as well, probably. It's not like we need a car."
She's nervous, a fair bit more nervous than she looks- her footsteps leave smoking patches of charred grass- but she boldly moves closer. Relatively slowly, of course. She's actually trying to be friendly, and hopes being sincere will be enough to prevent him from trying to incinerate her immediately. Technically she's aware they're probably supposed to try to kill him, but his feathers alone are enough to make her want to help him- perhaps it's a phoenix thing, but he looks just so... beaten down. And she's not keen to find out whether or not his holy fire will work on her, fire immunity or no.
"You're Micheal, right?" She continues. "Do you have a last name? Are you the Archangel Micheal? Can you bless people?" Her expression creases a bit into concern. "Do you... need any help? You don't look so great."
The phoenix takes another step forwards, body language unthreatening and subdued. "If you come with us, we could probably get you a hot bath and some food. If angels need food. I don't know if you really need to eat. Phoenixes do, but angels are different and all that. If you are an angel, I dont want to assume."
Edited by Cwest5538 on Apr 12th 2021 at 1:43:36 AM
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
"For goodness sake", said Richard "he's not the Archangel Michael. Does he look like an archangel to you?"
Forgettig that he was made of very flammable meat, he walked closer, "Now, despite my colleague's concilliatory demeanor, we're not here to take you out for a fucking ice-cream. You are a known criminal, and Heaven has disavowed any connection with your actvities. Now tell us what's going on or we will have to resort to force."
Autumn's Maw ambulated forward to his side, its body pulsing softly with necrotic force. He didn't want to attack this stranger yet, just make it clear that they had come prepared.
Edited by bobbitwormhobbitwyrm on Apr 12th 2021 at 3:53:04 AM
"Have patience," he says, with slightly more of a discernible tone. He sounds irritated. "You shouldn't be so harsh." He starts to take a step away from you, but as he's right in front of the cabin wall, he doesn't have anywhere to go.
"I will answer all of your questions except for any who come from Daniel Browne. I didn't need a car, either until a few weeks ago. Yes, my name is Michael. My last name is Warren. No, I am not the archangel. I cannot bless people. I do need help, but I am not sure if you can or will give any to me, especially since you are in the company of one known sinner, and one person who has reason to want revenge. Yes, I need to eat to survive."
My time zone keeps changing to Los Angeles I’ve never even been to LA. Or the LA time zone
Richard was both suprised and relieved that "Michael" was cooperating with them. "I'm glad that you have decided to come quietly, trying to do otherwise would have had unpleasant results for both parties involved. I have several questions for you. One, why are you cooperating with us so easily? Two, where did you get your magical capabilities from? Three, why were you going around killing people whilst pretending to be an angel? Four where are getting your information on who to kill and what are your criteria? Finally, why on earth would we help you, you are a literal serial killer?"
“Because escalating the situation would put me in danger, and because you deserve my respect. I was born with them.”
He shows no reaction until answering your third question. “I’m not pretending to be anything. I am a real angel. I kill only people I know to deserve it and who the Earth would be better without. Being labeled a murderer doesn’t matter when what I’m doing is only helping people.” His angel wings flare a little as he says this, a visible expression of anger on his face for the first time. The glow you saw on the feathers on the ground is on his wings now, too, but you don’t know whether he’s actively turning it on or it’s in response to his emotions.
He seems to notice this and reins himself back in. His demeanor now is almost shy, his hands folded together in front of him. “I get my information mostly from what’s readily available, online, on the news, court records… but sometimes the Lord himself blesses me with knowledge. My criteria for who deserves to die are only those who have intentionally killed or tortured others for selfish reasons, enjoyed it or don't regret it, and who would likely do it again.”
“I don’t know why, and I don’t think you would either. I would say because it would help innocent people and possibly save their lives, but I don’t think you care about that. If you’re not going to kill me, please let me leave.”
Julia is standing away from him, closer to the woods than the lake, clearly trying to keep herself out of harm’s way. (To be fair, taking care of Michael is your job, not hers.) “Who said anything about not killing you?”, you hear her say under her breath.
My time zone keeps changing to Los Angeles I’ve never even been to LA. Or the LA time zone
Richard couldn't help feeling some degree of pity for the angel, to see such a being reduced to this impotent maniac was depressing to say the least. It reminded him of his own fall from grace, a though he did not wish to linger upon. "You do realize you are quite close to falling? It must be clear from that that you lack the sanction of either god or morality. I would like to know just how bad you think the people you are hunting, Julia and Daniel specifically, are?"
Tia is struck a bit speechless by the angel suddenly popping out of thin air and there suddenly being an ongoing conversation. She walks forward, adopting a conciliatory expression, and pauses for a minute when she realizes she doesn't have anything to say. "Sir, or whatever you wish to be called," she says to the angel after a few minutes, "My colleague-" she glances at Richard as acknowledgement "-summoned an angel prior to this meeting, where he was told that angels are forbidden from killing. Is this correct?" She glances over at Julia, who at the moment seems a bit murder-happy. "Or perhaps you would like us to reconvene so that there are no unfortunate outbursts from anyone?" If she had to convince anyone else not to try and murder the angel while he still seemed amenable to talking, she was like to go transform in that lake and start trying to drown certain people.
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
"I am sanctioned by both God and morality. Don't talk about what you don't understand." He seems actively angry now, walking closer to Richard. Not attacking him, though. "At this moment I am not hunting Daniel, and I have no interest in Julia, only some of her colleagues. However, I know they are both murderers already, and actively seek violence." He looks at Julia, his expression returning to neutrality. "There is still time for you. As much as I would encourage you to repent, I doubt I would be successful."
"You can call me whatever you want; it makes no difference. Most angels are, but I am not. The direct word of God overrides any preexisting rules. I would not want to reconvene anywhere else, because if I were given the opportunity to escape you safely, I would take it."
Julia makes eye contact with Tia when she talks about unfortunate violent outbursts. She raises her eyebrows, or where they would be if she was in human form, then shakes her head. She's not going up against him again, especially not alone, no matter how much she wants to.
My time zone keeps changing to Los Angeles I’ve never even been to LA. Or the LA time zone
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Angel Encounter - Khulan
"Delicious angel..." Khulan cooed, taking his 'call me whatever you want' invitation quite literally. She had made herself at home leaning on the cabin wall not far from Michael. "May it please you, call me Khulan. And I love your gift." She smiled, a neighborly smile that didn't at all match her words or the situation.
"Why not go for a drive, Feathers?" Khulan bandwagoned on Tia's reconvene idea with a twist and dangled the angel's own keys without a hint of shame. "You don't have to try and flee. If you're willing to try the redemption approach on our 'friends' or just cross a few people off your list, we could work something out with the others in your little black book." She naturally had not asked or bothered to think on if the agency preferred this kind of thing. But what she did on her own time was her problem. And if Feathers stopped attacking their clients and posed for some suit at the agency, that would be keeping her word.
"You don't have to like it now. Just see what you think after being ubered back to town. And a 5 star bath and comfy robes." Khulan wouldn't be too disappointed if Feathers refused but they were playing diplomacy. And not just that. She was listening to an about to be fallen angel who fell to kill more freely. And had convinced himself that he was being praised for it. That was too fascinating to kill right away. Feathers's story would be good for at least one great song. Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
After listening to what Khulan says, he tilts his head to the side, having ignored the car keys in front of his face. "If I spare... some of your associates, you will leave me alone?" He stands there silently for a second, angel wings lowered, but then shakes his head. "I can't. They if I don't stop them, they will continue to spread their evil all over the city. Sparing them to save myself would be selfish.
"But... I could prioritize others above them," he says slowly. "And in the meantime, in exchange for protection, you could try to change my mind. If you agree to this, I will go with you."
My time zone keeps changing to Los Angeles I’ve never even been to LA. Or the LA time zone
Richard suddenly remembered how mortal and flammable he was, with this realization he hatily backed away from the angel, willing his familiar to move into the gap between the two of them. The being was clearly irate and delusional, he didn't want to push his luck too far. Unlike some of his colleagues, he still had a great deal to look forward to in life, and did not particularly fancy dying like this. "I'm just as averse to a violent solution as you are Khulan, but how are we to ensure that he keeps his end of the bargain? If hewont obey Heaven he sure as hell won't obey us. Don't you see how unstable he is, he thinks that God is telling him to do all this stuff? I really don't see this working out."
He continued to back away, he did not fancy his odds if he drew Michael's ire. "That said, I'm really not a man of action. If anybody could elucidate a peaceful solution that we can be sure will work, I am more than happy to listen".
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Angel Encounter - Khulan
Khulan laughed openly at Richard's backpedaling. "Coming with us is a start," she answered both her squishy wizard and her wayward angel at once. She stayed near the angel. She moved closer even, taking Feathers by the hand if he let her, well aware of the risk.
"Come with me then." She said to the angel. "Move onto the others on your list. And if you can't move on we can fight then. We can still meet and tussle for the fun of it if we're not after each other though. Seriously, if we're going to talk this out, you have to invite me to box or something." Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Now that he had more distance, and Khulan was read to strike if need be, Richard grew a bit bolder. "I really feel that we aren't granting this situation the gravity it deserves. Your current situation is simply to postpone a confrontation, and it will certainly not be satisfactory to our employers, who under our current plan would end up as burnt corpses. I think that we are placing far too much trust in a person, who is, need I remind you all, a magically empowered serial killer. Again, I would very much like to do this the easy way, but I don't think the easy way will get us paid."
You're on your way to where Michael says his next target is, which means driving back into the city. The car is an old but still functional truck that's covered in empty water bottles and shifting fast food wrappers. He’s not driving, but instead giving the person in the drivers’ seat directions.
Julia gave you her cell phone number and said to call her immediately if you even suspect it’s one of the people you’re hired to protect. “And if he is ever even in the same room as someone we know, for the love of god, just kill him.” She said she would come with you, but something more important came up, so you were on your own from now on.
You drive back into the city, and the path you take requires you to go over a mountain. It’s sunset, and you get a beautiful view of the sun seeing over the ocean as the city’s neon lights start to turn on. The above ground monorails keep going even as other parts of the city start to shut down for the day.
The truck unexpectedly drives into a super high end part of town— not the fanciest in the city, but you see only expensive cars, high rise buildings, and avant-garde installations like full gardens or buildings filled entirely with water. You stop outside an imposing but relatively plain from the outside skyscraper with tinted black windows.
“We’re here for Dylan Evans. His apartment is on the 20th floor.” The name sounds vaguely familiar at least— dome of you may know him as an ex-football player who was once arrested and had his career almost ruined, but was let off suspiciously easily with a conviction never being reached. Major league players are only allowed to compete as humanoids, so he could be a regular human, but he could also be a supernatural with a human form.
Michael glaces at the rest of you from the truck’s passenger seat. He doesn't look healthier, per se, but he does look significantly less rundown than when you first met him. “Do you know how to get in?”
My time zone keeps changing to Los Angeles I’ve never even been to LA. Or the LA time zone
Richard grits his teeth, Autumns Maw is seated in his lap, its sprawl of tendrils brushing into his face in a way which he finds highly unpleasant. This plan was pretty ridiculous and unsustainable, but if it got him paid and not murdered he would go along with it. In addition to these factors, he really didn't want to piss off Khulan, the others on the team were just garden variety violent criminals or naïve innocents, but there was something off about her, something inhuman, even for a supernatural. He figured that if he got on her bad side death would be the best possible outcome. "Can't you teleport? Why not just blink in then open the door from the other side? The alternative that I can think of is one of you supernaturals shapeshifts into you natural form and breaks in using force, they're less likely to recall your identity if they don't see a human. If the Self Grilling Chicken does it then she can just fly in through the window. If we're going that route though, we ought to drive somewhere near and she can make her way to the building from there. Minimizes casualties and video evidence, plus if she gets caught it's no great loss for the rest of us."
Edited by bobbitwormhobbitwyrm on Apr 23rd 2021 at 11:44:38 AM
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Road Trip
"This is my natural form, dear," Khulan said, spreading her arms and twirling. She casually looked over the building when she stopped. Richard's suggestions should work. "If we had gotten here earlier, we could just ask the attendant to show us an apartment." She shrugged. "But this is urgent doesn't it?" Really, the angel knew where his Dylan lives, so he could do this tomorrow. She didn't mention that though.
"I like our wizard's idea." She all but squeed. "One 'flying chicken' run could set this Dylan's apartment on fire. And him." She also didn't mention that that would probably burn down the rest of the building. Meh, the survivors would probably make a fortune in insurance anyway. And most importantly, would her angel actually set a building of people ablaze and burn a man without warning? Hm. Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Good, people were actually listening to what he had to say this time. They would be able to get through this thing without undue complication. Khulan seemed a bit too eager to cause destruction, he didn't want any more casualties than were necessary. "I'm glad we agree, but I would rather avoid starting fires. If we do that our target might be able to escape in the ensuing chaos, and the damage will draw unwanted attention. I was thinking the Chicken could smash through the window, pick up our target, and splatter him on the street below."
"And smashing the window will not draw this attention?" Tia asks, who seems a bit aggrieved by the whole 'planning to aid and abet murder' thing. "That seems an overlarge risk. Perhaps we should draw him to somewhere less surveilled and ...incapacitate him there." She glances at Khulan, who seems almost ecstatic about adding 'aiding and abetting arson' to the list of the crimes they were going to commit. "There is also the possibility that he is a supernatural in human form himself - in which case, starting what would become a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous. If you three" - she glances at Richard and Michael before refocusing "-are determined to continue with this, then I suppose I cannot hinder you. I am merely attempting to ensure that we do not draw more attention than we already have."
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
"And how do you propose to lure him out? Look, if you wanted to settle this case quietly, you should have just killed the angel. We've committed ourselves to helping a serial killer, and that naturally involves a bit of violence. The standing plan is we send in Marin, she tries to drag him out. If he turns out to be trouble, then we start setting fires."
He shifted in his seat, he was still trying to find a position where he didn't get any branches in his face. He wondered how long the van had been seated there, he hoped that they weren't starting to look suspicious.
"What information do you have on our target Michael? Is there anything that might indicate what sort of entity he is?"
“Yes, I can teleport, but only once every few minutes, and I have limited accuracy and range. I may not be able to get to the 20th floor of the building, and even if I did, I could not get out easily.”
“Don’t set the building on fire.” This is all he gives you with regards to the extent of his moral standards. “It would make sense to draw the target away, as we are in the middle of a crowded city. There are almost certainly police within a very short distance.”
“I know very little about the target besides the crimes he has committed. I’ve never seen him in person. In this case, the Lord has spoken to me and told me he can’t go unpunished. I do have some details from the police reports. One of his sisters and one of his girlfriends have gone missing years ago, but those cases were closed due to lack of evidence. He has also been sued for assault.” He looks up at the building thoughtfully, with no traces of anger. “We could provoke him into a fight and then lure him away by getting him to chase us. We could also could threaten him with revealing his secrets.”
The sun finally goes down, leaving the heavily clouded sky to be illuminated only by street lights. In this part of town, they're not neon or softly yellow colored like usual, but instead are harsh white LE Ds set into the ground.
Edited by pyrounicorn on Apr 26th 2021 at 12:09:12 PM
My time zone keeps changing to Los Angeles I’ve never even been to LA. Or the LA time zone
"If we do that, we'll either have to enter the building or call him. If we call him then it might leave a record. Entering the building is already not an option, and calling might leave a record. The assault would be pretty quick Marin would probably be able to get out before the cops show up. Once the deed is done she can fly out of range and then regroup. I doubt they have antiaircraft missiles on hand."
He sighed, he really didn't enjoy having to talk logistics with a psychopath. "Alternatively I can summon something to kill him, but that will take time, and I definitely won't be able to do it here. Do you have reason to believe he's warded in any way?"
You’re spared from having to answer that question, because you hear an ungraceful thud behind you. It looks like a fairly young man— he’d be as ethereally beautiful as you’d expect if he didn’t look like he hadn’t slept or changed clothes in days. He’s wearing loose, casual clothing, and appears human with the exception of having pure white eyes and feathered wings, which also look terrible, patchy and off color. Based on the sound, it seems like he’s fallen a foot or so to the dirt.
He keeps his expression completely neutral. “Hello. Can I have my notebook back? You can keep the car if you want, and I’ll leave all of you alone.” He’s not making eye contact with any of you. You might not be able to tell if he was, pure white eyes and all, but he’s not looking at you or the ground, just staring vaguely out over the lake.
My time zone keeps changing to Los Angeles I’ve never even been to LA. Or the LA time zone