Scion: The Long Night - [Long Night]Introduction - Welcome to Tombstone

[Hyoseph]

The town of New Tombstone is not a large one. With a population nowhere near a thousand, it consists primarily of the necessities. Distinctly lacking in any of the larger warehouse type stores that distinguish more "civilized" cities, it has managed to get by fairly well without so much as a franchise. Everything, from the grocery store to the hair salon has resulted from a citizen of Tombstone seeing a need, an opportunity, or both, and meeting it. During the daylight hours, it is not uncommon to see a good amount of activity as residents go about their daily routine. Watching them go about their business, one almost forgets that at any given time, a roaming beast or a band of inhuman marauders could descend and shatter this peace. Almost.

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That possibility, as well as the fondness for strong drinks that some of the town's more "unique" residents tend to have, explains the abundance of bars, taverns, saloons, and other alcoholic establishments. Dubbed simply "Company Circle" and right in the middle of town, there is a cobblestone circle, edged on three quarters by every form of entertainment venue that can be imagined, and on the fourth quarter by the courthouse and clock tower. This circle's storied history makes it one of the most famous parts of New Tombstone. Put simply, more than one rivalry between legends has been settled there. The streets that bisect Company Circle and divide it into the quarters are closed from sundown to sun up for all except licensed cab drivers, who even then are not allowed into the circle itself and must find their fares on the edges.

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Most of the establishments that surround Company Circle are open to any and all who wish to, attracting no small number of tourists and pleasure seekers. The exception to that rule is a bar called simply Jack's. Decorated like a strange mash-up between an old fashioned burlesque house and a chinese gambling hall, Jack's caters exclusively to those who stand out from what the owner refers to as the "Typical Mortal Crowd". The bartender, who at the very least claims to be Jack is a slight, thin, hispanic man, rarely seen away from the bar. Jack also keeps a number of good-sized strongarms on hand to keep the peace, but it has been noticed that even in the event of a full on brawl, they tend to stay out of the way until something more valuable than a table breaks.

It is here that our story begins...

[Swara-Ann]

"Who would wanna start a story here?" Swara asked with a confused and mildly disgusted look on her face. She stood behind the driver, Jaden, balancing herself by holding the support bars on either side of the bus's entrance. Their tour bus moved down the avenues looking for an establishment that had a lot large enough to accommodate it.

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"Many Legends have have found their beginning in Tombstone since the End Times." Prudence replied, sitting comfortably on a bench seat and calculating figures on the table. "Many more have found their end..."

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Swara curled up her lip, slightly creeped out by the man the van slowly passed. Swara smiled at him sweetly and he smiled back offering her a polite thumbs up and gappy, toothless smile. "From what? Tetanus?"

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"Among other things, I'm sure." Prudence didn't bother looking up from her paperwork.

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"You know, maybe we could just keep going." Swara pleaded. "If Jaden floored it we could prolly make it to Persephone Bay by this time tomorrow. Plenty of good venues there, the place is a party town!"

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"Enough, Swara," Prudence looked up finally and removed her librarian glasses, letting them fall to her chest where the thin gold chain stopped them from falling to the floor. "This bus requires fuel, maintenance, and supplies. All three of which we purchase by dressing you like a moronic tart so you can sing and be tarty for a crowd of salivating, toothless men. That's just how it is, and we don't have the fuel, the supplies or the money to make it to Persephone Bay."

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"Yeah we-"

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A book flew from Prudence's table and soared across the bus to slammed Alaric square in the chest. Swara looked completely puzzled. "Sorry, saw a fly. Alaric?"

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"Yeah." Alaric rubbed his rubbed his chest. Damn that woman had an arm. "Thanks for that. Big sucker. Massive..."

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"Yer so sweet Prudy." Swara complimented her manager on possibly saving Alaric's life from what could have been the largest imaginary fly ever. "Can I do the show without a theme tonight? Pleeeease?"

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"Will it shut you up?" She was already massaging her temples.

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"More than likely." The blonde Scion nodded.

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"Then, yes. By Odin's beard, please shut up and get ready..." She sighed in relief when Swara dashed past Alaric 'squeeeeeing' to find an outfit she could wear for tonight's show.

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Since the band had met up with Swara it was like this in every town. Prudence, who Swara-Ann claimed was her sister and manager, would usually just stay out of everyone's way. She wasn't mean or cruel, but she was quite blunt and generally didn't take long to irritate. In fact she was the complete mental opposite to Swara. Much like grapefruits. Swara meant well, she just wasn't all together upstairs, not that she was stupid, because that would imply she possessed intelligence at some point. No, for Swara it seemed more like she was stuck at the transitional age between childhood and adult hood. Her body had developed into a sensual weapon that left men drooling and quivering at just the opportunity to say 'hi' to her. Meanwhile her brain never got past finger painting and eating paste. No, seriously, Jaden had started to hide the paste...

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"Jaden," Prudence said softly, her glasses now back n so she could do more work. She rolled her eyes as Swara could be heard in the back singing 'Tarty Deeds... DONE DIRT CHEAP' to herself. "I have us reservations just off Company Circle. If you could take us there, please? And for the record... we're only half sisters."

[Jaden Shea]

"I hear you," the young man replied, having the regret of having to at once drive while the bickering of the half-sisters went around in the background. To be honest, he had to sympathize with Prudence, despite her aloof personality. Swara was a smoking vision of a woman, but it hadn't taken five minutes of real interaction after meeting her to be able to really take her seriously forevermore.

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If she hadn't been a fellow Scion, Jaden wouldn't have bothered. As it still stood now, though Jaden - the Scion of Nezha calmly strode up to ogres and told them that town-wrecking was verboten - had a tendency to... not hide, not that.

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Keep furtively from Swara-centric matters if possible? That was more like it.

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The classic mixture of sights and sounds that signaled a red-light district, and in this case, Company Circle soon greeted the bus. "All right, we're just about here." Jaden just had to find parking.

[Richard Alexander Reynes]

Alaric remained silent for the rest, briefly wondering what Prudence had just agreed to unleash upon New Tombstone by giving Swara a free hand to play the show as she wished. He tended to serve as the overt and direct security for any show, He wasn't the largest man, but damn few were stronger, or faster. In the end he supposed they all balanced out. The smaller quiet Mysterious Jaden, He himself was the Bruiser, a warrior first and foremost, and Swara, the blond bombshell with a gift for driving men mad without ever intending it. One almost wonders if Eris was her mother, the way she seems to nearly delight in Chaos.

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The blace certainly looked like it matched the hype, a place where someone more than Mortal could feel at home, or at the very least far from alone.

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"I think..." his blue eyes almost seemed to twinkle, something told him something Interesting was going to happen here in this town, this day.... "This is going to be one Hel of a show."

[Youko Inoue]

The sound of engines nearby, large, screaming like banshees engines starts to break the usual sound of the bus and conversation. Over the Bus' radio there is a simple voice that comes up, one happy to be doing what she does. She wasn't sure what the others always thought, so she just made sure not to disturb them with the roar of her favorite mode of transportation. "The roads seem clear, my usual parking space seems clear too. I'll head on ahead and meet everyone there." She said, the briefest view of a grey aircraft flying by with Japanese markings.

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Youko always loved scouting ahead. That and she hated going by land. The sky was her home, and her Fu Ryu was her steed. "See ya at the bar guys."

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Parking was a easy affair, but making sure the dust she kicked up didn't end up in the bar wasn't. Luckily the doors were open to where a secondary stable was located. Usually used to store any beast of burden a traveler used, and the secondary pens were used in case there was a lot of horse traffic. Today though, Youko was going to be letting her baby take a rest here.

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Landing in VTOL mode then moving into position before her aircraft powered down it's engines, Youko flipped a couple switches and opened the canope and looked around before hopping out on to a crate she parked next to. She hopped down from it and patted her aircraft on it's nose as the canope closed. "Good work, dear." Smiling she headed through a side gate to wait for the bus to pull up. Locking up her ride before hand.

[Hyoseph]

It is not unheard of for a new arrival to New Tombstone to make an entrance. Usually it comes in the form of stories being told about horrible villainy or astounding heroism being told around the tables. Usually in hushed tones or loud, sweeping epics, respectively. It is not often that the word of the arrival occurs before anyone has even laid eyes on the legends in question.

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it was easily several minutes before the arrival of the Band's land-based contingent that the population of New Tombstone was aware of their arrival, thanks to the deafening roar of Fu Ryu's engines. It wasn't as if planes were unheard of in the world since the End Times, but it also wasn't as if they were commonplace either. Having one land outside your door, however, that was something that just didn't happen save for a special few occasions.

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Crowds of mortals and a few immortals filed out from the shops to see what sort of abomination had just arrived in town. Most of the ones who had a divine pedigree stayed inside and enjoyed their entertainment. They would learn soon enough. Others, such as the one that had brought the band here to begin with, already knew. A little blue wasteling of a man, if it could still be called such, sat wrapped up in several layers of thick fur blankets. It stared at its drink, long since frozen by simply being in his proximity, it sat with ts back to a corner and the emergency exit off to one side within reasonable distance. Its name, "Alex". A mundane label, to be sure, but one that spared him the grating irritation that came every time someone mispronounced its real name.

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Alex had taken the time to arrange two meetings. One had come in the form of an invitation to meet and discuss the type of business that quite simply called for the attention of what had come to be known as a fairly renowned band of heroes. He had not said much more than that on the invitation, besides the fact that the band would be compensated for their time and effort. The second was with one of his associates, a fairly well to do and well-regarded promoter in the mortal world, whom he had paid quite handsomely to book the ravishing Swara-Ann to perform here in town. A much smaller venue than she was no doubt used to given her talents and her... gifts, but no matter. All it came down to on that front was the proper number of zeroes on the check. And making sure that her manager was made aware of the second meeting.

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Outside, in the crowds, all eyes were on the new arrivals, some friendly, some less so, all interested.

[SalmonMax]

"Are we here?!" shrieked a voice from farther back in the bus. There was a thunk and the sound of clothes hastily being thrown on.

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Only Eilessa could sleep through a jet plane landing nearby. She kept odd hours and didn't sleep often but slept hard.

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"Okay...okay..." Her vocal tone shifted up a few pitches and became cheerful and bright. "Hey everyone! We're just pulling into Tombstone...I almost overslept so sorry about the puffy eyes. For those of you with bad memories, or who are new, I'm with the fabulously talented Swara Osbourne in her awesome tour bus that has...get this..."

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She pattered into the kitchen/living room space of the bus, tan-skinned and blonde-haired and clad in a turquoise T-shirt and a pair of yellow shorts that had a lime green palmprint on the right butt cheek. Where Swara was glamourous and voluptuous, Eilessa was kind of scrawny in comparison and wild-haired. Pretty...even very pretty...but not the kind of pretty that'd sell magazines. More like the kind that'd wind up in a viral video adjusting her swimsuit elastic or something. In her hand was a sleek black smartphone...something not seen much anymore since the World Wide Web became the End of the World Wide Web...which she pressed up against the window in the side of the bus facing Youko's airplane.

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"...a jet fighter escort!" she enthused. "Is that wild? How many pop icons have one of those?" She turned the phone around to shoot her own face again and started walking up the narrow aisle towards the driver and passenger seats up front. "She's going to be performing here in Tombstone, and I'll have exclusive footage of the show, backstage, and of course of the mayhem that's sure to follow. Hey Pru. This is her sister and manager."

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Lessa pointed the camera at Prudence just long enough to register the murderous expression on her face before shouldering up to Swara herself, plunking her head on the taller girl's shoulder and holding the camera out in front of both of them.

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"Swara selfie! Aahhhh!"

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She disengaged and nodded at the camera. "So keep streaming, folks and remember to 'like' or I'll find you and steal your cat."

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The phone went back in her pocket and Lessa planted her fists on her hips, Peter-Pan style.

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"So! What's on the To-Do List?!"

[Swara-Ann]

Swara swept past Lessa smacking a glossy kiss on her cheek in thanks for the awesome selfie opportunity and squee'd delightfully.

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She peeled her shirt off as she kept walking to the back of the bus to change. For a moment, until the curtains slid shut the clasp of her bra and the sway of her hips were the center of Alaric's and Jaden's attention. It was irritating sometimes for them to be so distracted by her presence but both had to admit that they were thankful she was a sweet, warm and compassionate beautiful person compared to how they both know she could use her looks. Besides, staring at the sway in her hips was hardly torturous.

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Her head poked out and she grinned widely. "Duh, Lessa... we party, get sloppy drunk, and wake up with a ton of new regrets." Prudence glared daggers at her and Swara rolled her eyes away like a child caught by her parent. "Prudence feels we should do it after the show this time though. Y'know... to switch it up." She winked, giggled and was gone again.

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*****

The Crystal Palace, the oldest surviving bar (Saloon, whatever), was an incredible piece of history. Just a simple, two story rectangular building of red on the outside, it didn't look like much at all. Inside it open aired with a balcony that wrapped around allowing for an incredibly huge skylight to act as the event area's ceiling. The moon assisted the spotlights in bathing the stage in a soft, dusty gray light. The place was packed mortals and minor gods, some had come from miles around to catch the show while others were natives. Swara was kind of a big deal around these parts, not because she was popular but because her act tonight was the only real entertainment most of these people had had in months. Tombstone wasn't necessarily in the middle of a thriving cultural center.

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Anyone who knew Swara knew that she was the most sweet and loving person you could ever meet. Even in the heart of danger when the World was throwing at them their worst, Swara would always have a smile on her face a perky, fun little quip to keep everyone in the game. The girl practically sweat optimism, fun and good cheer... in that strange, violent, Aesir sort of way. On the stage she was different though, like another woman. She was ever bit the entertainer she was supposed to be. Her eyes were narrow and determined, her voice was deeper and stern and the things she'd do with her body up there would make Aphrodite blush like a tweaked maiden.

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The crowd was insane as she performed. Unlike some Scions she didn't possess the ability to perfectly twist her voice, she didn't need to. She could rock a venue and look great doing it. The crowd leaped and grabbed for her, promptly to be swatted down by Alaric who made it his duty to always be there for the blonde during show. Occasionaly she'd stop near him and gyrate around him teasingly just for fun. Sometimes he'd smirk and try to ignore her (seriously, it was worth a shot), other times he'd laugh along and point for her to get back to her performance. Either way, the crowd loved they way she seemed to fun and out going on stage (not unlike how she really was) and Alaric couldn't help proudly raising his head and enjoyed the perks of his job.

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She drove men wild and Prudence was thankful that tonight her half sister had decided on a simple ensemble with black heeled boots, leather shorts that laced up their sides and should have been illegal, with a black, loose fitting tank top that was sized to expose her stunning midriff. A black leather bra preserved her modesty under the looseness of her shirt. Her hair was damp and sweat poured from her, running her black eye make up but everything seemed to look great on Swara, even sweat and running eyeliner. On stage she was darker, a contrast to the whites and pinks she so loved to wear when not on stage and it showed in her lyrics.

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She was killing it tonight.

[Youko Inoue]

Youko kept to the back, the black and dark green clothing she wore in another time would have made her look like some odd movie-grade pilot. Here with the mixture of humanity today she almost blended in. Bikers to the left, grungy street types on the right and here she was, listening to a form of music that to be honest threatened to turn her ear drums into a paste. Then again, if this was what people had for entertainment this side of the world, who is she to complain or argue with? She's the true stranger here.

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The spirits of the crowd were whipped up, fueled on the performance, alcohol and testosterone.

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Youko was probably the most sober here, and with reason. She might get called up for a job at any moment... someone might get into a fight and suck her in. She was just here, but in a place like this now she was in the grab of a black hole that would only lead to trouble. This sort of mixture was... not exactly what she would call the best crowd.

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Her uncertainty was painted on her face. A look of awkwardness that spoke more volumes than any book. Or what passed for one around here.

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"I always get shot down in the social situations..." Youko sighed. She didn't even know how her dad did it and he's a ugly pervert. And oh the stories all the booze glasses and walls would tell Youko if she had the courage to ask. "...starting to wonder if these people are the ones I was told to hook up with... something is important here, otherwise I wouldn't have been sent here otherwise. Was the important thing just making sure their way was clear?"

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She pulled out a piece of paper, with an invitation from an Alex... she's heard tell of the blue man. Doesn't know what to think.

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She quietly absconds heading around to the back, and there he was. With every bit of blue and then some. "Yen for your thoughts?"

[Hyoseph]

Youko

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Alex had noticed the Amatsuscion early on. Drawing the connection rather quickly between the screaming jet engines and the flight suit. Sure, she was far from the most strangely dressed individual in the room, but there were only so many jets left, and even fewer legendary god-children attached to them. The closer the god child drew, the tighter he pulled in his blankets. He did noot these things to keep warm, such an effort was utterly doomed to failure. He simply wished to hold the cold in. In this particular case, he failed. As she came closer, Youko could feel the temperature drop rather sharply around the table by about twenty degrees. A patch of cold night air in a room full of hot, sweating bodies, the waves of body heat put off by the crowd not making so mitigating the chill by so much as a degree.

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"Y-Youko Inoue, H-H-Heroine of Hhhaneda, pilot of Fu-Fu Ryu. Thankks for coming."

Alex glanced around, his eyes darting around the room, pausing periodically, most noticeably on the door, which his visual cycles invariably ended on.

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"I S-s-s-s-see the S-singer, wh-h-h-hoo else dididid you bring?"

[Youko Inoue]

The chill wasn't lost on Youko as she stopped. At first she wanted to look around and see if there was a open air conditioning vent, but then it all came together. "Out of your element, I assume, Alex?" She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide the sudden chill. "Everyone is here. Thanks to my efforts. There were several Chupacabras on the road, and their spiky hides would have punctured those tires on that bus easily. Keeping the road clear was... a cinch."

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She smiled. "I am starting to realize why they like me around. I keep their bus from running into problems and not having to pay for repairs, and they keep me in the black."

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She was smart to keep people clueless as to the fact Fu Ryu never needs ammunition or fuel. Or the fact there was a spirit in her. She used the money more to stock up on things to maintain her suit and her own habits. That and the maintenance of her painfully mundane pistol.

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"To be honest, I'm at a loss, you're aware of my exploits half a world away... who's your contact?"

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She smirked. She always loved a good question that needed answering.

[Jaden Shea]

"Someone picked up a hot air balloon," Jaden snarked as he sauntered in behind Youko. Much as usual, Jaden was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, this one a simple gray top with black and red striped pants. And of course, his vest over the shirt.

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To mention the Sword of the Huokang and its decorated scabbard would just be pointless - Jaden had learned by habit to keep it around as always. The Scion took note of Alex's chilly aura, and crossed his arms. "Word travels anyway, no matter what. The other question - what exactly are you interested in."

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Jaden wasn't keen on yet letting this man know all of their faces.

[SalmonMax]

Meanwhile, from behind Alex a waitress or server or something daintily stooped over to collect empty glasses, and surveyed Youko and Jaden.

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"Can I get you anything?" she asked, and then...after a quick glance to make sure Alex wasn't looking over his shoulder at her...made a bright, wide smile and waved at the others.

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After a second to adjust to her shorter, differently colored hairstyle, and the glasses and club uniform that it would probably be best not to pry too deeply into how she'd gotten, both of them recognized Eilessa though had she not drawn their attention it was likely they wouldn't have. She tended to blur into her 'roles' with distressing ease.

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When Alex waved her off, she was back to the tired waitress, and the flash of their traveling companion was so quick that they might be forgiven for thinking it a trick of their imaginations. Until she pantomimed an 'a-ok' gesture, and quickly got back to work...keeping an eye on the meeting for now, just in case.

[Hyoseph]

Alex had a brief look of confusion as he tried to wrap his mind around the question about his source. Confusion turned into determination as he focused on controlling his shivering long enough to speak relatively coherently. "Heroes. Without. Legends. Aren't. Heroes."

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He looked to Jaden, his frozen blue eyes staring through Nezha's scion as he spoke.

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"Knowledge."

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Alex looked down to the Table before him and blew lightly onto it, a light gust of white air and biting cold flowed from his lips, covering the table in a thin layer of frost. Reaching one shaking hand out over the new layer of frost, he grabbed onto it with the other arm to help control the shaking. Once the shivering had mostly stopped, making the hands as steady as they were going to be, he slowly began writing out numbers. Not just numbers, coordinates.

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"Settlement. Here. Has. Rep... Strangers. No. Gods."

He circled the numbers.

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"Investigate."

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As he spoke, his focus gave out and he recoiled back into his blankets, shivering severely.

"In...vesssst...gate"

[Richard Alexander Reynes]

Alaric himself had on his leathers, with a black t-shirt emblazoned with "Security" in yellow. He didn't ask where it came from, just knew it was something that felt right. Watching Swara perform was a treat in and of itself, and he had no illusion that if she really wished, she could get any Man there to do whatever she wanted.

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He stood as a silent sentinel against the crowd, never having to back someone up more than once, and he allowed himself a smile. This was so much better than the beginning, being alone.

[Youko Inoue]

Youko pulled out a pen and a notepad and wrote down the coordinates quickly. Comparing it to a map she had... then double-checking, she quirked an eyebrow. "New Thermopylae. The Dodekatheon took over in that area after the time of Chaos. It's north of what was called San Diego before that time. Still called that on our maps back home. Raiden told me things got changed up a little once the Greek Pantheon took over."

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"It's a coastal town, built just a bit south west of a old military base. Outside of that my knowledge is from just guess work from my map of the region. That and even this map is quite... inaccurate."

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She smiled. "I love surprises, that's what makes life fun. Well, you got me at least little guy."

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She looked to the others there.

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OOC on location

Check here. https://goo.gl/maps/HVAxS

[Hyoseph]

Youko's information geographically was correct. The Twilight of the Gods had not relocated overly much when it had taken place. Most of the damage and devastation was reserved for the East Coast. She was not wrong, however. The coming of the gods had changed a few things. Primarily the melting pot nature of the region. Previously, what had been California had been considered one of the most welcoming and multicultural of regions. As fortune and Fate would have it, the newcomers had changed that. Following the precedent set forward millennia ago, the Dodekathon in this region, much like their Roman followers before, were more than a little elitist. Naturally this attitude did not completely pervade the culture of the Greek and Roman divinity, but for solidly a hundred miles north, south, and about half that east, was an unfortunate place to be something not in line with the ideal image of man, according to the Greeks. That is, presuming one was mortal.

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Alex, for his part, shook and shivered continuously, curling up into what amounted to being a fairly pathetic little ball. The chattering of his teeth was drowned out mostly by the music from the stage, but for those near the table, there was a different sound. The heavy thud of boots. The woman, clearly more than mortal, strode up to the table like she owned the place. Clad in hooded leather, lined with iron, and draped with a long fur cloak that was entirely too warm for this venue, the new arrival to the table was just shy of six feet. Flawless pale skin peeked out from all the right places, the design of the outfit specifically tailored to not only bring attention to all the right curves, but to also draw attention to the wicked-looking weapon she carried. A segmented blade connected by a cord running through its center. Functionally such a weapon would be simply impossible to wield but few were those who wished to put her skills to the test.

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She stepped up to the table and looked at the shaking Alex for a moment before shaking her head, chuckling a bit. She then turned to the numbers on the table, where her gaze was fixed for a short time. It wasn't until she tapped the table with a gloved hand and turned to leave that she seemed to notice the band.

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"Oh, hello"

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She pulled the hood back, letting her black hair fall down perfectly around her face. For a brief moment, those present could swear she bore some resemblance to the singing diva on the stage. For a brief second, every male heart skipped a beat, longing for this new stranger's attentions. Those who were 'in the know', however, could see the truth. Her smile, while alluring and absolutely screaming forbidden pleasures, held no kindness in it. There was nothing loving about any of it. This was Disa Odinsdottir, a born Hero much like many others in the room. Her own Legend and tale of epic deeds done, however, was surpassed only by her reputed lust for blood and the sadistic pleasure she took from torturing others, whether they were her sworn enemies or simply unfortunate would-be lovers who didn't know what they were getting into.

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"Let me guess, you lot got tapped by this little wretch too. Well then."

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Her face seemed to show genuine happiness for a moment.

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"This should be fun"

[Youko Inoue]

Youko crossed her arms over her chest. It suddenly got a bit more cold in the room... well at least by feel with the woman who felt to her like she was walking over Youko's grave. "And to who or what do we owe the honor, Miss...?"

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Youko stood out, compared to the bikers, roughnecks, and outright thuggish looking individuals here, Youko seemed a more disciplined, and definitely more devoted person to her vocation than most others. Outside of the rockers on stage. Then again Youko was still dressed for work, her usual was in the cargo pod, but she didn't know if she'd be flying again soon. The obvious ego of the newcomer clashed with the almost rigid and by the book expression of the Heroine pilot.

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"Seems you know about this unfortunate soul's plight..." Youko said, gesturing respectfully to the frigid little man in the room.

[Jaden Shea]

Jaden stared. Then scowled deeply. "Disa. Odinsdottir." He glared at Alex then. "And what possessed you to propose an offer to this crazy bitch now? Is there something about this mission you're not telling us?"

[Youko Inoue]

Youko's not had direct dealings yet with Alex... but it seems her colleague Jaden has. discretion becomes the better part of valor for Youko and she finds a seat, more near Alex than the new woman Disa.

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Then the name finally clicked. Youko leaned back in her seat looking casual, but she rested her hand on her sidearm. It was a basic pistol design, hundreds of years old in pattern, although manufactured only a few years back when she got certified to use it. It's designation was long forgotten, but it was a decent weapon... for a mortal. Luckily Youko had her ace card as well. Her posture was reminiscent of a scene from a science fiction movie long ago and some would say far away.

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If this Disa woman was as psycho as the crazy half of the Aseir... "I'd pick your words more carefully, Jaden. We're not here to fight. Or to provoke one."

[Hyoseph]

Disa gave a look of clearly feigned shock and offense. "I am not crazy"

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She walked around the bundled up thing that was Alex, who in turn was eyeing her segmented blade. Clearly caught between a rock and a hard place in this particular scenario, he simply remained and shivered while the Aesir scion put a hand on one of his frosty shoulders.

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In a voice that absolutely dripped with patronizing tone and condescension, she spoke briefly to him. "See that? They think they're special. No appreciation for hedging your bets. Not to worry though, little frostling, I get you." She looked at Jaden and gave a smile absolutely devoid of mirth. "I understand if you wanted to hire some second stringers just in case." She gave his shoulder a squeeze before releasing him.

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She politely regarded Youko. "Yes, I am familiar with the little blue man's issue, though I wouldn't be too worried about conflict here. I'm just in and out." Turning her attention to Jaden, her smile was gone. "Still, if you're feeling up to taking on a daughter of Odin, punk, then take your best shot. Who knows? You may even enjoy it. I know I will."

[Jaden Shea]

The idea that Jaden had started this just went over his head once Disa called him and his Band 'second-stringers.' He simply held her gaze and smiled. "You've never heard my title, have you? Fine then." He hooked a thumb towards the exit. "Let's take this outside and far away from anyone then. Test me all you want..."

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Keeping an eye on her, Jaden turned and walked his way out. "If you're ready for it."

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OOC

Loyalty is the highest Virtue applicable in this situation, so I'm rolling it.

Jeremy *rolls* 3d10e7: 4,1,6. Successes = 0

No successes, but that just means Jaden isn't automatically compelled. He's still gonna take her up on it.

[Youko Inoue]

Youko sighed. "Ya get killed, I'm not buryin' ya."

,,

Youko got up starting to walk out. "There is a patch of open ground not too far on the outskirts if you two wanna throw down without getting the people of this town involved. But if you do it "outside" this establishment, that puts too many innocent people at risk for your foolishness. I will intervene then. If you two are going to be stupid... be smart about it."

,,

She turned to Alex. "I'm so sorry... but it seems there is enough testosterone in this room to kill a Kraken. I'll look into that location, and I'll relay this to the band as well."

,,

Now to find the others...

[Hyoseph]

Disa smiled, the sense of actual enjoyment coming across her face again with Jaden's reply, followed by a mocking faux pout. "Oh, honey. I don't know you well enough for a private show just yet."

She turned to the group that had started to form around them and gave them a beautiful smile. "Come on, gentlemen... and ladies. Come and see this boy get made into a man". Complementing her smile with a mischievous wink to the crowd, she looked over to Youko and just smiled before turning her attention to the door and heading towards it, a good-sized crowd (though still small compared to those who were watching Swara's performance) in tow.

[Youko Inoue]

Youko stopped in her tracks. "No... you leave them out of it. It is between you two. No more, no less."

,,

She crossed her arms. "You wish me to summon security to break this up? I will. You two are being egocentric and coming off like you just don't give a damn."

,,

"Either settle this without bystanders, or I'm getting the others and we're going to have a talk about this. Of course after the bouncers toss the both of you out on to the street."

[Hyoseph]

Disa pouted briefly in Youko's direction before a single haughty "Ha!" escaped her.

,,

"You're sweet."

She gestured dismissively to Youko, someplace between a 'shoo' and a simple dismissal.

"You do whatever you think you have to do. My friends and I are going outside to play with your boyfriend for a little bit." She briefly looked Youko over and smiled approvingly. "Who knows? After I tire him out, may even be able to play with you for a while. Though you may be a bit delicate"

[Youko Inoue]

Youko glared. "SECURITY!"

[Hyoseph]

Disa stopped in her tracks as the scion of Raiden called out for security. It didn't take a significant amount of talent to notice the number of black and white clad security staff members moving across the floor towards the site of the commotion. She turned and stared daggers into Youko's eyes. As her mouth moved though as far as onlookers were concerned, no words were coming out of it. Seconds later, the sounds of security moving toward the site were drowned out by the sounds of screaming from across the bar. Terrible, awful noises of one who was in immeasurable pain and agony. Less than a second later, a portion of the bar was illuminated by a new light. A patron, his clothes and hair suddenly ablaze, screaming for some sort of mercy that most knew would never come. The crowd itself lurched away from the burning individual, giving the floor to the spectacle and escaping the smell of burning flesh and alcohol. Chaos, panic, and discord swept through the chamber as the sounds of a terrified crowd joined the burning man's shouting for help.

,,

For the most part, the band was unaffected. At this point a raucous crowd, even one initiated by a man on fire was relatively mundane. Difficult to maintain, mind you, but mundane. All save one. The Scion of Raiden was unmoving. Through all the chaos and confusion, she was stiff as a board. That is, until a massive force from behind swept over her. It seems the crowd had found the exit. The teeming, shouting throng washed over her, concealing her from her associates in the band. Disa, for her part, moved with the crowd, having been backing away relatively slowly from the one who had called for the intervention of authority. Once she reached the door, she would depart, presumably to leave the scene entirely. Though she did have a date with the Punk of the West. It would be hard to predict if she would keep it or not.

,,

---------------

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OOC:

Eilessa, Jaden - Stamina + Athletics, Difficulty 1 to remain standing, Difficulty 2 to not get pressed to a wall or out the door, in Jaden's case, Difficulty 3 to remain stationary.

Alaric, Swara - Shit just got real. Perception + Awareness, number of successes will determine amount of information available about what just happened.

[Swara-Ann]

Her concert was over after only a few songs. The mic dropped to the floor and squealed loudly like mics do. From her vantage point on the stage, looking over the crowd, she saw the man who caught fire. He suddenly decided to pour alcohol all over himself until another man grazed him and he suddenly caught fire. Oh, well, this show was over.

,,

"What the Hel, people!" She screamed aloud, but no one really heard her, except Alaric. "UGH!" she grunted in frustration.

,,

She scanned the panicked crowd trying to locate the guy who grazed the man right before he ignited. After a moment she noticed him moving through the crowd with no difficulty whatsoever, it was like people were unconsciously avoiding him and allowing him to pass. She considered giving chase but with that crowd she knew there was no was she could follow him. By the time she'd decided, he was already gone.

,,

Agitated she paced about on stage, assessing the situation but not really in a position to do anything, yet.

,,

Perception + Awareness

Swara *rolls* 4d10t7: 5,10,10,1. Successes = 4

,,

Staying on stage and out of the crowd. Civvies brawling and rioting is not something that requires Scion intervention. Security was hired for a reason. Of course, she also has no idea that this is all Jaden's fault.

[Jaden Shea]

Jaden had opened his mouth to tell Youko to shut up and not blindly interfere - when the man started burning. And then the crowd started panicking. Jaden was a stone wall, despite the press and held his way through the current of people. Mentally cursing the Scion of Raiden as hard as he could. There was a damn difference between bystanders and audience who presumably knew better than to get stuck in - and bringing in the threat of Security onto the Odinsdottir only made it that more likely for someone to do so.

,,

And in all likelihood - having observed the display of Disa vs. Youko, Jaden distinctly feared she had just killed the man to create her escape. After the crowds poured past, he let out a sigh and looked for Alex.

,,

OOC

[Jeremy] 11:27 am: Stamina + Athletics
Jeremy *rolls* 8d10e7: 5,10,6,7,7,6,3,5. Successes = 4 + E-STA 2 = 6

Yeah, nobody budging the Punk of the West.

[Richard Alexander Reynes]

Alaric was a bit slower to react, shaking off the residual effects of what had been a fun and enjoyable show by Swara, but the cry for Security brought him around fast, and be scanned the crowds. Then drawing him like a moth to flame, a man literally caught fire and began to scream starting a panic amongst the patrons, and he sighed. "I guess I'll have to deal with this." He hated reigning in mortals, it was liking fighting in a paper bag. Still he moved down off the stage, noting Swara was staying where she was, which was probably for the best.

,,

alaric's perception roll

Long6 *rolls* 5d10: 7+3+2+9+5: 26 2 successes

[SalmonMax]

Things happened fast, but Eilessa happened faster. The crowd barely had time to register something was amiss, and she was already jumping up on one of the bigger tables and crouching down. She had a good view of what was going on from up there. A good view of something terrible. Leaving it to the others to exact justice, she focused on trying to mitigate the damage. She leapt up off the tabletop, grabbed one of the overhanging lamps, and swung on it over the surging crowd to land behind the bar near the Burning Man.

,,

Then it was a mad grab for all the pitchers of non-alcoholic beverages she could find to put that guy out. While it wasn't too likely she could save him...she could at least stop him from spreading the flames, or making things worse.

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[salmonMax] 3:11 pm: Stamina + Athletics...

SalmonMax *rolls* 7d10: 8+9+4+8+6+5+3: 43

Let me know if you need any other rolls. Eilessa gets like 4 autosuccesses on acrobatics and stuff, so...

[Hyoseph]

Eilessa

,,

Eilessa held her place in the crowd thanks in no small part to the fact that she was one of if not the most nimble individuals in the room. Ducking and weaving through the crowd briefly until she was up on a table, crouching and holding on. After taking a few moments to take it all in, she had grabbed pitchers, glasses, carafes, and finally a soda hose from behind the nearest bar and was unloading onto the burning man. It was a good thing that she did, too, as further investigation would show that while he was dead before it finally stopped, he was completely covered in what was ludicrously high proof alcohol. Far too potent for a mere mortal, and much more flammable than most things. The water initially only made the fire problem worse, spreading it out on the floor, but soon the diluting effect denied the fire its fuel and it burned out shortly before the man's body realized it was dead and stopped moving.

,,

Jaden

,,

The Punk of the West was a rock. The enthusiastic first few individuals that tried to bowl him over on their way out the door bounced off him like pebbles off of a concrete wall. Looking out over the crowd, once it thinned out enough to do so, his search for Alex would find no such being, but the emergency exit nearest to where the blue being was in had lost its door, the telltale signs of white frost over the hinges and handles.

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Swara / Alaric

,,

As the bar empties out, the burning man eventually stops burning, the crowd dissipates, a few things are apparent to those whose perspective had allowed them to watch the scene from a higher perspective. Alaric had seen Alex hug the wall as soon as the fire had begun and make his way towards an emergency exit and out. Swara, on her part, would be the one to find Youko, barely a few feet from where she had gone down, immobile and covered in the dirty prints of hundreds of feet trying to make their way to the door with little regard for the little japanese girl beneath them. She wasn't moving.

[Richard Alexander Reynes]

With the fire extinguished, and the crowd gone, Alaric looked to Swara. "I'm glad most of your shows don't end that way. think of what it would do to your reputation."

,,

He looked to the few who remained. "Is everyone else alright?"

[Swara-Ann]

Swara hopped down from the stage, snorting back to Alaric, "I know, right?"

,,

She knelt beside Youko who didn't appear to be moving and certainly wasn't conscious. "Guys? Guys! Youko isn't moving!" Sif's Scion pressed her fingers lightly to Youko's neck and checked again on her wrist. "I'm not getting a pulse."

,,

A few moments later she stood up, letting Youko's head rest gently on the floor. She looked around, her eyes stern but slight glossed at the loss of one of their own. Through gritted teeth the blonde pop icon glared at Jaden (the usual suspect). "What. Happened?"

,,

Medicine Roll - 2 successes. Confirmed no pulse... Swara I don't see as smart enough to know CPR or other life saving techniques. Binding wounds and maybe crude stitches, but that's it.

[SalmonMax]

Just like that, Eilessa was at Youko's side, a puff of wind and swirl of dust and napkins gusting after her. Put out one fire, two more spring up, it seemed.

,,

She had her weird little smartphone out and was dialing the local emergency hotline, summoning an ambulance.

,,

"One of my friends is down," Ei went on to say...her voice was firm even though her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "She hasn't got a pulse. You have to walk me through how to save her, at least long enough for the paramedics to get here."

[Jaden Shea]

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Jaden snapped, on the spot, eyes dancing between Youko's body and Swara. "The fire happened, they stampeded..... I told her to not get anyone else involved.... why didn't she listen? I... bet Disa did it, just because."

[Swara-Ann]

"So, Disa was over here with you guys and just decided to have one of her cronies start a fire and cause mass panic?" Swara didn't take her eyes off him, the bombshell appeared a mixture of angry and on the verge of tears. "We had nothing to do with it? I find that hard to believe. I'm stupid Jaden, but I'm not stupid."

,,

Swara crossed her arms and looked back at Youko's body. She wasn't really heartbroken that the girl was hurt or dying, she hardly knew her. What bothered her was that someone was hurt on her watch, that possibly she could have prevented it. People get hurt or killed everyday in her line of work, being a Scion wasn't easy, but someone in her Band was reckless enough to cause this harm then that was a serious problem.

[Richard Alexander Reynes]

Alaric stood there a moment assimilating tpotential death of a comrade, and moved over to the fire door, poening it to see what he was sure of. Alex was long gone, and there'd be hell to pay for this lapse.

,,

He rejoined the group and looked to Jaden. "Explain what happened, start to finish, Jaden. Tell us how it came to this."

[Hyoseph]

As the others discussed the matter of how they had gotten to this situation, Eilessa was in tears, on the phone with an emergency operator being walked through basic CPR.

,,

Max's OOC Medicine Roll

SalmonMax, on 21 Feb 2014 - 15:38, said:
(Perception is 3, no dots in Medicine so...
[salmonMax] 5:37 pm: Also...die roll for Long Night.
SalmonMax *rolls* 3d10: 1+8+2: 11
[salmonMax] 5:37 pm: Yay...one success...)

,,

With instructions from the calming voice on the phone, Eilessa performed her part expertly. Not terribly gifted in the medical field herself, her attention to detail told her that she did everything she possibly could given the circumstances. Unfortunately, given the state of affairs, even that was not enough.

In relative silence, she worked for minutes on end until finally her own perceptive ability told her the unfortunate truth. Youko was gone.