poly_chromatic | 038 ⇨ video

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the demon's lexicon - mae crawford

038 ⇨ video

[SURPRISE! The camera shakes a bit, showing a view of the window in Mae's room, and the closet next to it. The closet rattles, and a muted moan can be heard from it.

She turns the camera to herself. She looks like...she hasn't slept for a few straight days; she joy and mischief's gone from her eyes. Instead, there's anger and fear and tiredness.] Who wished for a zombie apocalypse for Christmas?

[Another rattle from the closet, and its subsequent moan has her closing her eyes with a pained expression.] That's my mother. I used to think she had it in for me, but now she really does, and - [Her voice chokes.] What am I supposed to do? Aim the gun for her heart? I can't - I just -

[Another rattling noise, then the sound of wood breaking, ripped apart from the inside.] Damn - okay. [She starts to take a calming breath before turning to face her demons, except the shadow that falls on her has Mae spinning around quickly.

And there they are. Floating at her window, gaunt and decaying and decadent; her actual demons. Liannan with her red, red hair and her ice-like skin, and Anzu with his hand held out and pressed against the glass.]

Let us in, Mae.

[The last image after that is Mae reaching behind her for the gun, the device getting knocked over and shutting off just in time with the sound of window shattering.]

[ooc; FUN TIME IN THE APARTMENT! For others interested in Mae's ghouls, - if you want them to have seen them - there's her mother (use your imagination for her aspect), AND THEN THERE ARE THE FUNNY ONES: Anzu and Liannan, both demons (Liannan's name might ring a bell to others) of the incubus/sucubus tendencies. In Mae's world, demons enter your dreams in the forms of people you want. If you let them in, they mark you. If you let them in three times, voluntarily, they've got an open door on possessing your body, fooling around town a bit, then leaving you like a vegetable. See? Fun.]

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[ Unaware of the video feed, Jace throws open the front door, the wood bouncing in the frame from the force, and he holds a blade firmly in his hand, ready to drive it forward if necessary, eyes scanning around as he leads the way further into the apartment. ]

Mae? [ Clary filled him in on the text conversation, knows that she needs back-up, and even though he doesn't know her all that well himself yet, she means a lot to Clary, which means he's more than willing to put himself at risk to help her. He turns his head back to look at Clary, feet still moving forward. ] The bedroom?

[ He's at the door before she's got chance to answer, though, turning the handle and barging in, assessing the situation and putting himself between Mae and the window. ] Clary, get her out of the way, I'll try to block them out.

[ She rushes forward, her own blade slipped into the band of her belt so she can grab for Mae and tug her carefully away. ] Mae, Mae, come with me.

[ Her voice is soft - because she's not sure who it is, she's not sure and only minutes ago Jace had to drive a blade through Simon's heart because she couldn't. She pays the gun no attention though, is just intent on getting Mae out and making sure Jace doesn't do anything stupid.

But the closet has an arm pulling itself from it and Clary drags Mae to the side, kicking out at the door to slam it back shut, trying to buy them time. ] They're not real, okay? They're not real.

[We keep risking ourselves for each other, Clary told her about him and Jace, and it becomes obvious that it's been an extended courtesy as far as she's concerned. One Mae's not ready to accept, not here, not now. She has the gun in her hand and she's holding it tight, trigger not pulled and safety still on. It's important that she keep calm and not wave a loaded gun around. One of the most important lessons Eames taught her. Don't shoot your friends on a stupid accident.

But they're still there, and her mother is scratching at the cupboard doors and Anzu and Liannan are decaying and beautiful and terrifying and they're hers.

Clary tells her they're not real at the same time she hears the crack of her mother's arm breaking as she slams the door. She slams her eyes shut for one second before making a decision. And the next second, she's slamming herself against the door of the closet, effectively making the ghoul retrieve its hurt arm.

Its, yes, because not her real mother.]

They feel real, and I've seen the network - they attack pretty real too and - Jace, Jace, don't let them touch you. [Would they still work that way? Would Liannan's touch still freeze? Would Anzu's still tempt and threaten? She's not even sure how his touch would feel, as she's never been in contact with him - just the woman - but a few dreams were enough to scare her off.]

Edited 2013-01-05 22:51 (UTC)

Can you get out of there?

[Oh great, she'll have to answer people now. Damn.] I seem to have a cavalry.

Have you actually seen these creatures? Trust me when I say I'm not in any hurry whatsoever to let one of them touch me. Gross.

[ But he's already moving closer to the window, stance ready to pounce, searching the room for anything that might help block them out. The mattress would block the thing, but it's not going to hold if these things put up as much of a fight as the Simon ghoul did. ]

On a scale of one to ten, how attached are you to your furniture and what do I have permission to break apart to keep these things out?

[ Clary's backing away from the demons, her eyes locked on them. She's met ones before of course - giant awful creatures that still climb into her thoughts in the dead of night. She wonders about Mae's life, but doesn't have the opportunity to ask when the other girl flings herself against the wooden door. ]

What happens when they touch you?

[ They'd fought Simon off - but if Jace is in danger everything else seems to leave her thoughts. Her hand's extended toward Mae though, like she's ready to grab for her if she has to. ]

[Jace. Jace. Snippy and snide while wielding a sword - of course she'll grow to like you faster like this, of course.]

You're facing two demons, my answer is zero. Fling the whole room at them if you want. [Answer enough for Clary? If it isn't, then she rushes through the rest,]

She burns cold.

An answer for your body, girl... [She says, hisses through the window, then louder,] Sliiiiiiip.

And him, I don't know and I don't want to find out. [She's keeping her eyes on both of them, and the demon ghouls outside her window still, and her mother in the closet behind her. She'd hold her hand out towards Clary in return, but instead, she pulls the safety on her gun. Calmly.]

I've no love lost for them, though.

I like your thinking.

[ He keeps stealing glances behind him, checking that Clary is okay, not loving the over-enthusiastic demon in the closest, but he needs to take care of the others before he can deal with that problem.

With the permission, Jace springs into action, going for the biggest thing he can find and dragging the mattress free of the bed, lifting it like it weighs nothing to cover the window, searching for heavier pieces to hold it up and keep it in place. It's not perfect, but it'll do for the time being. ]

Are there any others I need to be aware of? [ Turning his back on the window, he goes over to them. ] If not, we should take care of this one and find better cover, preferably somewhere without windows.

[ Her grip on her blade tightens with every rattle of the door, the low moan from inside the closet. ]

Mae. [ She knows when it had been Simon the urge to protect had sank into her bones. If it weren't for Jace she might not have made her escape, if it weren't for Jace she would have probably be torn apart. So she knows what it's like when faced with one of these things.

Sometimes the heart is louder. ] Mae, are you okay? Jace is right, we need to get out of here. That won't hold them. Hiding's better.

[She closes her eyes, her expression pained for a brief moment, before she opens them and is calm again. Miss Fix It Mae.] We're not dealing with this one. [She tells Jace, looking at him just to drive the point.]

It's my mother. Even if she's not real, I won't see her die again. We lock the door, we keep her here, I don't care, but we're not killing her. It. It.

[And a pause, before she looks towards the windows.] Them, we should deal with. I don't want it on my conscience if they kill or hurt anyone. They're from my world, I'd feel responsible. [And it's her they seem to want.]

[ He frowns, not loving the idea of leaving one behind, even if it is locked in the closest. But after recently losing the man he always considered to be his father, watching his funeral from afar, and feeling the loss in spite of everything, Jace can understand her hesitation.

If he comes back later to take care of it, when he knows the two of them are safe - well, she doesn't need to know. ]

If they can do what you claim they can, then, all right, we really should take care of them first. But we need to secure that door before we do anything else.

[ They can fly, Clary wants to point that out. They can fly and the window is blocked so how are they supposed to fight the things and make sure they don't hurt anyone else.

But then -.

Her voice drops in a whisper, stepping closer to Mae so that the ones outside can't hear them. ] Mae, can you trap demons in your world? Because if we trap them they might not realise they're ghouls, they might have to follow the rules. It could buy us time.

[It's a little after the fact, so either this broadcast ended well, or it didn't.]

Mae?

[Well, someone sounds out of breath and tired.]

So...hey.

[As long as both these things signify still alive they are okay. He sounds less out of breath but, well. He's just quieter than usual, though there's some obvious relief to hear her.]

Hey. Tell me you're somewhere safe?

[If Jace does try that, he better not let Mae find out. Ever.]

You two bring the bed over, we can push it against the closet. It should last while we take care of the ones outside.

[Is there a way to trap them? Of course there is. But it's been ages, and if she does it wrong, if she fails at all - and she has to use what she remembers seeing Black Arthur and Gerard do - and the ghouls think the rules apply to them, they might apply to her as well.

But hey, no big deal. Make a summoning circle from scratch memory, invite them in, trap them in it, kill them. There must be some part of her mind that's had the fantasy of ending both of them. Once.]

There's chalk in the drawer of my bedside table, I need that. I'll draw a circle. When I'm done, you take the mattress away and then do as I say.

Yeah. I am. And glad to hear your voice, too...

I'm told people like the accent.

[It's a very weak effort, followed by a more honest sigh.]

Rough day.

Rough week for everyone. What about you and...[A pregnant pause; she caught the network post alright.]

Just an old patient. No one important.

[Anyone who caught the horror in his voice on that post could call bullshit here. But still. It wasn't his mum.]

No injuries? Nothing that broke the skin?

[Oh honey, her mom wasn't the worst that could've happened to her. Not even.] Would you patch me up if I were injured?

Maybe. I guess I could just be asking to get some vicarious thrills.

[Though from his tone it does sound unlikely.]

Through me? [Like she buys it.]

You worried~

I'm still worried. Some of the close encounters going on are making people sick, and you haven't told me you're fine yet.

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038 ⇨ video

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