A city that never sleeps
The world isn't as it seems, and New Yorkers certainly know that well. While the element Asterium is not widely understood, those in the city's underground know better. For millenia, humans have known of this energy. They called those born with it in their bones changelings and mutants. Legends have told of werewolves and vampires for centuries. Those who can harness it became witches and warlocks. All they know now is that some things are better kept secret, and where else can you hide a secret better than New York City?
NEW YORK TIMES
07/07/2020 It's been (technically) our first month! Thanks to everyone who's joined us, and for more announcements, please check HERE for in-game and new developments!
17/06/2020There are staff & RP position tryouts here!
23/05/2020 Trying to gauge interest right now! If you want to help out and potentially take one of the leadership positions, please message me! (either on achromatic#7519 on discord or if you have my skype!)
A SUPERNATURAL ROLEPLAY SITE
Modus Operandi achromatic
Blueprint is a premade Proboards v5 theme designed and built by punki of Adoxography and Pixel Perfect. MODUS OPERANDI is the work of the mind of achromatic. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. All images belong to their original owners.
coincidentia oppositorum
CURRENT PLOT
We are currently starting up, and trialing some of the groups right now! There will be an upcoming plot in regards to some city shenanigans soon, but for now, we're simply fixing up the kinks and establishing roles/groups/characters. Feel free to join us! The community and the lore is still being built, and we're always open to new suggestions.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The strange Fourth of July groundhog day event is coming up! Please sign up HERE!
I see a red door and I want it painted black – storm
achromatic
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 4, 2020 15:59:38 GMT
#firstpage stormaf
Rhiannon had no idea why Hywel had recommended this book shop. Or why she had to call ahead. He didn't give a lot of information at all, just a cryptic text of 'hey you need to see this place, might have what we're looking for' and an address. Usually it was her job to be mysterious and in the shadows, not his. Then again, maybe that made things more interesting? It didn't matter, Rhiannon was intrigued. If Hywel thought she needed to see it, she'd at least give it a try. If it was something stupid, she'd nag him about it later. The good thing was that it wasn't far from the bar. He was supposed to join her but apparently some last-minute cancellations and illnesses meant that The Gilded Hand was a bit understaffed that night. That was just part of running something in the F&B business these days, she thought with a sigh, everything had to be dropped for any last minute changes. She stepped into the book store, the bell at the door ringing, and she glanced around. There was someone she was supposed to meet–Hunter or something?–who apparently knew her brother. How they had met, she didn't know, but frankly, anyone who knew Hywel, she gauged with a careful eye. If people thought her brother was overprotective, they clearly didn't meet Rhiannon first. "Hello?" she called out, her voice clipped, polite, "is anyone in?"
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Post by stormaf on Jul 4, 2020 19:31:43 GMT
Hunter and McRorie
The cu perked his ears at the sound of the bell and hauled himself to his feet. Hunter had stepped out the back door for a moment to bring in a few things from her mini van. He padded towards the front door and as soon as he saw then new customer, he uttered a soft, "Roooff!" His job as a guard dog over, he turned and headed back to the new dog bed Hunter had bought him, passing Hunter herself on her way to the front.
"We've got a customer, Rorie?" She asked the dog, who gave her a slow wave of his tail.
She bustled up to the cash desk and smiled at the blonde woman waiting there.
"Hi," she chirped, "Welcome to my store! How can I help you?"
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achromatic
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 6, 2020 13:22:11 GMT
If anything, she hadn't expected the first voice to greet her to be one from a dog. A dog? Her brow furrowed, before glancing towards the huge black dog. Huh, an Irish wolfhound? At least that was what she suspected; a dog breed she knew well, at least. It was bigger than any dog she had ever seen, but these days, she wasn't surprised. New York was a strange city, and there had been stranger things than a guard dog at a book store.
The other woman who was carrying a few things in must be the one Hywel knew of. She was still not a hundred percent sure of the name, but it didn't matter. Names didn't really matter to Rhiannon anyway; humans were humans and rather unimportant once outside of the moment.
"Mm, my brother sent me to...what did he say, look for a book here? He gave me the address and said whoever was here would know which book I'm looking for. He didn't leave a name for the book...but I suppose if it's in your system, it'd be reserved under the name 'Hywel?' perhaps?" Her voice was soft, with the sing-song tones of a slight Irish accent flickering in and out. She wasn't sure if he had given out her name, but if they had chatted long enough, this woman would certainly know his.
She had to admit, part of her was curious to how they had met, and perhaps curious to how they knew of each other. If she was a regular customer at his bar or something, Joey would've pointed it out, but this face was completely foreign to her. Not to mention, she kept a dog in the shop, and knowing her brother, he hated dogs. Sort of terrified of them, really, even if he would never admit it. A lot of things were curious about this situation, and if curiosity killed the cat, certainly satisfaction of learning more would bring it back.
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Post by stormaf on Jul 6, 2020 15:32:22 GMT
Hunter
"You must be Rhiannon, then," Hunter chirped as she parked a bag of dog treats on the cash counter.
"Name's Hunter Dumont," she extended a hand, "The books are in the back."
She thought for a second then added, "Is Sylvan with you? Rorie would love to see him."
Hunter beckoned the other woman to follow her as she made her way to the back. From his brand new bed, McRorie watched Hunter's new customer carefully. This woman was a witch and with a familiar like Sylvan, she was a powerful one and she bore scrutiny. Just as a warning, the cu's eyes flashed a silvery green hue.
The huge books sat on a shelf. Hunter placed them on the coffee table and sat on the sofa.
"Have a seat. I think the books like you too. They really don't like me at all. They keep giving me the creeps."
She gave a small laugh, "People used to think I was nuts when ever I told them stuff like this. I mean, who believes in that sort of magical junk anyway?"
With a small smile, she continued, "How's Hywel? None the worse from our encounter yesterday I hope?"
Her voice turned a shade dreamy, "He's such a nice guy. McRorie wasn't so sure about him until I told him that Hywel was a friend."
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achromatic
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She / Her
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 6, 2020 15:53:55 GMT
Ah, so Hywel did mention her. It saved her from having to introduce herself at least. Hunter Dumont. It wasn't an unusual name by any means but it was the first time she had met anyone named Hunter. She gave the woman a polite smile. "I am," she spoke, as the white kitten popped his head from under her coat. Rhiannon hadn't planned on bringing the kitten but the young one seemed rather insistent today, so she had given in.
Rhiannon gave the cat a look. "Play nice," she reached a hand for the cat, and if anyone had looked closely, one could almost swear that the cat had rolled his eyes. She glanced at the dog once more; if she didn't know any better, she'd suspect that the other was a witch too. The dog reminded her far too much of a familiar, or something else. If anything, it seemed as if the woman didn't know what she was getting herself into.
Right, the books. She immediately moved towards the dusty tomes, holding it delicately in her hand, as if something precious. From just a glance, she could tell it was a grimoire. Probably some other witch or warlock had passed away and left it behind, or at least she'd assume so. They weren't very descript from the covers, a simple leather-bound cover. She was already looking through it, flipping through the diagrams. The language was Cyrillic in origin, she'd assume, though she wasn't 100% sure. Probably passed down a few generations.
She was half-listening to Hunter. "Oh, I get what you mean," she spoke absentmindedly, "some books just speak to the soul." As the other woman asked her about her brother, she glanced up, skeptical eyes looking over the other woman. She could hear it in her voice, the way it had gone a tad softer, the smile on her face–Rhiannon smirked. Oh, if only Hywel was here. The other man was always so oblivious, and she was always the one with her nose too deep into other people's business.
Well, it wasn't her place to point out that her brother didn't exactly swing her way. It was still amusing though. "He's doing fine; I heard Sylvan had a bit of an adventure last night too. My idiot brother's taking a day off today I'm afraid. I heard he was checking out some new supplier for the bar; he should be there tomorrow though, if you want to find him." Of course, she'd be there too, and there was nothing Rhiannon enjoyed more than eating her metaphorical popcorn.
She continued flipping through, before stopping, her hand holding a page halfway, her eyes hovering over a symbol drawn in the margins.
Circle, square, triangle, except the shapes were in a different order. Alchemic in origin, but...not. She had seen this symbol before, years ago, carved into a sigil somewhere. It was unique, an identifier of a fellow Alchemist she had heard of, and huh. So he was still alive then.
"When did you get this book?" she spoke, brow furrowed, her eyes meeting Hunter's, "it must've been a family heirloom or something, no? How much did it cost you?"
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Post by stormaf on Jul 7, 2020 1:55:47 GMT
Hunter and McRorie
The cu's tail thumped on his new bed when he spotted the kitten. His ear perked forward. Would it be another game of tail swing? Or would they hunt mice together? There were always a few hanging about in a place this old and if you let them think they were safe, well, they'd run all over you. In fact, he barely detected a squeak from behind one of the shelves.
Hunter reached behind her and produced not only a dog cookie, but a cat treat as well. She handed one to each of her animal friends and then paid strict attention to Rhiannon and the books.
"Actually it cost me a sore back," Hunter admitted, "And I caught my finger in the straps of the tote bag they were in."
She remembered giving the books a nasty frown when that happened, but she still hauled them to the back and put them on the shelf.
"Someone left the old things at my front propped up against the door. Of course, I brought them inside. No book should be treated that way!'
A great deal of snuffling came from midway down the stacks. McRorie had tracked said rodent to the drama section. Now it was up to the kitten to either do the thing in, or chase it out for him.
"What are you two doing?" Hunter called out loudly. "Please don't knock over the shelving!"
She smiled companionably at Rhiannon, "He's done that once already."
What Hunter didn't know was that the cu sidhe had ferreted out a small gremlin behind the romance section and had taken care of the potential problem in quick canine fashion. Hunter had wondered why he wasn't as hungry for his kibbles that evening.
"Do you think that you'd like to take them home?" Hunter asked. She was getting tired of dusting them. The darn things seemed to attract dust much more than the other books did.
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achromatic
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 7, 2020 10:21:27 GMT
Sylvan gave the dog an innocent meow, big blue eyes looking up at the creature, though his tail lashed in the mischievous way it did when he was planning something. The cat was a clever one, after all, despite its young age. Today, it seemed more curious with exploring the book store, climbing onto the dog's back before letting out a purr, tumbling off the creature as if he was a hill to climb just the same, already heading towards the bookshelves in the back. It didn't seem to be as obsessed with hunting down mice as it was with looking over the books. Sylvan prided himself in being the sophisticated type, despite how completely contrary his actions were.
The cat simply followed Mcrorie, purring in amusement as he watched the dog snap up a rodent. Hm, maybe he was getting a bit hungry, and well, if Rhiannon wasn't looking, he might as well try his hand at hunting. He was still young, but hunting was in a cat's instincts really. The scuffling of feet on wood could be heard, and Sylvan's ears twitched, crouching down and wiggling into the shelves, trying to figure out how to get the creature out.
Rhiannon however, was rather surprised. Free? Someone left them behind? Huh, wasn't that interesting. Someone certainly was getting tired of his craft no? She was almost certain it was that strange warlock she had met once, a couple decades back in a dive bar getting wasted on shots of whisky. What was his name again? Charlie? Carl? Something like that at least; if he was still alive, that was. Knowing the man, he was...well, not the steadiest folk, even if he did have some talent in his field.
"Mm, that's unusual," she replied off-handedly, "these are really old...some would say they're probably kind of valuable." She turned to Hunter with a raised brow. "Are you sure you're just willing to give them away? This is a bookstore, no? Shouldn't I at least pay for these?"
It was that moment when Sylvan saw the quick dash of a tail, immediately breaking off into a chase, a hiss leaving his mouth.
Rhiannon glanced up. Dammit, what was that cat getting up to again? She sighed; that blasted creature certainly loved making her life just a little more exciting, didn't he?
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Post by stormaf on Jul 7, 2020 13:17:52 GMT
Hunter
Hunter gave Rhiannon a conspiratorial grin.
"It matters more to me that books get to the right person,"she confided. "These books especially.
"I'm not wealthy, but I can support myself as things are. There's no way I'd be selling these, or giving them to just anybody, so if you want them, they're yours."
Hunter grabbed the tote bag they had come in.
"You might want to make two trips," she advised, "These blasted things are heavy."
When Sylvan took off after the mouse, McRorie followed, watching like a doting mother at her child's first steps. With the cu on guard, no harm would come to the little kitten. Anything nasty would have to face his wrath.
When another gremlin shot out in front of the pair, the cu let out what could only be described as a canine roar and he charged ahead of the kitten. When the creature turned to face the threat, McRorie's great teeth flashed and he skidded on the wooden floor, missing the thing by inches.
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achromatic
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 8, 2020 8:23:27 GMT
It was rare for anyone to give things for free, especially in this city. People could be nice, but Rhiannon had learned throughout her years that nothing ever was truly free. Even if the woman didn't believe of their worth, she couldn't help but wonder what the ulterior motive was. Did she expect something from her? Or was this going to be something where she'd have to help in return, somewhere in the distant future?
"Are you sure?" she was tentative, "and what do you mean giving them to just anybody? Is this in return for some favor in the future? Or some other trade I can provide?" She didn't know how much she knew of her and Hywel, and maybe the other man wasn't the suspicious type, but she certainly was.
"No one gives these sort of things for free to someone they've just met and like you said, you're not just giving them to anybody, no? So why are you giving them to me?"
Sylvan was scuttering about next to the huge wolfhound, when a creature shot out from the shelves, and immediately, the kitten began to chase whatever it was when the large bark made him jump.
Rhiannon immediately turned to the sound, swearing something under her breath at the loud roar that came from the dog. "Jesus Christ what the hell was that?"
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Post by stormaf on Jul 8, 2020 15:43:58 GMT
Hunter and McRorie
Hunter smiled sadly.
"That's what's wrong with today's society," she said despondently, "Nobody trusts anyone and everyone suspects ulterior motives.
"I come from a small town. My parents died when I was fourteen and I had to raise my brother Storm," she smiled fondly, "He was a handful. If it wasn't for the townspeople, we would have really been in trouble.
"I firmly believe in paying things forward."
Looking Rhiannon directly in the eye, she continued, "I'm not after favors. I want these books to go to someone who can guard them. I think they're dangerous and shouldn't be left lying around.
"Like it or not, there are some really stupid nuts out there," she said, "So far I've been a really good judge of people, strangely enough.
"Except for men. I always pick the ones I can't have. I really stink at selecting good husband material. But that doesn't mean that I can't be friends with them!"
This last statement brought a rueful smile to her face.
Yeah, right said her inner voice. Best friends whom you are soft on forever.
"I got a good feeling from Hywel. Despite anything else he is, he's got a good heart and I trust his judgment. He said you'd be interested in these and they are yours. HOLY SHIT WHAT WAS THAT?"
The last came out as a terrified yell. She shot to a stand and whirled around, hitting a martial arts defence stance.
McRorie, in the meantime, had recovered from his skid with a scraping of hard claws on the floor. His long tail acted as a counter balance and he again charged the gremlin, teeth bared. The little green thing darted and dodged frantically. Between the kitten and the cu, it knew it had little chance to live, so it backed itself into a slim corner between the stacks.
In a squeaky little voice, it said the words it had been taught by its master, "Begone hound of hell! Back to what you really are!" Then it threw some sort of powder at McRorie, causing the dog to back off sneezing.
McRorie was thrown back on his haunches, dazed. Suddenly he felt a wrenching throughout his body. He was cold, was his first thought. Then when he looked at himself he noticed that he was in human form again. He was startled when Hunter shrieked.
"What in fucking hell!"
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achromatic
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 9, 2020 17:49:07 GMT
It was clear that despite them both being from small towns, they had very different upbringings. Rhiannon was no stranger to living away from the city; despite the memory being hazy. Perhaps in the modern day, people were kind, but in a famine, there wasn't enough kindness passing around. Even if they had been friends with their neighbors, everyone had to fend for their own. It was why her mother had married her father, how she had come into the world.
She knew everyone had motives somewhere. Some were just less obvious than others. Swallowing her own retort, her nose flared for a moment at the naivete of the other woman. Rhiannon didn't trust people; that was a given, and this woman and all of her 'pay it forward' made Rhiannon trust her even less. It was easier to know one's motive in the first place without all this fluff and fodder.
The other woman's comment about men made her eyes flash in amusement. Poor choice in men indeed; she could tell Hunter had a thing for her brother, and she had been wondering if there was some type of weird barter card–books in exchange for some inside knowledge or something-in this exchange, but she hadn't brought it up.
The loud bang shook her out of her thoughts, and she immediately moved towards a more defensive position, eyes sharp, taking small steps towards the source of the noise. "Sylvan?" she called out, "you there?"
The cat had been thrown back at the strange incident, completely dazed from what had happened. What had happened? He wasn't sure, simply twitching his ears and looking up to see...wait, a human? What? Was that...the dog from earlier? He had never seen anything like that, and suddenly, he was turning tail, running back to Rhiannon, where things were safer and more predictable.
Rhiannon really didn't think anything would surprise her anymore but here she was, staring at a naked man who was once the dog? The dog who was watching the shop? Wait, did this woman even know...?
She turned to Hunter with an almost fierce expression, before taking a step back from both of them. "What are you?" she demanded, glancing to her before turning to the man standing, looking confused. Was she a witch? Perhaps the type to trap others by luring them in, with books promising glory and knowledge?
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Post by stormaf on Jul 10, 2020 0:22:29 GMT
Hunter and McRorie
Hunter stood transfixed, her mouth agape. When she could finally move, the first thing she thought of was McRorie. With a ferocity seldom seen from the gentle bookseller, Hunter stalked forward.
"McRorie! McRorie! Come here, boy!" She called.
"Who are you and where's my dog?"
The young man looked around frantically and grabbed a magazine, holding it in front of his now highly visible private parts. He looked as stunned as Hunter felt. With a guilty expression, he ventured a conciliatory smile.
Hunter advanced on the fellow, arms raised, ready to take him down. He backed away quickly.
"What have you done with my dog?" She growled.
In her distress, the air fairly crackled around her. She'd completely forgotten about Rhiannon.
Finally the young man found his voice. It was soft and a little hoarse, as if it he hadn't used it for some time.
"I'm sorry lass," his voice held an Irish brogue, "I'm McRorie. I'm yer dog."
"Im-fucking-possible!" Hunter roared, "You're a guy!"
Who was a dog? questioned her inner voice.
"Nae girlie," he pleaded, "I'm sidhe fae. I'm a cu sidhe. I am, or rather was, your dog.
"Name's McRorie," he stuck out a friendly hand and nearly lost his magazine in the process, "Nice to finally talk to you."
In a daze, Hunter turned to face Rhiannon. The store owner looked truly shell shocked.
Then she passed out in a dead faint on the floor.
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achromatic
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She / Her
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 10, 2020 3:06:16 GMT
The woman was actually freaking out. Her voice was getting louder, and the air felt tense. Whatever she was, she had no idea what was going on. Rhiannon would assume she wasn't like them, at all, but she knew better to assume. The city had secrets one wouldn't believe, and she wouldn't set her mind so soon, especially for a situation like this.
Rhiannon stared at the man, brow furrowing. So that was why Hywel had mentioned feeling strange around the girl's dog. Now she knew why. She assumed he was a shifter at first, but a cu sidhe? She had heard stories of them when she was young, back in Ireland. Her mother used to tell them of the fae and the creatures of the forest, and the hound of death was one of them.
The next thing she knew, the other woman was passed out on the ground. Rhiannon simply stared for a moment, before turning to the creature. "Where the hell did you come from?" she spoke, her voice cold like ice, "thought your kind only lived up in the moors of Ireland with the other Druids. You're in the wrong continent, mutt."
She didn't trust fae; it was foolish to do so, trickery was in their blood, after all.
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Post by stormaf on Jul 11, 2020 2:13:58 GMT
McRorie
The woman in front of him was a witch woman, this he knew from her scent and from greeting her earlier. While he had known that once he had another life, he'd been in his cu form for so long, it had become almost impossible for him to shift.
Before he did anything else, he had to take care of the gremlin, who was still cowering in its corner. McRorie dropped the magazine and as quick as a flash, he had his hand wrapped around its skinny neck.
"Ye bugger, ye've outted me and scared the wits outta me girl," and without hesitation, he tore it apart with his hands. Green blood now speckled his well built body. His long hair was the same color as the cu's coat had been.
Keeping an eye on Rhiannon, he carefully examined Hunter as she lay passed out on the floor. He sat back on the floor and grabbed his magazine again. He gave Rhiannon a narrow-eyed stare.
"Now, witch, we can talk.
"My kind can live any bloody where we wish to, especially now. I was recruited to help look after this girlie, to keep her safe. She's a good girl and is pretty shy on the facts of life as they are now.
"Someone else is after them be damned books ye're lookin' at. That's why all these confounded greenies are here. I been takin' care of them at might, but this one knew a spell to bring me outta me cu form."
He looked fondly at Hunter, stretched out on the wood floor.
"I guess we need to set her on the right track now that she's seen what she shouldn't have."
McRorie gave a heavy sigh, "And I needs some pants, right quick."
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
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achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Jul 11, 2020 13:29:47 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 11, 2020 13:29:47 GMT
Yeesh, this was a situation she didn't expect herself to be in, and frankly, she didn't enjoy it at all. She especially didn't enjoy seeing that naked man rip apart a gremlin at all. She grimaced as the green blood splattered. Rhiannon was grateful she wasn't standing too close; how vulgar, to rip these things apart with ones' hands
"You know, you didn't have to be so...messy," she grumbled, pulling out a gnarled branch, waving it as if writing a few words in an unknown language, and suddenly, the green mess splattered about disappeared. She let out a sigh. Great, clean-up duty. Her absolute least favorite job.
"Sure you can, cur," she snorted. Unlike her brother who was plenty superstitious about these black mongrels, Rhiannon had no issue putting it in its place. "Yer kind just loves to bring about the end of the world so why not America, where we're already living in it?"
She gave him a tired look, as if already bored of the creature's shit. She didn't have time to argue with some mangy mutt over what was or was not appropriate. Everything about him was inappropriate, his species, his disregard for the order of things, the fact that he was butt naked out in the middle of the day.
Well, now that the girl was fainted, it'd be easier to carry the books. She mumbled another few words and with a wave of the wand, shrunk them down to size. Grimoires were always high in demand in the fae world, nothing new.
"Yeah? Well they're mine now, so guess that's my problem, and you, my friend, really need to find a cover story for this shit. So yeah, no shit, go find yourself a pair of pants and an alibi because there's no reason why I need to stay here any longer." She frowned, glancing at the woman on the floor. She wasn't a witch, most likely, which meant that this wasn't her problem anymore.
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