♦♦ 32ND CONTRACT - ANONYMOUS TEXT/ACTION

[mortemscintilla]

Oh perfect.

A light show. Just what's needed after a month of witches and possessed goats. Sure, everything seems mellow now. No zombies or general epidemics. But distractions are just that. Distractions. No amount of Burning Man rituals and fireworks take away from the fact that everyone is still stuck here. That's not exactly something worth celebrating.

Still, it could be worse. Pai could be gone. I could be back home. This 'perpetual darkness' theme could last more than 24 hours. Then there'd be no end to the belly-aching.

Of course that's a mixed blessing. Some of you are only tolerable in the pitch dark.

Options For Run-Ins:

Cafe: You'll find him behind the display case, sliding in a fresh tray of pinwheel cookies, a sprinkling of flour on his nose. Canapes, bonfire toffee, sausage roll-ups, sticky chocolate pudding, baked apples with cinnamon ... It's like he's trying to kill the City with saccharin-induced diabetes. Maybe he is.

Hey. At least it's a tasty way to go.

Xanadu: Crunching on a toffee-apple, he drifts through the park. Watching, not the brilliant displays in the dark sky, but his periphery. He's still in the habit of thinking operationally, and is as matter-of-fact about it as he is effective. But that doesn't mean he can't stop, for a moment, to listen to the crack-snap-pop of sparklers, or watch the glittering streaks of color exploding like supernovas above.

Anywhere Else: The dark is his element, and he utilizes the opportunity to explore. He stops by the City's outskirts, looking out at the sweep of the lakes, the glittering buildings, the glittering fireworks blossoming in the sky. Festivities seem to be dwindling, and who could've anticipated that he'd feel so rueful about that. Then again, all tonight is, is a lull, before some new curse threatens to snatch everything away in one big explosion of chaos. Whatever intervals of quiet he indulges in are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Still he doesn't mind this pause. It makes things better and worse at the same time -- but sometimes it's necessary too.



[ ooc: Don't be fooled. Despite the general grumpiness, Hei is actually rather enjoying the fireworks. Backtagging friendly forevermore; I'll be very slow this week<3 ]

Comments

[water_wine_wizard]

[Considering they're twins, he actually does happen to look like a male version of Laruna. Or Orlando Bloom.]

No. He's not in the City, but... he knows I'm here and he's watching over me.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Oh. Well then. (The Legolas type or the Will Turner type?) ]

[ At the explanation, his brows knit -- surprise and confusion in equal parts. ]

The City's barriers don't keep him out?

[water_wine_wizard]

[Will Turner type. He'll also probably come poking around fourth wall to Talk to Hei. Dude. You do NOT try killing his sister, thank you very much.]

[She gets a flustered contrite look on her face as she tries to explain this.]

He can travel through barriers into other worlds as if they're not there. He says that there are Rules that are keeping from coming here all the time. But he still can ... project himself here during certain curses, like the ones where we saw ghosts of people?

And he can see what's happening even if he can't come in.

I figured that since that's true, I'd talk to him.

[mortemscintilla]

[ (He was cursed okay; he doesn't make a habit of devouring people for funzies.) ]

[ At the explanation, Li blinks slowly, although inside his mind, the gears are whirring at a rapid-fire pace. He's unsure whether the principle behind the brother's ability is scientific or magical. But in the City, that's less relevant than the fact that it's possible. ]

We-wll. If that's the case, I sort of feel bad for him. If you're in trouble, he might not be able to help.

[ As an overprotective elder brother himself, he feels the pain. ]

[water_wine_wizard]

[(BAH. Over protective brothers aren't always sensible.)]

[The principle behind the brother's ability is sheer ... narrative-based.]

I'm sure if I was really in trouble he'd show up. Or he'd... do something that I couldn't see that would protect me.

It's really kind of creepy and annoying.

[She doesn't feel the pain. She feels the suffocating.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ (That's one feeling he can relate to, actually.)]

[ His expression resettles into something sympathetic, but at the same time gently amused. ]

I'm guessing he's not the type who gives you much space.

Fffft... tagging with brother elsewhere... forgot to change accounts

[water_wine_wizard]

More like he treats me like some sort of glass doll that needs to be protected from everything.

lol<3

[mortemscintilla]

[ Urp. Momentary deja vu there. He shakes it off quickly. ]

I'm sure he only does that because he worries. Older siblings sort of have a responsibility to take care of the younger ones, you know. [ A beat. ] That, and do stupid or dangerous things first, so the younger ones can learn from their mistakes.

[water_wine_wizard]

Older!? He's younger than I am.

By ten minutes... but he's still younger.

[Hurmph]

My older brother is perfectly sane and rational about letting me act like an adult.

Alec is just Lookit me I have powers that let me bend all of reality to my whim I'm not going to let you have any fun!

[She sounds about as mature as a eight-year-old there.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Well. That's. Awkward. ]

[ Clearing his throat, Li stammers, ]

W-Well, I guess this is what they mean about the Evil Twin. [ A beat. ] Didn't your parents ever lecture him about the, um... interference?

[water_wine_wizard]

[Her entire life is awkward.

Though the evil twin idea amuses her enough that she laughs.]

No. Not really.

I'm sorry... I'm just babbling at you about things you don't care about.

[mortemscintilla]

[ A polite shake of the head. ]

Not at all. It's always interesting to learn the different ways people are brought up. [ bloop bloop ] Especially if their siblings are reality-warpers.

[ He had an ex like that. It wasn't pretty. ]

I'm Li Shenshung, by the way. You are?

[water_wine_wizard]

Laruna Troven.

The reality warping is a recent development. The past couple of years or so.

I'm guessing you're an older brother?

[mortemscintilla]

Nice to meet you, Miss Laruna.

[ Sheepishly, he ducks his head. ]

And yeah. I guess that's pretty obvious. [ A pause, before he ventures, curious, ] You say it was a 'recent development'? Like, um, some 'onset of puberty' thing? Or did he acquire the power?

[water_wine_wizard]

Just Laruna.

[She stares up at the sky.]

He acquired the power. Somehow. He refuses to tell how. Some sort of powerful beings. [the mun]

[mortemscintilla]

Laruna it is, then. If you'll call me Li.

[ All muns are devious, sadistic monsters. ]

So... what's that have to do with the fire, if you don't mind my asking? [ A peripheral gesture to the crackling bonfire she's started up. ] Is it like some conduit for communicating with your brother?

[water_wine_wizard]

[ And he knows and hates us for it ]

Li and Lar.

[There's a grin.]

He's always been good with fire. He's a fire wizard. [Among other things.] So it's more of a ... thing for me, I guess. I'm sure he'd hear me just as well if I was talking to him in the middle of the street. But the fire is more of a connection.

And I get the satisfaction of completely destroying it when I'm done.

[mortemscintilla]

[ With a deep and burning passion. ]

[ Heh. Burning. Get it? (...Okay, I'll be quiet now.) ]

I could call you Lar, if you want. Although it's not as pretty as Laruna.

[ He absorbs the information with a thoughtful look. ]

A fire wizard, huh? Why do I feel like he might have a temperament to go with that?

[water_wine_wizard]

[I luv you]

Why thank you. That's very sweet of you.

[That may be a bit flirtatious on her end.]

Actually he's not. He tends to be a bit on the quiet side. A bit of a slow burner. And a bit of a twerp.

[She's allowed to say that. She's his sister.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Blushu ~u///u ]

[ At her tone, a pinkness creeps from Li's hairline to his collar; thankfully it's dark enough to stay concealed, as long as he doesn't fidget or otherwise give his ineptitude with talking to pretty girls away. (It's fake, of course. But like all masks, it has a purpose. Relaxing the other party's guard.) ]

I guess the phrase 'It's always the quiet ones' is true in more than one way. [ A beat, before he slips his hands into his pockets, head tilted at Laruna, ] What about you? Are you a wizard too?

[water_wine_wizard]

[He's able to blush on command? Talented! Laruna's just a natural flirt.]

Oh yes. Subtly really isn't his strong suit. He could probably take out a good part of the City with no problem but... crafting something delicate from stone or ice is completely beyond him.

[Here she gives him a bit of an annoyed condescending look. It's not really intentional, it's more of an aspect of her upbringing. Wizards are on the top of the food chain and then there's everyone else. And her family is one of the ones on top of the wizard food chain.]

Of course I am. Back home, wizards are a race of people not ... not an occupation.

[The word "occupation" is said with severe disgust and dislike.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei's a Contractor; a consummate liar, functioning on layers and masks and duplicities. If he's incognito, he plays the role he's handed and never breaks character, and his skill-set means that by the time someone knows he's more dangerous than meets the eye, they're likely on their way to dead. ]

[ Which is why he cringes so convincingly at the look Laruna shoots him, ducking his head and shuffling his feet in embarrassment. ]

I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize. [ A couple of beats, before he clears his throat, ] So, um, do all the wizards in your world have an element tied to them? Like fire or air or water?

[water_wine_wizard]

[Tricksy Contractors.]

[She is unrepentant. Mortal.]

Yes. Nowadays each wizard can control one kind of element. The element tend to run in families. Water families, earth families... though there are some families that will have multiple types within. But no one can control all four... [She hesitates briefly.] Except Alec. But he's, as I'm sure you've gathered, special.

[And I swears to God I came up with this way back in the mid-nineties before Avatar the Last Airbender was ever thought of.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Soulless monsters. Or so they'd have you believe. ]

Special, huh? [ It does remind him of a certain young lady -- (problem child) -- on his Rolodex. But these days, Korra can't do much beyond airbend. ] So is he like a 'chosen one' of some sort? Or just extremely talented?

[water_wine_wizard]

Chosen one? [Okay that's the funniest thing she's ever heard. Alec a Chosen One!?] Like out of some sort of story?

No. He's just exceptionally unlucky. A long time ago an element wizard married into the family. Alec is just the first one who's manifested the ability since that time.